Are you familiar with Japanese wild vegetables(Sansai)? Wild vegetables(Sansai) generally refer to edible plants that grow wild in the mountains. In Japan, many wild vegetables begin to sprout in the spring season when the cherry blossoms start to bloom, and we can enjoy the season through food. In this article, we will discuss the history and types of Japanese wild vegetables. We hope you will try tasting the “wild vegetables” of the season on your next trip to Japan.
What is Wild Vegetable(Sansai)?
Wild vegetables(Sansai) is a general term for plants that grow wild in the mountains and are suitable for food. The Japanese archipelago is long from north to south and has a complex topography ranging from seaside to high mountains, resulting in a very large variety of native plants in Japan.
Japanese people living in such a land have been closely connected with nature since ancient times and have used plants with unique senses and superior techniques.
Wild vegetables grow in a wide variety of environments, from the coastline, in cities, near houses in towns and villages, and in high mountains, and there are as many as 300 species eaten throughout Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa.
Typical wild vegetables by season are
Spring: Gyoja garlic, Udo, Fatsia sprouts, Butterbur sprouts, Bracken, Wasabi, Japanese horseradish, Japanese parsley, Bamboo shoots, Tsukushi, Royal fern
Summer: Shiode, Shiso, Dokudami, Yamamomo
Autumn: Akebi (fruit), Gingko nuts, Sansho
Winter: Nazuna, Lily bulb, Wolfberry
Difference between Wild vegetables and Vegetables
Vegetables and wild vegetables are both plants used for food. What is the difference between them and vegetables? Vegetables are plants that are artificially cultivated in the field, while wild vegetables are plants that grow wild in the natural environment. However, vegetables are also originally wild plants. The vegetables currently cultivated have been gradually transformed from wild plants by humans over a long period.Vegetables were bred for their bitterness, tenderness, and other characteristics.
In contrast, wild vegetables are wild species that are untouched by humans. Even when the above-ground leaves and stems die, the underground roots survive beyond one year, and are perennial plants that grow new stems every year. The edible parts are the tender young shoots and tips, so the time of collection and harvesting is limited. In recent years, however, wild vegetables are also being grown in the field.
Wild Vegetables Then and Now
As times have changed, wild vegetables have changed their use and position in the diet.
Before Japan’s rapid economic growth, when people lived traditional lifestyles in the olden days, various types of wild vegetables were consumed as indispensable foods in people’s daily lives. Whole plants such as stems and leaves were boiled to remove the lye and used for soaking, simmered dishes, and dressed dishes. It has also been eaten as a valuable relief plant (a plant that serves as food in times of famine or other emergencies) and is indispensable to people’s lives.
As people’s dietary habits became more affluent through the rapid economic growth of Japan, wild vegetables came to be called “hometown taste” or “natural food. They have also been valued as an economic crop that helps promote mountain villages as a tourism resource and local specialty.
Today, more and more attention is being paid to its value not only as a natural and economical crop, but also as a nutritional and medicinal food that helps maintain and promote good health.
Typical wild vegetables
Fatsia sprouts(Taranome)
It is very popular as the “king of wild vegetables”. It prefers open and bright places such as roadsides and forest roads. It is rich in vitamins and contains high quality protein and fat, so much so that it is called “butter of the mountains. It goes well with tempura, salad, stir-fries, meat rolls, pasta, stews, and ajillos.
Japanese butterbur(Fukinoto)
In early spring, wild vegetables, the “messengers of spring,” appear from the ground. They are said to be the first food eaten by bears after they awaken from hibernation. They are rich in potassium. Tempura, miso soup, bakke miso (finely chopped and mixed with miso)
Goes well with stir-fry, pasta, gratin, ajillo, etc.
Udo
It is called “udo no taiboku” (big but useless person) because it grows so large that it is inedible. The young shoots are aromatic, fresh, and delicious, with a deep flavor, a hint of bitterness, and a firm texture. They contain chlorogenic acid, a substance that exhibits antioxidant properties and is said to be effective in inhibiting melanin caused by sunburn. It goes well with tempura, dressing with vinegared miso or sesame miso (to enjoy its aroma and texture), and stir-frying.
Bracken(Warabi)
Rich in vitamin B2 and folic acid. Low in calories and carbohydrates, it is a healthy wild vegetable. A familiar wild vegetable that has long been familiar to the Japanese and grows wild in mountains throughout Japan. It is characterized by its unique shape and crunchy texture. It goes well in stir-fries, namul, soaked vegetables, tempura, and takikomi-gohan (cooked rice).
Japanese butterbur(Fuki)
When “Fukinoto” grows up, it becomes “Fuki”. It is a wild vegetable so familiar to the Japanese that it was cultivated as early as the Heian period (794-1192). It is rich in dietary fiber and potassium. It goes well with simmered dishes, tsukudani (food boiled in soy sauce and sugar), cooked rice, kinpira, salads, and other dishes.
Bracken fern(Zenmai)
A wild vegetable with a unique flavor and chewy texture. They are high in vitamin C and A and rich in dietary fiber. They are well suited for soaking, dressed dishes, simmered dishes, namul, stir-fried dishes, kinpira, and takikomi-gohan (cooked rice), etc.
Japanese parsley(Seri)
A wild vegetable of early spring that is familiar as one of the seven spring herbs. It grows in clusters in the mountains and fields throughout Japan. This wild vegetable is very popular for its crunchy texture and strong aroma. It is also famous as a Chinese herb and herbal medicine. The lush leaves and stems are rich in beta-carotene. It is also rich in dietary fiber, which helps regulate the function of the intestines. It goes well with nabe dishes, salad, soaked vegetables, soups, salads, etc.
Reference：https://cookbiz.jp/soken/culture/sansai10sen/
https://vegetable.alic.go.jp/yasaijoho/joho/0511_joho01.html
