Fukujinzuke: Bright Red Pickles Eaten with Japanese Curry

A Crunchy Accompaniment

Curry has been enjoyed in Japan for more than a century. In that time it has been adapted to meet local tastes, and many Japanese today consider it a national dish. It is commonly eaten with crunchy fukujinzuke pickles, which are said to have taken their name from the shichifukujin or Seven Gods of Fortune because it was first made with seven ingredients. There is no strict requirement for specific ingredients today, but fukujinzuke is commonly made with vegetables like daikon, eggplants, and renkon (lotus root) together with ginger and shiso. These are pickled in a soy-sauce-based marinade.

A cook on the Mishimamaru, one of the ships of the NYK shipping company that plied the sea routes to and from Europe, is said to have been the first to serve curry with fukujinzuke in the early twentieth century. The story goes that the ship’s mess ran out of the usual Indian chutney accompaniment, substituting fukujinzuke instead. This proved to be popular and soon became the standard garnish for Japanese curry. It is colored bright red, which is said to be in imitation of the chutney it replaced.

(Originally written in English. Banner photo: Fukujinzuke pickles served as a garnish for curry. © Pixta.)