Japanese A5 - Niigata
This method of storing and preserving food isn’t new. Snow-aging, or yukimuro, is a 200-year-old technique employed in the wintry region of Niigata which sees one of the heaviest snowfalls in Japan. Also known as ‘Snow Country’, the residents of Niigata Prefecture have long adapted to the harsh winter conditions of the region, and even turned it to their advantage, using the snow to preserve and store their produce.
What is it?
Yukimuro utilises a traditional snow-covered room to preserve and age produce naturally. This aging process maintains a consistent internal temperature between 0 and 5 degrees Celsius, regardless of external weather conditions. In this state, called seichi, the produce retains more than 90 percent of the surrounding humidity. As a result, the snow-aged produce tends to be crisper in texture and sweeter in taste.
Grains like rice and buckwheat, and vegetables like carrots and daikon become sweeter in a process called saccharification—complex carbohydrates are broken down and reduced in coffee and sake, diminishing unpleasant odours, while the meat can be efficiently wet-aged with less drip.
Snow-aged Wagyu
After being wet-aged for 30 days in a Yukimuro-style storage, the meat becomes tender and moist as the oxygen breaks down the fibres, while the taste becomes more mellow and richer as proteins are broken down, releasing more free amino acids that give rise to a more pronounced umami.
A Natural Rrefrigerator
With the advent of modern refrigeration, the technique of snow storage almost became a lost practice—a situation that the Echigo Yukimuro-ya seeks to rectify.
Snow-aging has a number of advantages over electric refrigeration:
- A Yukimuro maintains a stable low-temperature, high humidity condition that’s optimal for aging produce.
- A Yukimuro allows for stress-free ripening that is not affected by vibrations caused by electricity and motors, or changes in light and temperature when fridge doors are opened and closed.
- Snow is a very sustainable source of natural energy. Using 1 tonne of snow is equivalent to 10 litres of oil and 30kg of carbon dioxide emissions. Annually, Yukimuro uses about 400 to 700 tonnes of snow
Because of the limited quantity being produced and the cost of logistics, snow-aged produce tend to be more expensive. “It costs about 20 to 30 per cent more for meat, even higher for coffee”, says Mr Uono. “It’s not just because of packaging or the limited supply, it’s also because of the difficulty in transporting the produce up to the mountainous region”.
This method of storing and preserving food isn’t new. Snow-aging, or yukimuro, is a 200-year-old technique employed in the wintry region of Niigata which sees one of the heaviest snowfalls in Japan. Also known as ‘Snow Country’, the residents of Niigata Prefecture have long adapted to the harsh winter conditions of the region, and even turned it to their advantage, using the snow to preserve and store their produce.
What is it?
Yukimuro utilises a traditional snow-covered room to preserve and age produce naturally. This aging process maintains a consistent internal temperature between 0 and 5 degrees Celsius, regardless of external weather conditions. In this state, called seichi, the produce retains more than 90 percent of the surrounding humidity. As a result, the snow-aged produce tends to be crisper in texture and sweeter in taste.
Grains like rice and buckwheat, and vegetables like carrots and daikon become sweeter in a process called saccharification—complex carbohydrates are broken down and reduced in coffee and sake, diminishing unpleasant odours, while the meat can be efficiently wet-aged with less drip.
Snow-aged Wagyu
After being wet-aged for 30 days in a Yukimuro-style storage, the meat becomes tender and moist as the oxygen breaks down the fibres, while the taste becomes more mellow and richer as proteins are broken down, releasing more free amino acids that give rise to a more pronounced umami.
A Natural Rrefrigerator
With the advent of modern refrigeration, the technique of snow storage almost became a lost practice—a situation that the Echigo Yukimuro-ya seeks to rectify.
Snow-aging has a number of advantages over electric refrigeration:
- A Yukimuro maintains a stable low-temperature, high humidity condition that’s optimal for aging produce.
- A Yukimuro allows for stress-free ripening that is not affected by vibrations caused by electricity and motors, or changes in light and temperature when fridge doors are opened and closed.
- Snow is a very sustainable source of natural energy. Using 1 tonne of snow is equivalent to 10 litres of oil and 30kg of carbon dioxide emissions. Annually, Yukimuro uses about 400 to 700 tonnes of snow
Because of the limited quantity being produced and the cost of logistics, snow-aged produce tend to be more expensive. “It costs about 20 to 30 per cent more for meat, even higher for coffee”, says Mr Uono. “It’s not just because of packaging or the limited supply, it’s also because of the difficulty in transporting the produce up to the mountainous region”.
This method of storing and preserving food isn’t new. Snow-aging, or yukimuro, is a 200-year-old technique employed in the wintry region of Niigata which sees one of the heaviest snowfalls in Japan. Also known as ‘Snow Country’, the residents of Niigata Prefecture have long adapted to the harsh winter conditions of the region, and even turned it to their advantage, using the snow to preserve and store their produce.
What is it?
Yukimuro utilises a traditional snow-covered room to preserve and age produce naturally. This aging process maintains a consistent internal temperature between 0 and 5 degrees Celsius, regardless of external weather conditions. In this state, called seichi, the produce retains more than 90 percent of the surrounding humidity. As a result, the snow-aged produce tends to be crisper in texture and sweeter in taste.
Grains like rice and buckwheat, and vegetables like carrots and daikon become sweeter in a process called saccharification—complex carbohydrates are broken down and reduced in coffee and sake, diminishing unpleasant odours, while the meat can be efficiently wet-aged with less drip.
Snow-aged Wagyu
After being wet-aged for 30 days in a Yukimuro-style storage, the meat becomes tender and moist as the oxygen breaks down the fibres, while the taste becomes more mellow and richer as proteins are broken down, releasing more free amino acids that give rise to a more pronounced umami.
A Natural Rrefrigerator
With the advent of modern refrigeration, the technique of snow storage almost became a lost practice—a situation that the Echigo Yukimuro-ya seeks to rectify.
Snow-aging has a number of advantages over electric refrigeration:
- A Yukimuro maintains a stable low-temperature, high humidity condition that’s optimal for aging produce.
- A Yukimuro allows for stress-free ripening that is not affected by vibrations caused by electricity and motors, or changes in light and temperature when fridge doors are opened and closed.
- Snow is a very sustainable source of natural energy. Using 1 tonne of snow is equivalent to 10 litres of oil and 30kg of carbon dioxide emissions. Annually, Yukimuro uses about 400 to 700 tonnes of snow
Because of the limited quantity being produced and the cost of logistics, snow-aged produce tend to be more expensive. “It costs about 20 to 30 per cent more for meat, even higher for coffee”, says Mr Uono. “It’s not just because of packaging or the limited supply, it’s also because of the difficulty in transporting the produce up to the mountainous region”.