I got an interesting cookies as souvenir from Nara (奈良), the ancient capital of Japan over a thousand years ago.
The package looks like a "normal" chocolate chip cookies, apart from the title on the box. It is written "Nara-zuke sable (奈良漬サブレ). Nara-zuke (奈良漬) is local speciality pickles of Nara (奈良).The vegetable pickles flavoured with sake kasu (酒粕, sake lees) actually has long history and it was recognized on a commerce document of 1300 years ago.
I have been curious how they can make sable (cookies) with pickles?!
As shown on the package, Nara-zuke sable is produced under collaboration between sweets making school "Donner Du Gateau" and the academic institution Nara Women's University. Hoping that the local speciality pickles is widely introduced and is taken by many people, these two organizations developed French style cookies (sable) by taking advantage of alcohol, sweetness and salt ingredients brought from Nara-zuke.
The one I had also includes ginger (しょうが, shoga).
Having a piece of the sable, if I say, the taste is rather close to raisin cookies which often flavoured with rum and grapes. No strong sake flavour remains. It can be consumed even by children, because alcohol component is disappeared already.
That is a nice way to introduce local historic speciality to people who are unfamiliar with the local pickles
Nara-zuke sable is available at branches of traditional pickles store, Yamazakiya (山崎屋) in Nara and Rakuten online shop through the link below. (not exactly same with what I had, ginger included) The one is pure Nara-zuke sable, no ginger.
Yamazakiya (山崎屋), established Nara-zuke local pickles shop is located close to Kofukuji (temple, 興福寺) and National Museum in Nara.
大きな地図で見る
