What are Yamato vegetables? Features and ways to eat the 25 heirloom vegetables Nara is proud of

Yamato vegetables are a collective term for the heirloom vegetables and original-brand vegetables certified by Nara Prefecture. Centered on heirloom varieties nurtured by the climate of the Nara Basin and the Yamato highlands since before the war, 20 "Yamato heirloom vegetables" and 5 "Yamato Particular Vegetables" — 25 items in total — are currently certified. (Reference:Nara Prefecture official site）

The greatest appeal of Yamato vegetables is the depth of taste produced by the day-night temperature difference unique to the Nara Basin, and the warmth of being "family vegetables" whose seed has been carried on for family and community. Compared with Kyoto vegetables and Kaga vegetables their nationwide recognition is still modest, but through offerings at restaurants around Naramachi, sales at farm stands, and mail-order availability, there are chances to encounter Yamato vegetables even outside Nara Prefecture. This article organizes the whole picture of Yamato vegetables — from the workings of the certification system to the characteristics of representative items and shops where you can taste them at lunch, and where to buy them.

The definition of Yamato vegetables and how the certification system works

The Nara Prefecture Agriculture and Forestry Department defines Yamato vegetables as "items whose production within Nara Prefecture is confirmed from before the war" and "those with distinctive taste, aroma, form, provenance, and the like, through a distinctive cultivation method that has carried on the region's history and culture." The first certification was made in October 2005, and items have been added in stages since.

The certification system is part of the "Yamato Vegetable Promotion Measures Project" that the prefecture formulated in 2004. It aims to leave for the next generation the unique heirloom vegetables that have been seed-saved locally as farmers' own-use crops, and to connect this to local production and consumption, regional branding, use in the tourism and dining industries, and the preservation of genetic resources.

The difference between Yamato heirloom vegetables and Yamato Particular Vegetables

Yamato vegetables divide into two categories: "Yamato heirloom vegetables" and "Yamato Particular Vegetables."

Both are vegetables that adapted to Nara's climate and, precisely because they are delicious, have been carried on in households. Their strong character as "family vegetables" — grown not to sell but with care for the tastes and lives of the people who eat them — is what makes Yamato vegetables distinctive.

Full list of the 20 Yamato heirloom vegetables

Here we organize the 20 Yamato heirloom vegetables by category. Many item names include a local place name, showing how deeply each is tied to its land. (Reference:Nara Prefecture "Yamato Vegetables"）

The characteristics of representative Yamato vegetables

Here we introduce items whose individuality stands out even among the 25.

Uda kin-gobo

A burdock grown in the mica-rich sandy soil of the Uda region of Nara Prefecture. When dug up, mica clings to the surface, making it look dusted with gold powder, hence the names "kin-gobo" (gold burdock) or "kinpun-gobo" (gold-dust burdock). Short and thick with a strong aroma, it is prized as a lucky item for the New Year.

Yamato yam

A fist-shaped black-skinned tsukune-imo grown centered on Kujira, Gose city. Dense-fleshed and very sticky, when grated it is viscous enough to lift with chopsticks. At Nara's restaurants it is often used as tororo over rice or as a binder for okonomiyaki.

Yamato mana

A Brassica leafy green long grown in Nara Prefecture, one of the higher-production items even among the Yamato heirloom vegetables. With a distinctive gentle bitterness and flavor, it suits ohitashi, nibitashi, and pickles. It is said to yield umami even without dashi — a highly rated item among chefs, too.

Ajima-imo

An heirloom taro carried on in Ajima, Tawaramoto town. With white, fine-grained silky skin, it has a melting texture and richness. There is even an anecdote that Panasonic founder Konosuke Matsushita said, "Once you eat this, you can't eat any other."

Himo togarashi

A long chili widely grown within Nara Prefecture. With almost no heat, it is sweet and easy to eat. Deep-fried or stir-fried, it offers a crisp texture. Easy to grow in a home garden, it is one of the easiest Yamato vegetables to obtain.

Iwai daikon

A daikon carried on in Nara for New Year's zoni, notable for being slender at 2–3 cm in diameter. Sliced into rounds and put in zoni, it has been prized as a lucky item for "rounding things out" (maruku osamaru). Toward year's end it lines the prefecture's farm stands under the name "zoni daikon."

Yuzaki nebuka

An heirloom green onion grown in Yuzaki, Kawanishi town, Shiki District. Bearing the name of Yuzaki — known as the place where Kan'ami, the founder of Noh, performed the "Yuzaki no takigi sarugaku" — it has strong sliminess on the inside of the leaves and rich sweetness. Put in hot pot or sukiyaki, its umami dissolves into the broth and lifts the flavor of the whole dish.

Tsutsui renkon

An heirloom lotus root grown in the moat of the Tsutsui castle ruins in Yamatokoriyama city and the surrounding wetlands. Thick and high in iron, it is notable for a crisp bite. Because it has less stickiness than ordinary lotus root, it suits osechi simmered dishes and tempura.

Recommended ways to eat Yamato vegetables

Because Yamato vegetables differ greatly in flavor by variety, choosing a cooking method suited to the ingredient draws out its strong point. We summarized ways to eat them based on how they are actually served at local eateries and Naramachi restaurants.

Restaurants where you can taste Yamato vegetables, and where to buy them

Yamato vegetables can be enjoyed at eateries and farm stands centered on within Nara Prefecture. In the Naramachi area in particular, restaurants serving dishes using Yamato vegetables are clustered.

