Black rice vinegar with sakura cherry blossoms

This black rice vinegar with sakura cherry blossoms combines the sour taste of the vinegar with the wonderfully sweet aromas of the Japanese cherry blossoms. According to Japanese tradition, every spring between the end of March and the beginning of May, the beauty of the cherry blossoms is celebrated with the so-called cherry blossom festival `Hanami`. For the vinegar, the cherry blossoms are picked by hand in their blooming season in Japan and placed in the rice vinegar for at least 6 months in order to release their delicate aroma into the rice vinegar. In the next step, the vinegar is filtered and the cherry blossoms are pressed to release their full aroma. The slightly almond-like aroma of this vinegar goes perfectly with seafood and fish dishes, and it is also very suitable for raw vegetables, for seasoning fruit salads and for deglazing offal.