MOUEEL
ES ⌄
frutaagria · almendrada · verde · de albaricoque · salina

Ciruela ume

Nunca se come fresca, en ningún país, jamás. Se sala, se azucara o se macera en licor, y ahí se vuelve indispensable.

on its own
5.0sour
1.0sweet
2.0savoury
2.0bitter
1.0umami
order · canon first

3 of these 14 are wild — theory says yes, nobody has cooked them. why →

14 pairings for Ciruela ume.

Sal

classic

Salt draws the water out and the acid concentrates; that is the whole umeboshi process.

Shiso

classic

Perilla dyes the pickle red and its aldehyde runs alongside the fruit acid.

Té verde

common

Catechin bitterness and salted acid; the pairing is a hangover cure in three countries.

Pepino

common

Green water plus salt-sour paste; the crunch is the only thing the plum cannot supply.

Pollo

common

The acid tenderises and the salt seasons; a plum paste does both in one marinade.

Katsuobushi

uncommon

Inosinate and fruit acid; pounded together they become a seasoning, not a pickle.

Sake

uncommon

Steeped ume plus rice esters; the almond note from the stone is what carries over.

Simmered with oily fish, the acid dissolves the small bones and cuts the oil at once.

The stone is loaded with benzaldehyde; the nut just says out loud what is already there.

Juniper and green stone-fruit acid; umeshu logic with the botanicals turned up.

Cocoa butter against salt-sour paste; the fat makes the acid taste like apricot.

Cerdo

wild

Salted sour plum with sweet fat: the acid and the salt arrive together.