Daily Nihongo (2003 - 2004)

[torakris]

word for 9/14:

なめこ

nameko (nah-may-koh)

I don't know of an English name for this slimy mushroom loved by the Japanese. Imagine natto but slippery, once you get past the slime factor (if you can even pick them up with your chopsticks) these are a wonderful mushrrom, almost sweet in taste. Normally quite small about the size of a small finger tip, they can be as large as a thumb.

They are most popular in miso soup and occasionally nabes as the additional liquid makes the slimy-ness disappear. The are sometimes used in "dressed dishes or mixed with grated daikon and used as a topping.

the nameko mushroom:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/nameko1.jpg

[Jinmyo]

I can only get nameko boiled and sealed in cryovac.

[torakris]

I can only get nameko boiled and sealed in cryovac.

Don't worry Jin!

That is the way most people in Jaapn get them too!

They are extremely pershiable and are rarely found fresh.

[torakris]

word for 9/15:

venturing away from mushrooms once again........

敬老の日

keirou no hi (kay-rhow-no-hee)

Today is respect for the aged day in Japan. It is a national holiday that was started in 1966 and various events are held nationwide to give thanks to the elders.

[torakris]

word for 9/16:

松茸

matsutake (mah-tsu-tah-kay)

This is the king of mushrooms in Japan, available only fresh (matsutake aren't dried) and only for a short period of early autumn it is loved by the Japanese. Matsu means pine and its distinctive pine fragrance is due to the fact that is grows in the undisturbed stands of red pine trees. Dark brown with a thick meaty stem the Japanese prepare this mushroom as simply as possible so as not to lose any of the delicate fragrance normally either briefly cooked over charcoal to be pulled apart and eaten witha sqeeze of citrus or in a dobinmishi, a clear soup served in a teapot like container. The demand for these is so high in Japan that more and more are imported every year and it is becoming harder and harder to find Japanese specimens and if you do they will easily cost 3 to 6 times more.

the matsutake:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/matsut2.jpg

[torakris]

word for 9/17:

マッシュルーム

mashurumu (mah-shoe-rue-mu)

mushroom

this refers to the plain old button mushroom, these tend to be quite small here no more than an inch or an inch and a half in diameter. They are available in white (whaito) and brown (buraun) and are used mostly in Western style food preparations such as sautees, pizza, salads, etc and show up a lot in Chinese stir fries.

[torakris]

moving out of mushroom territory

word for 9/18:

クレソン

kureson (koo-ray-sohn)

this the Japanese pronunciation of watercress (from the french cresson?).

Though it has been in the country since early last century its uses are still pretty much limited to a garnish, any restaurant order of steak or grilled chicken will inevitably be garnished with watercress. Occasionally it will find its way into a ohitashi style preparation or a soup.

[torakris]

word for 9/19:

くわい

kuwai (koo-wah-ee)

This water grown vegetable is similar to a water chestnut and native to Japan and China. In English is goes by a couple names arrowhead, Chinese potato, swamp potato, etc). It is only found fresh for a very short time around December and January and thus is typical addition to the osechi ryori box (bento style foods eaten at new years).

It is mostly commonly served simmered but has a tendency towards bitterness so it soaked in water for about 30 minutes, then boiled and then added to simmered dishes. As a new year preparation is it often carved into various shapes, the most common being a bell, a popular symbol of the new year.It is also made into deep fried "chips" to be eaten as a snack.

kuwai (in a typical osechi ryori preparation and fresh):

http://www.kyoto-yaoichi.co.jp/recipe/2002...0212/kuwai.html

[torakris]

word for 9/20:

ゴーヤー

goya (goh-yah)

This actually the Okinawan word, in Japanese it will be also be referred to as nigauri, niga from the word nigai for bitter and uri from the word for gourd/melon. Thus in English this is what we know as bitter melon or bitter gourd, in some places it is referred to as balsam pear. Though eaten in Okinawa for centuries it is only recently that it has become a staple item in supermarkets in the rest of Japan. It seems to be one of those foods that is either loved or hated, the bitter flavor takes some getting used to. The most famous dish is goya champuru a stirfry of goya, tofu, egg and katsuo bushi (bonito flakes) or pork, it can also be found pickled and in dressed dishes.

goya (nigauri)

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/nigaur4.jpg

[torakris]

word for 9/21:

こごみ

kogomi (koh-goh-mee)

fiddlehead fern (ostrich fern in particular)

This is one of the vegetables that are colectively referred to as sansai (山菜　or mountain vegetable) in Japanese. These are the vegetables that are sought out every spring in on the mountainsides. Although it can be found in almost all of the regions in Japan the majority grow in the Shinshu and Tohoku regions. They just need a light blanching before being made into ohitashi or a dressed salad, they are also popular in tempura.

