(1) Seasons and Local Foods: Sensing Biodiversity

Recently, I visited Noto Peninsula and participated in the harvest of sangainegi, top onion, indigenous to the area.  A farmer peeled the external layer and urged me to try the top onion as it tasted sweet.  It was really sweet like a salad.  I felt the top onion represented the gentle soil of Noto Peninsula as well.  A student from Kagawa Prefecture, which is famous for its udon noodle, also relished it, although saying that “a slightly more spicy top onion would go well with udon noodle.”

“Biodiversity” or “ecosystem service (the blessings from biodiversity),” may sound somewhat difficult.  But even though the words may sound difficult, most people can notice biodiversity or the ecosystem service when they eat something tasty.  Shindofuji (the idea that eating traditional or seasonal local foods is good for health), local production for local consumption, or slow food – there are various ways to express the idea, but you may understand that we can connect with the ecosystem networks differently from place to place when we eat seasonal foods in their areas of production. 

The national and local governments in Japan have implemented policies enhancing effective production in rice paddies and farmlands which have been habitats to insects including dragonflies, diving beetles or other insects which may be beneficial or harmful to humans.  The sweet taste of the top onion reminded me that rice paddies and farmlands have also served as places for communication such as local festivals and collaborative farm work.

(2) Seasons and Local Foods: Sensing Biodiversity

In the United Kingdom, we have a green leafy vegetable called chard which looks like spinach.  This vegetable can also be found in Japan under the name of “fudanso.”  However, it is rarely seen at supermarkets in the UK as it is easily damaged.

　As chard is high in oxalic acid, it is recommended to parboil before cooking.  Once cooked, its texture is soft, sweet and melting.  In addition, chard is high in vitamins and minerals which produce a rich flavor.  It goes very well with creamy sauce.

　I used to grow chard all through the year on my small allotment.  Chard is a very strong and quick growing "cut and come again" plant.  It even produces new seedlings from its spilled seeds.

　As I kept my patch free of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, I used to struggle with various “pests (to humans)” including slugs, but even voracious slugs were rarely fond of eating chard, probably thanks to its oxalic acid.  Chard is also quite hardy, and if it reaches a certain size before the bitter winter arrives, you can enjoy its tender leaves until spring.  Chard is a dream vegetable for allotment owners.

Unfortunately, I had to give up this allotment as I moved to central London recently.  Now I am missing the nature on my table quite badly.  I guess I must start a container garden.  Chard will be one of the first seeds to go into the planter.

(3) Seasons and Local Foods: Sensing Biodiversity

One day during the first week of May, my family and I visited Furumine Shrine (古峯神社) in Kanuma City, Tochigi Prefecture.  Furumine Shrine is a venerable shrine with a more than 1000-year history.  The shrine is also known as the place where Shodo shonin (high priest) who established temples in Nikko had sadhana.  After visiting the shrine, we can have naorai (直来) in a fresh mood.  Naorai means omiki (御神酒) and shinsen (神饌) cuisine (saké and cuisine offered to the gods); in other words, it is “god-us-down.”  My family was (or seemed to be) half-hearted, but gradually felt comfortable when meals were ready in front of them.  Kenchin-jiru (soup with diverse vegetables) is essential for the naorai.  Eddoes, Japanese radishes, carrots, burdocks and konjacs cooked lightly with the soup are quite dainty.  I hear that the kenchin-jiru of Furumine Shrine is made according to their traditional cooking method, but this kenchin-jiru is cooked betweentimes in Tochigi Prefecture.  So I think the kenchin-jiru is a typical local cuisine.  Last autumn, when I visited the “new soba noodle festival” held in Tochigi Prefecture, new soba noodles were served in hot kenchin-jiru.  I took it for granted that soba noodles were served cold with dipping sauce according to a traditional cooking method in Tokyo.  So, soba noodles in hot kenchin-jiru were surprising to me as I was born in Tokyo.  However, soba in kenchin-jiru is a supremely seasoned cuisine among local residents.  Being blessed with luck, I moved to Tochigi Prefecture 9 years ago.  Recently, I feel fond of a cup of kenchin-jiru reflecting local nature, culture and history.　

(4) Seasons and Local Foods: Sensing Biodiversity

Which foods remind me of nature? While thinking about this question I received an invitation to a presentation on enjoying vegetables by Tomoko Kaminishi, who is a vegetable sommelier for the Dates Corporation. A tastings of various kinds of fresh corn was on the menu. In fact, the corn growing season in the Kanto region lasts just a few weeks in June and July. The sweetness of the corn is said to decrease by half after harvesting, so freshness is the key to its taste. It is said that corn should be prepared in boiling water. Of the types of corn tasted at the event: “Mirai (future)” tasted nostalgic, “Gold Rush” which has large grains and a strong yellow color tasted sweet like a musk melon, “White Chocolat” which has smaller grains and a whitish color tastes true to its name, and has high water content with a soft shell, and finally “Mille-Feuille”, named after a sweet pastry, is crispy.  I was so surprised. When did corn begin to taste like sweets?  Furthermore, I was also surprised to hear that all the types of corn I tasted can be eaten uncooked.

