Japanese court and kaiseki cuisine tradition — documented in Heian period texts
Sunomono (酢の物, vinegared things) is the Japanese category of vinegared dishes served as palate refreshers between richer courses. The foundational dressing is sanbaizu (三杯酢, three-cup vinegar): equal parts rice vinegar, mirin, and soy sauce — balanced between sour, sweet, and savory. Most common: kyuri (cucumber) with wakame seaweed and surimi, or ebi (shrimp) with cucumber and sudachi citrus. The key technique is oshidashi: salting vegetables first to remove excess water before dressing, preventing dilution. Sunomono's role in a meal mirrors the salad course in French cuisine — cleansing, refreshing, leading into the next course.
Bright, clean acid with supporting sweetness and umami — refreshing between richer courses
{"Sanbaizu ratio: 3 tablespoons rice vinegar : 3 tablespoons mirin : 1 tablespoon soy sauce","Nihaizu (two-cup): vinegar + soy without mirin — sharper, used for oilier ingredients","Ponzu variation: citrus juice replaces some vinegar for fresher acid character","Pre-salt and press cucumbers minimum 10 minutes to remove water before dressing","Dress at the last moment — pre-dressed sunomono weeps and dilutes","Serve in small, elegant vessels — sunomono is aperitif-sized, not main course-sized"}
{"Kani (crab) sunomono: surimi or real crab, cucumber, wakame, sanbaizu — elegant course opener","Hirame karashi-zu: thin-sliced flounder, mustard-vinegar dressing — a classic","Adding fu (wheat gluten) pieces soaks up dressing while providing interesting texture","Cold toasted sesame seeds added at service — heat destroys fresh sesame fragrance","Chrysanthemum petals (kiku) as garnish in autumn sunomono — both edible and seasonal"}
{"Not salting vegetables first — dressing diluted by vegetable water","Dressing too early — ingredients weep and vinegar taste becomes flat","Using too much soy — sunomono should taste primarily sour with supporting sweet and savory","Serving too large a portion — sunomono is a palate course, not a salad"}
Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art — Shizuo Tsuji; Kaiseki: The Exquisite Cuisine of Kyoto's Kikunoi Restaurant