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Sweet potato
2025.05.22
The sweet potato was introduced to Satsuma Province (present-day Kagoshima Prefecture) via the Ryukyu Kingdom (present-day Okinawa Prefecture) during the Edo period, and it became widely cultivated there. The name "satsumaimo" (sweet potato in Japanese) literally means "potato that spread nationwide from the Satsuma domain." Another name for it is "kansho," which is also its Chinese botanical name and means "sweet-tasting potato."Sweet potatoes are not grown from seeds. Instead, they are propagated by sprouting them to create seedlings, which are then planted in fields. While the initial process of creating seedlings requires some effort, once planted, sweet potatoes grow relatively unattended until harvest. They are not prone to continuous cropping problems and are easy to cultivate. However, in overly fertile fields with high nitrogen content, the vines tend to grow excessively, hindering tuber development – a condition known as "vine growth without tuber formation." Therefore, it's important to adjust fertilizer use and keep it minimal. — From Wikipedia ー --Gemini--
Chinnuku
2025.04.08
In the Okinawan dialect, taro (a perennial plant in the Araceae family) is called "Chinnuku." It is believed to have been introduced from southern regions and is valued as an auspicious food symbolizing prosperity and the flourishing of descendants, due to its abundance of small corms.The main ways to prepare it include steaming, using it in simmered dishes, stir-fries, or as an ingredient in soups. A particularly well-known dish in Okinawa is "Chinnuku Juushi."
Chinnuku contains mucin, a slimy component that aids in the digestion and absorption of protein. Additionally, it is rich in diastase, an enzyme that breaks down starch, which makes it highly effective in promoting digestion, boosting vitality, preventing aging, improving skin health, aiding in recovery from fatigue, and alleviating constipation—offering various health benefits. (Sourced from online research)
The images displayed are borrowed from free distribution websites on the internet.
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Kuganmu
2025.03.02
Kuganmu, or Kugaimo in the Okinawan dialect, is a wild yam belonging to the Dioscoreaceae family, genus Dioscorea, and is a type of yam. It is also known as Tokedokoro or Hariimo.Kuga means egg in the Okinawan dialect, but it can also refer to male testicles. The origin of the name Kugaimo is uncertain, but it is thought to be due to its egg-like shape or its similar appearance.
The other name, Tokedokoro, is said to come from its thorny vines. Because the vines are covered with thorns and fine roots, it is difficult to care for and remove the soil after digging, which is why there are few farmers who produce it in Okinawa.
Kugaimo, like yam, is native to tropical Asia, and it seems that it has been cultivated in Japan only in Okinawa and Amami since ancient times. When grated, it is very sticky and can be cooked in the same way as yam. -- Gemini--
Taro
2025.02.10
Taanmu (taro roots), also known as water taro, is a type of taro that only grows in clean water. In Okinawa, the cities of Ginowan and Kin Town are well-known for producing taanmu. Since taanmu is cultivated in rice paddies, it is not easily damaged by moles or other pests and is relatively resistant to typhoons. Because of these qualities, it was likely considered a valuable food source in the past. Taanmu is usually sold boiled or steamed in markets. It is rarely distributed in its raw form. The reason for this is that once harvested from the paddy fields, it spoils quickly.
Cooking the taro before selling it helps extend its shelf life and also makes it easier to distinguish high-quality taro from lower-quality ones. When steamed, the surface of the taro develops cracks, as seen in the image. Although the cracks might make the taro look damaged, they are actually a sign of good quality. In fact, I have never seen an uncracked taanmu in stores, so it is possible that ones without cracks are not distributed.
Taanmu can sometimes be found in supermarkets, but it is not always available. As a result, taanmu dishes are not commonly eaten on a daily basis in regular households. However, because taanmu continuously produces offshoots, it symbolizes prosperity and the blessing of descendants. For this reason, it is considered an auspicious food and is an essential part of Okinawan New Year celebrations and other festive occasions.
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yam
2025.01.17
Yams are perennial herbaceous vines native to Africa, Asia, and the Americas and cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in many temperate and tropical regions. The tubers themselves, also called "yams", come in a variety of forms owing to numerous cultivars and related species. -Wikipedia-In Yomitan Village and Uruma City, where yam production is flourishing, there is an industrial festival called “Yams-Suubu,” in which contestants compete in the total weight of yams produced from a single seed potato.
At the festival site, fresh yams are sold, and the purchased yams are carried by wheelbarrows and handcarts. Also, large yams were cut into small pieces and sold in small lots.
At the food booths, steamed yams, packs of tripe and yam croquettes were on sale, and we bought a pack of each, which looked delicious, and ate them in the tent for a break.
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One share of yam yields 40 to 50 kilograms, which is a high yield per unit area. The total weight of a single yam plant exhibited at the “Yams-Suubu” is well over 100 kg, proving its high productivity, and the yam in the picture looks like a baseball glove.
According to a person who exhibits at the Yams-Suubu every year, the best way to grow large yams is to start by preparing the soil.
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Cassava
2024.12.11
In Okinawa, cassava rhizomes are called “keeum. Cassava (scientific name: Manihot esculenta) is a tropical shrub of the genus Imonoki in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is also called manioc and manjoca. The sweet potato is the source of tapioca, which is cultivated in tropical regions around the world. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)Cassava comes in bitter and sweet varieties, and the steamed keum (cassava potato) in the photo is the sweet variety. The outer skin contains cyanide compounds, but the sweet species has fewer compounds and can be eaten by steaming or boiling. Its texture is similar to that of sweet potatoes, but even though it is a sweet species, it is less sweet than sweet potatoes.