Though many sansai are now being cultivated, it is still hard to find them in the stores in their fresh state and thus most of the fiddlehead fern in supermarkets is pre-cooked and water packed rendering it pretty tasteless...........

the ostrich fern:

http://www.purea-web.net/links/ssn/ssn2002...sansai_kgm.html

Edited September 21, 2003 by torakris (log)

[torakris]

word for 9/22:

ぜんまい

zenmai　(zen-my)

This is another fern that is very popular in Japan (and Korea as well), I have seen in referred to as cinnamon fern, flowering fern and royal fern in English. According to some books and websites (all in English) experts are now advising against eating this fern as there is eveidence that it may cause cancer of the stomach and esophagus. These Japanese seem not to have heard this news yet (or else they don't care) as zenmai is a regular product on supermarket shelves. Usually water packed it is available all year round.

Its most popular use is in simmered dishes and sometimes it is mixed with othe sansai (mountain vegetables) and added to rice.

zenmai (as seen in most supermarkets):

http://www.anasuper.com/productdetail.asp?i=2429

[torakris]

a break from ferns as today is a national holiday in Japan!

秋分の日　しゅうぶんのひ

shuubun no hi (shoe-boon-no-hee)

Autumn equinox is today September 23.

for more information look here:

http://marian.creighton.edu/~marian-w/acad...ays/sept23.html

[torakris]

word for 9/24:

わらび

warabi

Referred to as bracken in English this fern is another one of the Japanese sansai or mountain vegetables. Like zenmai it is available only water packed in most stores unless you live very close to a source for it. Also similar to zenmai it is thought (outside of Japan at least) that eating it should be avoiding as a possible cause of cancer. In Japan it is one of the most popular sansai making its way into simmered dishes, soups, rice dishes, dressed foods and even a starring role in ohitashi.

warabi:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/warabi1.jpg

[torakris]

word for 9/25:

ごぼう

gobou (goh-boh)

burdock root

Though it grows in various parts of the world, the Japanese are the country that actually eats it, in other countries it is used for its medicinal properties. The Kanto (general Tokyo) area is place of origin of the nagai (long) gobo, the most common being the takinogawa gobo named for a river in Northern Tokyo. In Kansai (general Osaka) area there is a mijikai (short) gobo that has t leaves eaten as well. Then in early spring there is the shin-gobo (new gobo) that is quite thin and light brown ad often for sale with part of the leaves attached. The average long gobo is about 2 feet in length and inch or so in diameter and is a medium to dark brown, they are normally sold with the soil still attached. Occasionally you will see what is sold as arai gobo (washed gobo), but once the dirt is washed off there storage life shorten to a day or two so these should be avoided unless they are to be used immediately. Gobo does not need to be peeled just scrubbed well, it also discolors very quickly and should be placed into acidulated water soon after cutting.

Gobo is so wonderful it even has its own thread:

http://www.evergreenseeds.com/evergreensee...s/edburgob.html

pictures of gobo, long and new types:

http://www.evergreenseeds.com/evergreensee...s/edburgob.html

[torakris]

word for 9/26:

さつまいも

satsumaimo (sah-tsu-my-moe)

Japanese sweet potato

Central American in origin this was brought to Japan by European traders to Okinawa and Kyushu. Okinawa has become famous for its purple fleshed sweet potato that is most often made into sweets. Satsuma and area in Kyushu is how the potatoes enterd the rest of Japan and thus their name, the satsuma potato (imo).

Jaapnese sweet potatoes normally have a pinkish red to burgundy colored skin while the flesh varies from a light yellow to a golden yellow. One of the most popular preparations is the yaki-imo, the potato grilled whole over charcoal and eaten while still steaming hot, rarely made at home these are usually bought from the yaki-imo truck that drives around the neighborhood, normally in the early evening hours, announcing its presence over a loudspeaking while the potatoes roast in a special "oven" in the back of the truck.

Other uses for satsumaimo includes, soups, rice dishes, salads, deep fried and simmered foods.

satsumaimo:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/satsum5.jpg

[torakris]

moving away from food just one more time

word for 9/27:

運動会　うんどうかい

undoukai (uhn-doe-kah-ee)

This is the sports day event that is held in schools and neighborhoods all over Japan. Children (and adults) break into either white or red teams and compete against each other in a variety of events. The school undokai's are attended by the whole family often the grandparents as well and are marked mid way by the eating of the bento lunch that the mother slaved over for hours! This is what I should be working on now, so I will cut this short and be back later (maybe even with pictures!)

