Heirloom vegetables– tag –

Each vegetable has its "season," and tasting it in that period lets you enjoy its character best. Kyoto's heirloom vegetables, the "Kyoto vegetables," also include some that come into season in summer, coloring the summer table with juiciness and robust flavor. Here, Manganji togarashi, Kamo eggplant, Fushimi togarashi...

Kamo eggplant (kamonasu), also called the "queen of eggplant," is a summer Kyoto vegetable that represents Kyoto. Prized for its round, hefty shape exceeding 10cm in diameter and its densely packed, thick flesh, it has been cultivated centered on the Kamigamo area of Kita Ward, Kyoto City. Dengaku, agedashi, eggplant steak, and...

"Kyo-mizuna," a Kyoto vegetable essential to the winter table. Prized for a crisp flavor and a crunchy bite, it has the depth to elevate both hot pot and salad. It tends to be confused with the fellow Kyoto vegetable mibuna, but the leaf shape and growth are different things. This article covers, from Kyo-mizuna's characteristics and history to varieties...

Kyoto, boasting over a thousand years of history, has a diverse array of "traditional preserved foods" born from rich seasons and the wisdom of daily life. In an age without refrigeration, the sun-dried vegetables, pickles, and fermented foods devised to make the most of seasonal ingredients without waste still support the Kyoto table today. This article covers...

Kyoto vegetables, which color Kyoto's food culture. Do you dismiss the reason their prices are on the higher side as simply "because it's Kyoto"? In fact, behind Kyoto vegetables' high cost lie a long history and tradition, a unique growing environment, and producers' ceaseless efforts. This article covers why Kyoto vegetables are high...

―Capturing Summer's Life, Coolly, in a Single Dish― A column penned by chef Tamotsu Yoneyama, who runs "Potsura Potsura" and "Utsura Utsura" in Shinsen, Tokyo, earning Michelin Bib Gourmand at both restaurants. How to build summer Kyoto vegetables into a course—that thinking and commitment...

Kyoto vegetables include quite a few names whose readings are hard to guess at first, such as "Shishigatani kabocha" and "mibuna." This article compiles the readings of representative Kyoto vegetables in a list with furigana, and briefly introduces the characteristics of each. The definition of Kyoto vegetables...

―No Salt or Oil Needed—What the Ingredient Teaches Us― A column penned by chef Tamotsu Yoneyama, who runs "Potsura Potsura" and "Utsura Utsura" in Shinsen, Tokyo, earning Michelin Bib Gourmand at both restaurants. When facing a Kyoto vegetable, the "subtraction" a chef should choose...

Our work with Sakura Renkon. Sakura Renkon (Sakura City, Chiba) is an agricultural corporation specializing in growing and selling lotus root. After working in Tokyo, representative Yuma Matsumoto took up farming, and after training, regenerated an abandoned black-soil paddy field. Using only organic fertilizer and no chemical fertilizer, the soil...

About the Nara Prefecture Miwa Somen Industrial Cooperative. The Nara Prefecture Miwa Somen Industrial Cooperative is an organization that keeps protecting the hand-stretched method handed down over generations in the Miwa area, said to be Japan’s oldest somen-producing region. About 80 producers are currently affiliated, making Miwa somen with a commitment to fineness, firmness, and smooth throat feel...

沖縄の伝統野菜「島カボチャ」。沖縄では「ナンクヮー」や「チンクヮー」とも呼ばれ、琉球料理の食材として受け継がれてきました。この記事では、島カボチャの特徴や歴史、栄養価、食べ方、乾燥野菜としての活用法まで整理します。 島カボチャとは 島カボ...

四季の変化が大きい東北地方には、地域固有の伝統野菜が数多く残っています。気候や風土に根ざした在来種は、食材であると同時に、その土地の栽培技術や食文化を今に伝える資源でもあります。 一方で、食の多様化や後継者不足により、栽培が減少している品...

「伝統野菜」とは、特定の地域で古くから栽培されてきた在来種・固定種の野菜の総称です。全国のスーパーには似通った品種が並ぶ一方で、各地には地域固有の呼称や形をもつ野菜が残されています。この記事では、伝統野菜の定義、歴史、各地の代表品目、栄...

「島らっきょうはファンが多い」と言われるほど、沖縄の食文化に根付いた人気の野菜です。普通のらっきょうとは品種・サイズ・風味が異なり、ピリッとした辛みと独特の香りが料理を引き立てます。沖縄では塩漬けや天ぷら、チャンプルーが定番の食べ方です...

