Reference
Salty plum dictionary
The words you meet when you read about salty plums, in plain English. Some are varieties, some are preserving terms, and some are additives you will spot on a packet. Where a full guide exists, the entry links to it.
Acesulfame potassium (sweetener 950)
An intense sweetener often blended with other sweeteners to round out the taste. You may see it as 950. See ingredients explained.
Allura red AC (colour 129)
A bright red food colour used in some salty plums to create the vivid scarlet look. See why salty plums are red.
Aspartame (sweetener 951)
A low-calorie intense sweetener used in sugar-free and reduced-sugar preserved plums. It is not suitable for people with phenylketonuria, which is why products carry a warning.
Brine
A saltwater solution. In salty plums, brine is both a preserving medium and a flavour: some styles are stored in it, others are dried after soaking in it. A whitish bloom on a plum is often dried brine.
Carmoisine / azorubine (colour 122)
A red food colour that gives some plums a raspberry-red tone. It appears on labels as 122 or by name.
Darwin red
Shorthand for the bright red, firm, sweet-sour salty plum associated with Darwin. The colour is added during processing. See why salty plums are red and the Darwin history.
Dried plum
A plum that has been dehydrated, with or without salt. Drying concentrates sweetness and sourness. Salty plums are usually dried as part of their production, but a plain dried plum is not necessarily salty.
Hua mei
A Chinese preserved plum, usually brown-black, with a smoky, herbal, deeply sour character. Excellent in cooking. Full guide.
Li hing mui
A sweet-sour preserved plum from Hawaii's Chinese community, and the name also used for the tangy powder made from plum skin. Full guide.
Li hing powder
A fine, reddish-brown seasoning made largely from ground preserved plum skin. Used on fruit, snacks and cocktail rims.
Preserved plum
The broad term for a plum kept with salt, sugar, drying or fermentation. Salty plums are a subset of preserved plums. See what is a salty plum.
Potassium sorbate (preservative 202)
A preservative that helps stop mould and yeast growth, commonly used in preserved fruit. See ingredients explained.
Red salty plum
A salty plum coloured bright red, usually sweeter than white or dark styles. The classic Darwin snack.
Saccharin (sweetener 954)
An older intense sweetener, several hundred times sweeter than sugar. It can leave a slightly metallic aftertaste, which is why it is often blended.
Seedless plum
A preserved plum with the stone removed before processing. Softer and easier to chop, muddle or blend than whole plums.
Sodium metabisulphite (preservative 223)
A sulphite preservative that helps prevent browning and spoilage. Sulphites must be declared on Australian labels because some people are sensitive to them. See ingredients explained.
Sour plum
A general term for a plum valued for its acidity, or a dried, salted plum eaten for its sourness. It overlaps with salty plum but emphasises the sour note.
Steviol glycosides (sweetener 960)
A plant-based intense sweetener derived from the stevia plant. Often used in products marketed as naturally sweetened.
Sulphites
A family of preservatives (numbers 220–228) used in dried fruit and other foods. They must be declared on labels above certain levels. Some people are sensitive to them.
Ume
The Japanese fruit used to make umeboshi and umeshu (plum wine). Botanically it is closer to an apricot than a plum, though it is used as one.
Umeboshi
Japan's salt-fermented, sun-dried ume. Intensely sour and salty, often dyed red with shiso leaves. Compare with Chinese salty plums in salty plum vs umeboshi.
White salty plum
A pale preserved plum with little or no added colour and lighter sweetness. Tangier and more fruit-forward than the red style. See varieties.
Missing a term?
This glossary grows with reader questions. If you have seen a word on a packet that is not here, send it to us and we will research it.