Smoked Daikon (White Radish), Ogach

Smoked Daikon (White Radish), Ogachino Kimuraya, Yuzawa, Akita prefecture, JapanSmoked Daikon pickles (Iburigakko) are a very important winter dish for people in Akita. Over half of the year the area is covered with snow, with an average annual snowfall of six feet. In the Fall, daikon radishes are harvested. After the daikon are washed, they are strung by hand from the thickest on top to the thinnest on the bottom. The most important and rigorous task is smoking the hanging radishes with smoldering oak logs for four to five days and nights to add aroma. The smoked daikon are then pickled in a mixture of rice bran, salt, and sugar for several months.