Salted Cherry Blossoms (Sakura)

30 gram packet - Odawara, Japan

Japanese are wild about any kind of product made with cherry blossoms (called sakura). Cherry trees bloom in April, and represent the first signs of Spring. For centuries, cherry blossom Japanese flowers were pickled in order to preserve them for occasions during other seasons of the year.

How to use the preserved salted cherry blossom:

1 ) Use with tea

Shake the cherry blossom to remove the salt before putting a few of the cherry blossom into a bowl of hot water and mix gently. Once the pedals open, they infuse sweet fragrance into this delicious tea.

2 ) Mix with rice

Three bowls of steamed cooked rice can be mixed with about 10 Japanese cherry blossom flowers to produce a delicious meal. Shake the salt from the Japanese cherry blossom flower before using them. Cold dishes can also be made with the salted cherry blossom Obenton (lunchbox) is ideal to use.

3 ) Use with congee

The salty cherry blossom can be cooked, as it is, with congee. It can also be used as decoration by sprinkling on top of congee in the cooking utensil. The color and fragrance of the cherry blossom can be enjoyed both visually and delicious flavour.

4 ) Use with marinated food

Put the Japanese cherry blossom flower in boiling water for 20 seconds when salt has dissolved before mixing it with marinated food or vegetable.  

5 ) add & mix with other ingredients for baking cookies, (and) jelly

About preserved cherry blossoms (Sakura):

Fresh cherry blossoms are picked and washed in a combination of fresh water and Ume plum vinegar in order to preserve the delicate pink color, Then they are pickled in layers with salt, and left to pickle for 3-4 weeks. This method of preservation was developed over generation in order to preserve the unique flavor of cherry blossoms throughout the whole year.

Pickled cherry blossoms were originally used to make Sakura tea, a specialty reserved for very special occasions, such as weddings. When cooked together with rice, the tea not only creates a beautiful color contrast but the rice, turning it a beautiful pale pink, but the rice also absorbs the flowery aromas of the cherry blossoms.

But nowadays, chefs and home cooks alike are getting more creative, and pickled sakura also made their way into other both savory and sweet dishes. There is a growing number of recipes that use preserved sakura flowers, a few of which we have put into our recipe database.

About Chinriu Honten:

Chinriu Honten (ちん里う本店) was established in 1871 in Odawara, Japan by Monya Komine who, until then, had been the head chef at Odawara castle. Monya Komine started the company as a high class restaurant and even cooked for Captain Perry when he came with the black ships to open Japan. At the time, the restaurant also offered umeboshi pickled plums, which became a popular gift.

The second generation of Komine decided to abandon the restaurant business and focus on producing and retailing fine foods made of ume plum and other Japanesse fruits and herbs.

These days Chinriu Honten is run by fifth generation of the Komine family. Chinriu Honten produces and retails products made of Japanese fruits and herbs such as ume plum, yuzu lime or shiso herb. Only the best ingredients from local contract farmers are used to produce their products in accordance with traditional recipes. Chinriu's products are famous for their high quality, authenticity, and the natural production methods.