日本の最南端に位置し、健康長寿県としても知られる沖縄県。その食文化を支える柱の一つが、「島野菜」と呼ばれる伝統野菜です。沖縄独自の亜熱帯気候で育まれ、栄養価が高く個性豊かな島野菜について、定義や28品目の一覧、代表的な種類の特徴、栄養面、...

群馬県甘楽郡下仁田町周辺で栽培される「下仁田ネギ」は、群馬県の特産品として知られ、独特の形状と甘みが特徴です。「殿様ネギ」の異名を持つこの伝統野菜は、冬の時期に旬を迎え、年末の贈り物としても人気があります。この記事では、下仁田ネギの特徴...

"Kaga vegetables," the traditional vegetables handed down in Ishikawa Prefecture since the Edo period. Among them, "Kaga lotus root" has an especially long history and has been beloved by locals for many years. This article covers the characteristics, history, nutritional value, and recommended ways to eat Kaga lotus root, plus dried vegetables and...

Ishikawa Prefecture, known for the Kaga domain of a million koku. In this region, where traditional culture remains strong, there are traditional vegetables called "Kaga vegetables." Nurtured by the local climate and land, many with a history since the Edo period, Kaga vegetables are brand vegetables certified by the Kanazawa City Agricultural Products Brand Association. This article...

In Kansai, centered on Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara, there are many traditional vegetables handed down since long ago. Each has its own appeal rooted in that land's climate and culture, and they're still beloved on the table and at market. This article covers the characteristics and representative varieties of Kyoto vegetables, Naniwa vegetables, and Yamato vegetables...

You may have heard the phrase "Kyoto vegetables" at least once. Nurtured through a long history in the ancient capital of Kyoto and developed alongside Kyoto's rich land and culture, Kyoto vegetables are packed with an appeal not found in other vegetables. This article covers the difference between Kyoto heirloom vegetables and brand vegetables...

九州・沖縄には、土地ごとの風土に根ざした個性豊かな伝統野菜が数多く存在します。見た目のインパクトや味の奥深さ、そして受け継がれてきた歴史の背景まで、それぞれの野菜には地域の誇りが詰まっています。本記事では、九州・沖縄8県に伝わる伝統野菜を...

In the streets of Tokyo where high-rises stand, rich farmland once spread, and vegetables of each season were grown locally. "Edo Tokyo vegetables"—such as komatsuna, Takinogawa gobo, and Naito togarashi, whose names still remain—are urban traditional vegetables handed down since the Edo period. But the city...

日本各地には独特の名前を持つ伝統野菜が数多く存在します。その名前を聞くだけで思わず笑顔になってしまうような、ユニークな野菜たち。今回は、そんな伝統野菜の面白い名前とその由来について詳しくご紹介します。 伝統野菜とは、その土地で古くから栽培...

In an era of advancing mass production and mass consumption, there is a growing movement to find value in "authentic taste" and "local character." Drawing attention within this trend is the branding of heirloom vegetables—varieties rooted in the land. Not mere naming, but everything from history and culture to cultivation methods and market development...

日本各地には、その土地ならではの気候・風土・文化の中で育まれてきた「伝統野菜」が数多く存在します。長い年月をかけて地域に根付き、地元の人々の暮らしや味覚に深く結びついてきたそれらの野菜は、単なる食材ではなく、地域の物語や記憶を宿した存在...

Shishigatani kabocha (shishigatani kabocha) is one of Kyoto's traditional vegetables, with a history of being brought to Kyoto from present-day Aomori Prefecture in the Edo period. A Japanese kabocha prized for its distinctive gourd-like shape and gentle sweetness, its delicate flavor distinct from ordinary Western kabocha...

As a chef, you constantly face the question of "how to handle seasonal ingredients." Vegetables are living things. Their most beautiful moment arrives in only a brief span, and their face utterly changes with a single shift in temperature or rain. That's exactly why how to deliver the "flavor of only now" to the customer...

Vegetables have a "season" for each period, and eating them in that period lets you enjoy more deliciousness and nutrition. Autumn Kyoto has an abundance of flavorful Kyoto vegetables. In this season, when it cools and the appetite grows, incorporate Kyoto vegetables—prized for a cozy sweetness and richness—into the daily table...

When I'm cooking, the phrase "hi-ire" (applying heat) carries a certain special resonance. Do you sear it all at once over high heat, or coax the heat in slowly over a low flame? Depending on your distance from the fire and how much time you give it, the very same ingredient reveals a completely different face. But one day I realized...

