Japanese Sansai/Edible Wild Japanese Mountain Vegetables
“Japanese Sansai/Wild Japanese Mountain Vegetables” are around the corner so I thought it might be a good idea to draw people’s attention back to them for easier reference! They also include wild fruit that can be eaten both as vegetables and fruit with various preparations.
Some can be boiled, others fried, prepared as tempura, cooked in soup, prepared as pickles or jam, etc.
As it would become far too big (already massive, but inexhaustive) a posting if I wrote everything, please pick up one item at a time if you want more explanations and I will write an individual article for your pleasure!
But some have added some since the last time I wrote about them and I added some facts!
Here we go:
(No particular order)
AINU NEGI: ALIUM VICTORIALIS
Also called: GYOUJA NINIKU/VICTORY ONION/ALPINE LEEK
High in Vitamin B1
AKEBI: CHOCOLATE VINE
High in Potassium, Vitamin B1, B2, B6, C and vegetal fibers.
Provide great stamina!
AMADOKORO: POLYGONATUM ODORATUM
AZAMI: THISTLE
FUKINOTO: GIANT BUTTERBUR/FLOWER CLUSTER
High in Vitamin A Beta carotene, B1, B2, b6, C, vegetal Fibers and Potassium.
HAMABOUFUU: GLEHNIA LITTORALIS
HANGONSOU: SENECIO CANNABIFOLIUS
HASUKAPPU: LONICERA CAERULEA/HASCUP
HIKAGEHEGO: FLYING SPIDER MONKEY TREE FERN
IRAKUSA: URTICA THUNBERGIANA
ITADORI: JAPANESE KNOTWEED
KATAKURI: DOGTOOTH VIOLET
Flowers are also edible.
KIBOUSHI: PLANTAIN LILY HOSTA FORTINEI ( a variety of Hosta Montana)
KOGOMI: OSTRICH FERN (exists as green and red)
Great plant as it needs no special procees to erase tanginess.
High Carotenes, Vitamin C, Amino acids and vegetal fibers.
KOSHIABURA : ASCATHOPANAX SCIADOPHYLLOIDES
KUKO: CHINESE WOLFBERRY
KUSAGI: HARLEQUIN GLORY BOWER PEANUT BUTTER SHRUB
MATATABI: SILVER VINE
MITSUBA: JAPANESE HONEYWORT
NIRINSOU: ANEMONE FLACCIDA
NOBIRU: ALIUM MACROSTEMON
High in Vitamin C, Carotenes, Calcium, Potassium and vegetal fibers.
OYAMABOKUCHI: SYNURUS PUNGENS
RYOUBU: CLERTHRA BARBINERVIS
SARUNASHI: ACTINIA ARGUTA
SERI: JAPANESE PARSLEY
SUBERIYU: COMMON PURSLANE
TAKENOKO: BAMBOO SHOOTS (SPROUTS)
TANPOPO: DANDELION
TARA NO ME: ARALIA ELATA
High in Potassium, Vitamin A Beta Carotenes, B2 and vegetal fibers.
TSUKUSHI: HORSETAIL
High in Potassium, Magnesium, Carotenes and Vitamin E.
TSUROGANENINJIN: ADENOPHORA TRIPHYLLA
UDO: ARALIA CORDATA
High in Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin B1, C, Pantotene acid.
Helps combat human body acidity.
YAMAUDO: same as UDO (above)
URUI: HOSTA MONTANA
Can be eaten raw.
Great in salads. Have become a common vegetable in Japan.
WARABI: PTERIDIUM AQUILINUM/BRACKEN
High Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Vitamin B2, C, E and vegetal fibers.
YAMABUDO: CRIMSON GLORY VINE
YAMAWASABI: WILD HORSERADISH
ZENMAI: OSMUNDA JAPONICA/ROYAL FERN
High in Potassium, Vitamin A Beta Carotenes, B2, B6, C and vegetal fibers.
FUKI:JAPANESE BUTTERBUR/GIANT BUTTERBUR
High in Potassium, Calcium, Vitamin B2 and vegetal fibers.
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Still have to find the English names for the following ones!
AIKO
AKAMIZU/ELATOSTEMA UMBELLATUM var. NAJUS
Found the name!
AOMIZU
INUDOUNA
SHIDOKE
ITADORI
HONNA/Also called SUPPON
YOMOGI/MUGWORT
Not to be confused with absinthe!
NOKANZOU
YUKINOSHITA/BEEFSTEAK GERANIUM
Found the name!
I live in central Europe, Czech republic. In my country often grow in nature itadori, suberiyu, tanpopo, tsukushi, warabi, yamawasabi and yomogi. Somewhere rarely grow amodoko and yomogi. Akebi, hasukappu, kiboushi, kuko, sarunashi, urui and nokanzou is cultivated in gardens. I have no recipes for tsukushi, warabi, yomogi, amadoko, komogi, kiboushi, urui and nokanzou. Please, can you inspire me and write some article with some recipes? I suppose tempura?
In my country is rarely eat tanpopo and fruits of sarunashi and kuko, that is all. I want change it.
Cheers, dear Ivy!
I will look for recipes for you!
Thank you very much! Especially I will be very grateful for recipes with kiboushi, urui and nokanzou.
I have second question: Is this plant Aiko?
http://www.asianflora.com/Urticaceae2/Laportea-macrostachya.htm
I will check and come back to you!
It is indeed! Thank you! All corrected/amended!
I am writing article about sansai species, which grows in my country, so I have some additional suggestions and one question: Is your list of sansai complete? :
Shidoke latin name Cacalia delphinifolia
YUKINOSHITA is not BEEFSTEAK GERANIUM, but Saxifraga stolonifera (is the same as Saxifraga sarmentosa), known by several common names, including Creeping Saxifrage, Strawberry Saxifrage, Creeping Rockfoil, the quite ambiguous “Aaron’s beard”, and Strawberry Begonia or Strawberry Geranium
Fuki is latin Petasites japonicus
TSUKUSHI latin name is Equisetum arvense
Thanks a lot! As far as Japan is converned it is complete. Of course some farmers might have some “secrets” in off the tracks land.
I’ll update the information!
Once again, thanks so much!
All corrected/amended! Thank you so much!
Nokanzou: Hemerocallis fulva, Orange Daylily
Inudouna: Cacalia hastata L. var. tanakae Kitam.
Thanks again for the update! All corrected!
Aomizu: Pilea mongolica
http://nakazora.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/summer-in-the-shade/
Thank you for this article, usefull information for me.
Thank you so much for the information!
All included!
Thanks for the update! All corrected!
hats off to your knowledge! i’ve eaten a few of them.
It’s common knowledge!