Where to find Umetora Kyoudai (Sour Pickled Plum Snack) in the UK?

2 comments

1. The umeboshi………. Karikari……….
   This is my quest on this earth. To find them, to eat them. It’s so hard for me because I live in Brazil, so my quest is never easy. I dream about kari kari ume, the impossible love dream.

   Umeboshi kari kari…….. I imagine the heavens with pools covered with umeboshi, with mountains and valleys of ume.

   It’s not a easy quest to find them. They are very small, you see.

   Try the website anything-from-Japan.

2. I’m not from the UK, but does this site ship to you? https://box.tanoshi-me.com/product/umetora-kyoudai/

   From what I can see (never had this), this looks like your standard pickled ume but the salt only version perhaps? I like traditional pickled salt ume (the soft, sour, salty kind used in onigiri) but what you’re talking about might be ume WITHOUT the drying process (kari kari ume?).

   I know of the solid, hard ume you’re speaking of– does this look similar?
   https://anything-from-japan.com/crisp-salty-red-ume-pickles#:~:text=Unlike%20umeboshi%2C%20which%20are%20soft,said%20to%20help%20against%20nausea!

   I’m definitely no expert, but I think the main difference between the two is

   1. The soft, sour kind I like is made from fresh and fully ripened plums– the crunchy kind you like is from unripe plums.

   2. The drying process– repeating, I’m not a professional but from my brief Google search and prior knowledge (lol) it seems one is sun dried and the other isn’t. I’m assuming the wet, sour ume is the dried but who knows.

   Also!! If you prefer the salty ume, in Hawaii we have crackseed stores (idk why it’s called that except for it’s as good as crack lol) where you can purchase salted dried ume as a snack. It’s not my fav but you might enjoy! Here’s a source: https://crackseedstorehawaii.com/collections/ume

   This is from the crackseed store by my childhood house!!! You might enjoy the rock salt ume (salty, obvi) or the li hing ume (salty AND sweet).

   Best of luck on the ume journey!