Every vegetable has its season, and by enjoying them season by season you can savor flavors unique to that time of year. Spring, along with the start of the new fiscal year, is when fresh vegetables line the shop shelves. Vividly colored, full of character, spring Kyoto vegetables include Kyoto bamboo shoots, hanana rape blossoms, and Kyoto udo—all shaped by Kyoto's climate and land...

Shogoin kabura is one of Kyoto's heirloom vegetables, a turnip known for its large, round shape. Among turnips it boasts one of the largest sizes in Japan, and it is famous as the ingredient for Kyoto's specialty senmaizuke pickles—a true seasonal signature of Kyoto's winter.

Shogoin daikon is one of Kyoto's heirloom vegetables, characterized by its large, round shape. It takes its name from Shogoin in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward, where it was first cultivated in the Edo period. In the early Showa era, it began to be grown in the Yodo district of Mimaki Village in southern Kyoto (around present-day Kumiyama)...

The "Kyoto vegetables" that color Kyoto's winter are packed with deep sweetness and umami, slowly nurtured through the cold. As temperatures drop, vegetables store up sugars, so Kyoto vegetables that come into season in winter grow sweeter and taste all the better in hot pots and simmered dishes. Here we introduce Kujo green onion, Shogoin daikon...

Fushimi togarashi is one of the Kyoto vegetables originating in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto Prefecture. Prized for being long, slender, wrinkled, and vividly green, it bears the name "togarashi" (chili) but is a kind of sweet chili with almost no heat. For that reason, children and those who dislike spicy food...

What Is Horikawa Gobo? The Difference from Ordinary Gobo. Horikawa gobo is a Kyoto vegetable cultivated in Kyoto for about 400 years. Certified as both a "Kyoto Heirloom Vegetable" and a "Brand Kyoto Vegetable," it's known as a rare Kyoto vegetable used even at high-end restaurants. General...

Manganji togarashi is one of the summer Kyoto vegetables that represent Kyoto. Though a member of the chili family, it has almost no heat, and because it's large, thick-fleshed, and sweet, it's also called the "king of chilies." With few seeds and easy to eat, it's used for suyaki and nibitashi...

A column penned by chef Tamotsu Yoneyama, who runs "Potsura Potsura" and "Utsura Utsura" in Shinsen, Tokyo, earning Michelin Bib Gourmand at both restaurants. We share what he feels about the power of ingredients and producers' aspirations as he faces Kyoto vegetables in the daily kitchen. The customer's expression a single dish creates...

When cooking, what always comes to mind is "how to listen to the ingredient's voice." Above all, I think the relationship between Kyoto vegetables and dashi is a presence that answers that question head-on. A Kyoto vegetable has flavor that stands out even simply boiled. But by adding dashi, that individuality...

As a chef, the time spent thinking "what drink shall I pair with this dish" is actually very enjoyable. As much as finishing the dish itself, what sways the customer's expression is "pairing." What cup to match with a dish centered on Kyoto vegetables. That moment...

When talking about cooking, our eyes inevitably go to seasonings and plating, but in truth, I think most of a chef's work is a dialogue with "heat control." Whether to go high flame, or low and slow. That single judgment can utterly change a vegetable's face...

What always comes at the end of cooking is the step of "plating." After cutting, applying heat, and adjusting the flavor, the moment of setting the dish on the vessel. Here, the dish's impression changes greatly. It doesn't change the flavor itself. But the color, texture, and shape a vessel holds, when they meet a vegetable...

Kintoki carrot (kintoki ninjin) is one of Japan's traditional varieties, cultivated in the Kansai region including Kyoto. Its greatest feature is a vivid red color distinct from ordinary orange Western carrots, an ingredient often used at celebratory occasions such as osechi and New Year's simmered dishes...

Cooking is something you taste by putting it in your mouth. So it tends to be thought, but in reality it begins much earlier. The green aroma that rises when you put in the knife, the sweet scent that drifts the moment it's put over the flame. That aroma reaching the nose is, for a chef, the first signal, and for the eater...

"Kujo negi" is a green negi that represents Kyoto, certified as a Kyoto heirloom vegetable with about 1,300 years of history. It's an ingredient essential to Kyoto cuisine—Kyo-udon, Kyoto hot pot, and as a garnish—prized for the sliminess of its leaf flesh, the sweetness that increases in winter, and its rich aroma. This article covers Kujo negi's position as a Kyoto vegetable...

The fun of cooking, I think, is actually hidden in very small places. For example, "the cut." Even the same vegetable becomes an entirely different dish with a single way of putting in the knife. How you listen to the vegetable's voice—a chef's work appears in that moment. Shogoin kabura...