[torakris]

word for 9/29:

里芋　さといも

satoimo (sah-toe-ee-moe)

This the Japanese variety of taro, the Japanese taro tends to be quite a bit smaller then the taro seen in other parts of the world. The most popular ones tend to be about the size or a golf ball and slightly larger. I am not sure of how many varieties of taro there are in Japan but it seems that every village has their own maybe this is why they are called sato (village or hometown) imo (potato). Or maybe it is because they seem to be the imo (potato) that was native to Japan. Peeling of satoimo can cause severe itching in people that are sensitive and it maybe best to wear gloves when handling them, because of this and the fact that peeling them is very time consuming it is very common nowadays to buy them water packed or frozen. Satoimo are mostly commonly used in simmered dishes.

satoimo:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/satoim4.jpg

[torakris]

word for 9/30:

サにーレタス

saniretasu (sah-nee-rey-tah-sue)

Sunny lettuce, this is probably the second most popular letttuce in Japan behind iceberg. This is a leaf lettuce that is tinged with red on the top, besides salads it is often found wrapped around a piece of yakiniku.

sunny lettuce:

http://www.shun-mall.co.jp/goods/goodsimg/9.jpg

[torakris]

word for 10/1

グリーンリーフor グリーンカール

guriinriifu or guriinkaaru

green leaf or green curl

This is another leaf lettuce in Japan and goes by a couple of names, it looks just like the sunny lettuce but it is all green. Uses are the same as that for sunny lettuce.

[torakris]

word for 10/2:

サラダ菜

saradana (sah-rah-dah-nah)

Translates literally as salad leaf, this is similar to what in the US is called bibb lettuce though I find the taste is slighly different. This has more flavor then iceberg and is popular in salads and sandwiches, it is also used to wrap foods like yakiniku. The heads are small, a little bit bigger than adult hand size and are a medium green in color.

picture of sarada-na:

http://www.e-taneya.net/01yasai/01yokei-ht...1018013002.html

[torakris]

word for 10/3:

山菜

sansai (sahn-sah-ee)

This is a collective term that translates as mountain vegetable. We have discussed a couple of these already, udo and the ferns like kogomi and warabi but there are a couple more that those outside of Japan might be unfamiliar with and thus the next couple days will be devoted to the sansai.

by the way, sansai when written this way 三歳　or this way 三才 means three years old.

[torakris]

word for 10/4:

ふきのとう

fukinotou (foo-key-noh-toe)

the bud of the butterbur plant also known as coltsfoot. The actual plant itself is referred to as fuki in Japanese and is eaten as well. The buds appear in early spring and the plant continues to grow often to several feet tall and is eaten through early summer. The stems of the pant are most commonly used in simmered dishes or tsukudani and the leaves can be chopped and added to simmered dishes. The buds are wonderful as a tempura or grilled with miso and also also used in simmered dishes, soups and ohitashi.

the fuki plant (and recipe):

http://www004.upp.so-net.ne.jp/ichi/p9707803.htm

the bud:

http://www.pref.kagawa.jp/eizo/vol003/en/5...5ki/haru/06.htm

[torakris]

word for 10/5:

たらの芽

taranome (tah-rah-noh-may)

These are the shoots of the angelica tree (aralia elata) called taranoki in Japanese. These are msotly commonly served as tempura or in dressed dishes especially with either a sesame or walnut sauce.

taranome:

http://arakifoods.kir.jp/zukan/taranome.htm

[torakris]

word for 10/6:

つくし

tsukushi (tsu-koo-shee)

Called horsetail in English it looks something like a stalk of white asparagus with a couple groupings of of brown "fringe" which are removed before eating. It mostly commonly used in dressed dishes like goma-ae, tsukudani and even in stirfries and tamago-toji.

tsukushi:

http://arakifoods.kir.jp/zukan/tukusi.htm

[torakris]

word for 10/7:

のびる

nobiru (noh-bee-rue)

A member of the allium family, I can't find any information as to an English name. It looks something like a spring onion with a good amount of white and a small bulb on the end. I have seen the bulbs in sizes from tiny ovals to perfectly round circles about 1 inch in diameter. It has a fragrance that is a cross between garlic and nira (garlic chives) and normally only the white part is eaten. It can be eaten raw usually dipped into miso or briefly boiled and used in ohitashi or a dressed dish.

nobiru:

http://soneta.hmc6.net/r-nobiru-nuta.htm