Fyretigger;32859 wrote:I hope one of our asian cooking experts can help me with this. While visiting Kyoto Japan, we ate one evening at a little place on Pontocho Alley in the Gion district, that was a cross between a regular restaurant and an Izakaya place (bar with food snacks). We had Karaage (fried) chicken with Cherry Blossom Pickle Tartar sauce. It was utterly amazing! We really wished we’d found it sooner than our last night, because we would have gone back. Are Cherry Blossom Pickles a thing I can find outside of Japan? Amazon seems to have salted Cherry Blossoms and Cherry Blossom powder available. But I’m not sure the first is the right thing. So… couple of questions… Are Cherry Blossom Pickles a thing? Do they impart flavor or is it entirely a beautiful color thing? Are they available in the US or should I try to snag some before leaving Japan?
Usually sakura no tsukemono ie cherry blossom (flavored with salted cherry blossoms) pickles are ubiquitous esp in Kyoto and other parts of Japan. Things like daikon, Japanese turnips (can be found in Japanese markets), cucumbers, shallots, small pearl onions, cabbage etc are pickled together with salted cherry blossoms in vinegared style pickles. Some are quick pickles like same day eating. Japan has countless pickle styles as pickling was the safest style of vegetable consumption until late 50's.
Japanese tend to use their own pickles in season (now cherry blossom) to make tartar sauce. You can explore making your own by buying salted cherry blossoms rinsed in water or soaked in water to remove excessive salt and making vinegared style Japanese pickles. Soaking is recommended when making desserts. I like to top my cheesecake with them sometimes or mixed in with cream cheese for sakura flavor and aroma.