Delectable Fall Produce in the Japanese Diet
The seasons are shifting here in Okinawa, Japan and so are the fruits and vegetables readily available at the supermarkets and farmers’ markets.
An unfamiliar fruit or vegetable can be slightly off-putting. How do I cook this? Which part do I eat? How should I cut this open?
I teach English at a Japanese school and I always look forward to lunchtime because of my curiosity about Okinawan and Japanese cuisine. After all, in combination with their lifestyle, it is commonly known that the diet of Japanese people is very rich in nutrients and it is credited with giving them some of the longest lifespans on the planet.
Honestly, there hasn’t been a single Japanese vegetable that I haven’t enjoyed. Then again, I have never been a picky eater and have always enjoyed incorporating lots of vegetables into my daily diet ever since I was a child.
Gobo root (also known as burdock in America), goya or “bitter melon” and benimo or “purple sweet potato” (Okinawa’s two superfoods), natto soybeans, and mozuku (brown seaweed) are just some of my favorite Okinawan vegetables.
