Salt, Taste, Mouthfeel, and Colour

There are so many different ways of preparing Tsukemono utilizing a wide range of vegetables and fruits that it is not possible to make many general comments about their tastes and colours. Nevertheless, they have something in common, which is mostly due to the techniques employed to preserve them. These normally require the use of salt and often involve dehydration as well. Because making Tsukemono never involves the use of heat, the mouthfeel of the pickled vegetables is as crisp as when they were still raw, but they have acquired interesting taste nuances that are more characteristic of ingredients that have been cooked.