The Japanese are recognized for their exceptional longevity, with a life expectancy which reaches an average of 81 years for men and over 87 years for women. On the island of Okinawa, this longevity is even more marked, to the point that the region is classified among the famous “blue zones”, where a centenary live is common. This remarkable health is largely explained by a healthy, varied and rich nutrient diet.
Fermented foods, the longevity secret of the Japanese
True nutritional treasures, fermented foods count as pillars of their diet. “Fermented foods are rich in probiotics, they facilitate digestion and strengthen immunity.”explain Michiko Tomiokacertified nutritionist born in Japan, in an article published by CNBC and relayed by Doctissimo. These foods are omnipresent in Japanese homes, transmitted from generation to generation as a precious family tradition.
Among those that the Japanese consume in a daily way, we find the nukazuke. These Japanese pickles are prepared from marinated vegetables in fermented rice sound. Their taste varies from sweet to acid, even slightly spicy. This artisanal process makes it possible to enrich vegetables into probiotics, essential for the proper functioning of the digestive system and the strengthening of the immune system.
How are Nukazuke, Japanese lactofermented vegetables are prepared?
The preparation of the “Nuka-Bed”, the fermentation bed, is a whole art. It consists in mixing rice sound with water, salt, kombu algae and fruit or vegetable peels. This mixture should be stirred every day with bare hands, to activate good bacteria and avoid mold. It is a living ecosystem, which evolves every day, a bit like a leaven.
This conservation process has existed since the 17th century and is one of the tsukemono, these Japanese vegetables macerated in various fermented bases. Thanks to the Nukazuke, the Japanese can consume fermented vegetables all year round, even out of season. A well -kept secret that could partly explain their remarkable health and their exceptional longevity.
