Here's everything worth knowing about plum vinegar and how to pick it, what it is, how to store it, and what to use instead, plus 7 recipes to cook tonight.

What is plum vinegar?

Plum vinegar, also called ume plum vinegar or umezu, is the salty pink brine left over from making umeboshi, the Japanese pickled plums.

It is not a true vinegar in the brewed sense. It is the liquid that the ume fruit gives up as it cures with salt and red shiso leaves.

That origin makes it unlike any other vinegar in the rack. It is intensely salty and sharply sour at once, with a fruity, floral edge from the plum and a rosy color from the shiso.

Because it carries both salt and acid, a little does the work of two seasonings, which is what makes it worth keeping around.

How to Use Plum Vinegar

Treat it as a seasoning rather than a plain acid. Since it is already salty, add it first and salt the dish afterward only if it still needs it.

Its natural home is dressings and cold vegetables, where a splash seasons and sharpens a grain salad like Quinoa Tabouli Salad or Quinoa Olive Medley in one move, no extra salt required.

It is excellent on beets and other earthy roots. Beets & Onions Vinaigrette welcomes its salty-sour lift, and the pink tint flatters the beets rather than fighting them.

Use it as a quick pickling splash, too. Toss it with thinly sliced cucumber or radish and let it sit a few minutes for an instant, lightly pickled side.

A few drops over steamed greens or a plain bowl of rice work the way salt and lemon would together.

Cooking and Pairing

Plum vinegar leans Japanese and works with rice, sesame, cucumber, avocado, tofu, and seaweed, but it is just as happy seasoning a Western salad. The shiso gives it a faint mint-and-berry note that pairs with anything fresh and green.

The mistake almost everyone makes is forgetting the salt. Pour it like a regular vinegar and the dish turns too salty fast, so start with half what you think and taste.

Watch it in cooked dishes as well. Its fruity perfume fades with long heat, so it is best added raw or right at the end.

Substitutes

There is no exact match, since nothing else carries this much salt and sour plum at once. The closest fix is rice vinegar plus a good pinch of salt, with a tiny squeeze of lemon for brightness.

For the fruity side, a splash of rice vinegar with a little mashed umeboshi paste comes closer still. In a Western dressing where you just want salty-sour, white wine vinegar with extra salt will stand in, losing the floral shiso character.

Whatever you use, remember to cut back on the recipe's added salt to match.

Buying and Storage

Find it at Japanese and natural-food markets, often labeled ume plum vinegar or umeboshi vinegar. The ingredient list should be short, just ume plums and salt with shiso for color. A deep pink hue is the sign of plenty of shiso.

Thanks to its high salt and acidity it keeps for a very long time. Store it in a cool, dark cupboard, then move it to the fridge once opened to best hold its color and aroma. It does not spoil, and any sediment is harmless.

Quick facts

In Chinese

梅醋

British (UK) term

Plum vinegar

en français

vinaigre de prune

en español

vinagre de ciruela

Recipes using plum vinegar

There are 7 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 7 recipes