Compared to some other countries, the Japanese market prefers sweeter apples and tomatoes. The pursuit of sweetness is said to be the overall aim of plant breeding for foods.  Is it the fate of sour tasting traditional apples and grassy-tasting tomatoes to disappear from the market?  We can appreciate nature when we eat fresh, seasonal food.  But on the other hand, most vegetables are cultivated and not wild.  Appreciating nature “in the raw” may mean eliminating some freshness and sweetness, said Ms. Kaminishi.  However we are very greedy when it comes to eating fresh, tasty food even when we live in urban areas. We do not think of the cost, of how many chemicals are used, or how many ecosystems we lose in the process.  On a rainy day I appreciated Ms. Kaminishi’s invitation, and asked myself “How much is enough?”

(5) Seasons and Local Foods: Sensing Biodiversity

In the spring of 2013, I visited the Republic of Seychelles in the West Indian Ocean.  The Seychelles is famous for its endemic plant and animal species.  Vallée de Mai National Park where wild Seychelles nuts bearing the world biggest nuts are growing and Aldabra Atoll that has the habitat for the world’s largest giant tortoises are registered with UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.

In the Seychelles, tourist business is the country’s major industry and accounts for 70% of foreign currency earnings.  When the Seychelles became independent in 1976, the government considered the rich natural environment as an important resource and decided the direction toward a tourism-oriented country through appealing the natural environment of the country.  Now the Seychelles is developing as a fine resort country where a lot of honeymooners from Europe visit to enjoy the rich and beautiful natural environment.

Two things made me surprised when I visited this country.  First of all, the meals I had were very delicious.  I tried to have meals at restaurants providing local Creole cuisine.  The dishes at these restaurants were prepared making the best use of the freshness of the ingredients, and I was entirely satisfied with the dishes although they might not be elaborate.  As the fruit served at breakfast was extremely delicious, I asked a waiter about its name.  He just pointed to a tree in the garden, and just said “That one.”  I was able to enjoy the rich taste of diverse fruit varieties growing in the tropical climate as they were served in the high season.  I could find priceless value while I stayed in the beautiful and lush natural environment, as part of it. 

Secondly, I was surprised that 50% of the land in the Seychelles is designated as nature reserves.  I realized that the Seychelles, a country of rich nature and resources, is moving toward being a sustainable country.

(6) Seasons and Local Foods: Sensing Biodiversity

Kirihoshidaikon is my 2-year-old daughter’s favorite food.  She sometimes leaves vegetables uneaten, but kirihosidaikon seems to be an exception for her.  She enjoys eating it.  Kirihoshidaikon is a blessing of the sun and winds and is made using daikon (Japanese radish) harvested in winter.  The daikon are sliced thinly and chopped finely, then dried in the sun during dry winter days.  Kirihoshidaikon is popular and easily available at izakaya (Japanese style pubs) and delicatessens in Tokyo as well.

But my daughter’s favorite kirihoshidaikon is slightly different.  This kirihoshidaikon is made using organic Japanese radishes from Aya Town of Miyazaki Prefecture, a township well-known as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.  Aya Town has promoted organic farming based on the Japan’s first ordinance on the promotion of organic farming since its establishment in 1988, in line with the Aya Town Charter (1983) stating “we shall make our town a place where nature ecosystems function and are fostered.”  Kirihoshidaikon is one of the popular and familiar products in Aya Town which produces attractive vegetables and fruits each season.  Whenever I visit there I buy a few bags of kirihoshidaikon at 120 Yen for 100 grams at the “Honmono Center (a place which sells and exhibits Aya Town’s products to revitalize the regional economy)” in front of the town office.

Recently, I was surprised to find same kirihoshdaikon was sold for 250 Yen at Miyazaki Airport.  The price was more than double.  I have never minded the price as I always buy kirihoshidaikon at Aya Town.  Then I investigated the price of “ordinary” kirihoshidaikon from Miyazaki Prefecture sold at a supermarket in Tokyo.  The price was 140 Yen for 30 grams (470 Yen for 100 grams).  Surprisingly, the price of domestically-produced organic kirihoshidaikon on the internet was 255 Yen for 30 grams (850 Yen for 100 grams!).  Of course, the prices are not easily compared considering distribution costs.  But I (and also the residents in Aya Town) was able to buy kirihoshidaikon at a surprisingly cheap price.

 “The values (prices) of products differ considerably between urban areas and local areas as regions are rich in nature, and production and consumption can take place in close areas.”  I may making too much of it, but this is surprising all the more as kirihoshidaikon is a very popular food.