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Since it is a tropical plant, its cultivation in mainland Japan is rare. In Okinawa, it seems to have been actively cultivated before World War II, due to the government's encouragement to increase food production.
Kiasaba, which is resistant to drought and can grow in acidic and nutrient-poor soils, has been attracting attention in recent years as a food problem, a countermeasure against global warming, and for use as biofuel, etc., since its yield per unit area is higher than that of other starch crops.
The photo on the left shows a keyum (cassava potato). One keyum is about the size of a woman's arm. This size is the best for eating as a potato, and when taking starch as a raw material for tapioca, it is grown thicker and larger.
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Nagaimo
2024.11.11
Nagaimo (Japanese yam, scientific name: Dioscorea polystachya) is a perennial climbing plant in the Dioscoreaceae (yam) family, genus Dioscorea. The term also refers to its enlarged, tuberous root. It is also known by its Chinese names shānyào(山薬) and shǔyù(薯蕷).There are several varieties, such as Nagaimo, Tsukuneimo, and Ichōimo. Although it is sometimes grouped under the general name yamaimo (mountain yam), it is a different species from Yamanoimo(also known as Jinenjo, scientific name: Dioscorea japonica).
Crops in the yam family are widely distributed from tropical to temperate regions, with the *Dioscorea* genus being especially diverse—comprising around 600 species. Dozens of these are used as food crops. While many yam varieties thrive in tropical climates, Nagaimo can also be cultivated in colder regions.
Some believe Nagaimo was introduced to Japan from mainland China after the Middle Ages. Although several yam species grow in China, a yam identical to Nagaimo has not been identified there. It’s therefore possible that the variety currently distributed in Japan originated domestically, and it is presently referred to as Japanese Nagaimo.
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Like the Japanese yam (yamaimo), its long rhizomes are edible. It’s commonly eaten raw, either grated into a sticky paste known as tororo or thinly sliced. Grated tororo is used in dishes like mugitoro (barley rice with yam), yamakake (topped on sashimi or rice), and tororo soba (buckwheat noodles with yam), and is sometimes added to savory pancake batter like okonomiyaki to improve its texture. Because it has a higher water content and is less sticky than yamaimo, it's also well-suited for salads where its crunchy texture stands out, or simmered dishes where it takes on a fluffy, tender mouthfeel. Additionally, it's used as an ingredient in traditional Japanese sweets such as nerikiri, karukan, and jōyō manju.
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Yamamomo
2024.10.12
Known as mumu (or mijimu) in the Okinawan dialect, the Japanese name is yamamomo, an evergreen tree of the yamamomo family.Its Japanese name comes from the fact that it grows in the mountains and bears peach-like fruits. It is also known as “yangbai,” “yama-sakura-momo,” and “hi-jitsu,” and has been used in waka poems since ancient times. It is dioecious, and produces small, inconspicuous red flowers in clusters of beads from March to April. The fruits are almost spherical, dark red, and densely covered with glabrous granules on the surface. (For more information about the mountain peach, see Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.)
The fruits are soft, moist, sweet and sour, and are delicious when eaten with a little salt, just like watermelon.
The fruit trees grow large and are used as roadside trees in some areas, but when the fruits ripen and fall, they are trampled and the area around the trees turns black.
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Kabuchii
2024.09.08
Kabuchii (scientific name: Citrus keraji var. kabuchii hort.ex Tanaka) is a citrus fruit native to Okinawa, belonging to the tangerine family. The name means “thick skin.It is a small orange with a diameter of 4-5 cm, and although it is not very attractive due to its rough appearance, it has a distinctive aroma and a refreshing sweetness. As its name suggests, the peel is thick and floating, making it easy to peel, but the edible portion is small and the yield is low, so its commercial value is not high. It is also difficult to eat because it is a wild variety and has many seeds. Because of its early maturity and rapid acid loss, it is harvested in green slices from October to early November. Production is about 60 tons, most of which is consumed within the prefecture. Wikipedia
Okinawa's native “kabuchee” was originally cultivated throughout Okinawa, but due to various factors, the focus of cultivation is said to have shifted to Yanbaru (the northern region of Okinawa's main island). It was called “field day tangerine” because the harvest season was in October, which was the field day season in Okinawa Prefecture during the Showa period. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Kuganii
2024.08.29
One of Okinawa's citrus fruits called kugani, it is about the same size as or slightly larger than the shiksa, and when fully ripe, it is sweet and delicious. It is harvested from December to January. Ogimi kugani and Katsuyama kugani are the most famous.There are many strains of kunibu or kunibungi (kunibungi in Okinawan dialect is thought to come from a nine-year tree) citrus fruits, and it is said that there are several strains including Ishikunibu, Hijakunibu, Kaachii, and Kaavisii in addition to the representative seekers, and kugani is an improved version of them. The kugani is called kugani (meaning “golden” in Okinawan dialect) because of the golden color of its rind when ripe.
The sweet and tasty kugani has been popular since long ago, and folk tales tell of the origin of its name, such as the “golden kitten” in Yonabaru and the “kugani tree” in Kinmu Town.
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