Restaurants around Naramachi

Naramachi is the old town of Nara city, an area lined with eateries converted from old machiya townhouses. "Awa Naramachi-ten," which offers course meals using Yamato heirloom vegetables, is known as a farmhouse restaurant run by Masayuki Miura, who has been involved in spreading Yamato vegetables for over 25 years. In addition, the Naramachi area has several shops where you can enjoy Yamato-vegetable lunches, starting with "Shunsai Hiyori." Do stop by when sightseeing in Nara.

Buying them at farm stands and roadside stations

At roadside stations and farm stands within Nara Prefecture, you can buy Yamato vegetables in season. Around Uda city you'll find Uda kin-gobo and Yamato mana, and in Gose city Yamato-imo — the closer the farm stand is to the producing area, the fresher the goods you can get. On the Yamato Passion Vegetables site run by the "Nara Umaimono Association," information on handling shops is also released.

Ordering by mail

For those outside Nara Prefecture, there is the option of ordering Yamato vegetables by mail. Yamato Passion Vegetables, run by the "Nara Umaimono Association," lets you receive them shipped directly from the producing area through mail-order home-delivery sets that combine seasonal Yamato vegetables, such as the "Tamatebako." Because Yamato vegetables are distributed in small quantities, sales even by mail are mainly season-limited and quantity-limited. If you've decided on the item you want, the surest way is to check the harvest timing in advance via the Nara Umaimono Association's information or each grower's information before ordering.

Yamato vegetables and Nara's food culture

Yamato vegetables are inseparable from Nara's food culture. The Nara Basin flourished as the center of the nation from ancient times, a land where ingredients and cooking methods gathered from all over the country. Within that history, varieties suited to the land were selected and carried on in households — that is the Yamato heirloom vegetables.

奈良女子大学・奈良県農業総合センターなどによる研究（日本調理科学会誌掲載）では、大和野菜12品目の成分分析で総ポリフェノール量が一般野菜と比較して高い傾向が報告されています。千筋みずなや花みょうがでは、総ポリフェノール量が豊富に含まれることが確認されました。宇陀金ごぼう、花みょうが、大和きくな、千筋みずなは、いずれも抗酸化力の高さが報告されています。在来品種ならではの味の濃さは、栄養成分の面でも裏付けられつつあります。

At Agriture, in cooperation with the Nara Miwa Somen Industrial Cooperative, we have a track record of taking part in prototype development of "Yamato-vegetable somen" by powdering the Yamato-vegetable murasaki togarashi through low-temperature drying (see theMiwa Somen project article). What we felt firsthand on-site is that heirloom varieties like Yamato vegetables — selected while rooted to the land — have a distinctive quirkiness in the balance of color, sugar content, and fiber, so a one-size-fits-all processing recipe doesn't apply. To keep the purple color vivid, low-temperature, unhurried drying was needed, and even in the micro-milling step we finely adjusted the conditions so that color and aroma would not be lost. When cooking at home, too, a simple method that keeps dashi light and brings the ingredient's flavor to the fore suits them.

Efforts to revive and carry on Yamato vegetables

There was a long road of revival before Yamato vegetables came to be certified in their current form.

Masayuki Miura and "Kiyosumi no Sato Awa"

The one who played the greatest role in reviving Yamato vegetables is the couple Masayuki and Yoko Miura. Based in Takahi town in southeastern Nara city, they grow over 150 kinds of vegetables year-round while running the farmhouse restaurant "Kiyosumi no Sato Awa." Working consistently from seed preservation to cultivation to proposing ways to eat them, they have contributed to raising awareness of Yamato vegetables.

The changes brought by Nara Prefecture's certification system

Since the certification system began in 2005, Yamato vegetables have transformed from mere heirloom varieties into a "Nara brand." Adoption at eateries has increased, and they are also used in tourism as an ingredient for gastronomy tourism. About 30 uncertified heirloom vegetables have also been confirmed, and further certification additions are under consideration. Nara Prefecture positions "Yamato vegetables" as the core of gastronomy tourism, and the development of food-experience programs in cooperation with restaurants around Naramachi is also advancing. Efforts to carry on to the next generation the seed protected by the region continue to this day.

FAQ

Osaka Prefecture's website lists seed-and-seedling shops where you can buy seed and seedlings, and cultivation is possible even for individuals. Tennoji kabura and Osaka shirona are known as comparatively easy-to-grow varieties.

• Nara Prefecture "Yamato Vegetables" official page
• Nara Prefecture Yamato Vegetables official introduction page
• Nara City Tourism Association "Tasting Nara: Yamato Heirloom Vegetables"
• Nara Umaimono Association "Yamato Passion Vegetables"
• Japan Heirloom Vegetable Promotion Association "Nara Prefecture's heirloom vegetables"

Summary｜A journey through Nara's food

Yamato vegetables are distinctive heirloom vegetables born of the fertile soil and temperature-swinging climate of the Nara Basin. A total of 25 items are certified — 20 heirloom vegetables and 5 particular vegetables — and items such as Uda kin-gobo, Yamato-imo, and Yamato mana have become indispensable to Nara's food culture. Taste them at Naramachi's eateries, or get seasonal ones at farm stands. When you visit Nara, do touch this land's rich culinary history through Yamato vegetables.

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