Pickled vegetables

Pickled vegetables

　　Pickled vegetables are the main side dish that people in Fugu eat with breakfast throughout the winter. The entire winter's supply is pickled all at once in autumn. First, the turnips are scrubbed clean along with their leaves after trimming off the fuzzy roots. The roots are shredded, while the leaves and stems are chopped. A small amount of red or yellow carrot shreds can also be added for color, along with some red and green chili peppers. Salt is added and everything is mixed well. The mixture is then placed into a crock or jar and pressed repeatedly to compact it, then weighed down with a vegetable stone to allow natural fermentation. Once the brine fills the container and the flavor becomes sour and fragrant, it is ready to eat. Chinese cabbage can also be chopped and pickled in the same way.