Matteuccia struthiopteris 2005 spring 002

is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

word literally meaning "mountain vegetables", originally referring to vegetables that grew naturally, were foraged in the wild, and not grown and harvested from fields. However, in modern times, the distinction is somewhat blurred, as some ''sansai'' such as ''warabi'' have been successfully cultivated. For example, some of the fern shoots such as bracken (

fiddlehead Fiddleheads or fiddlehead greens are the furled fronds of a young fern, harvested for use as a vegetable. Left on the plant, each fiddlehead would unroll into a new frond (circinate vernation). As fiddleheads are harvested early in the sea ...

) and ''zenmai'' shipped to market are farm-grown. They are often sold pre-cooked in water, and typically packaged in plastic packs in liquid. The fern shoots ''warabi'' (bracken), ''fuki'' stalks in sticks, and mixes which may contain the above-mentioned combined with baby bamboo shoots, mushrooms, etc., are available in retail supermarkets, and ethnic foodstores in the US. ''Sansai'' are often used as ingredients in

shōjin ryōri The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

, or

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...

cuisine.

Examples

Sansai include: * ''Chishimazasa'' (チシマザサ), ''Nemagaridake'' - bamboo shoots of '' Sasa kurilensis''. * '' Fuki-no-tō'' (''Petasites japonicus'') - flower shoots of

butterbur ''Petasites'' is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae, that are commonly referred to as butterburs and coltsfoots.bolt) * '' Gyojaninniku'' (''Allium ochotense'') - similar to

ramp An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six clas ...

s ('' A. tricoccum'') * ''Hana-ikada'' (ハナイカダ), ''

Helwingia japonica ''Helwingia japonica'', the Japanese helwingia, is a species of ''Helwingia'' native to East Asia. ''Helwingia japonica'' is part of the genus ''Helwingia The genus ''Helwingia'' consists of shrubs or rarely small trees native to eastern Asia, ...

'', young leaves. * ''Harigiri'' (''

Kalopanax ''Kalopanax septemlobus'', common names castor aralia, tree aralia, and prickly castor oil tree, is a deciduous tree in the family Araliaceae, the sole species in the genus ''Kalopanax''. It is native to northeastern Asia, from Sakhalin and Japa ...

'')- '' Acer'' species, young leaves tarter than ''tara''. * ''Itadori'' (''

Reynoutria japonica ''Reynoutria japonica'', synonyms ''Fallopia japonica'' and ''Polygonum cuspidatum'', is a species of herbaceous perennial plant in the knotweed and buckwheat family Polygonaceae. Common names include Japanese knotweed and Asian knotweed. It is ...

'', syn. ''Fallopia japonica'' -

Japanese knotweed ''Reynoutria japonica'', synonyms ''Fallopia japonica'' and ''Polygonum cuspidatum'', is a species of herbaceous perennial plant in the knotweed and buckwheat family Polygonaceae. Common names include Japanese knotweed and Asian knotweed. It is ...

山菜関係資料(Sansai-related material) (webpage pdf) * ''Kogomi'' - fernbrakes of ''kusasotetsu'' (''

Matteuccia struthiopteris ''Matteuccia'' is a genus of ferns with one species: ''Matteuccia struthiopteris'' (common names ostrich fern, fiddlehead fern, or shuttlecock fern). The species epithet ''struthiopteris'' comes from Ancient Greek words () "ostrich" and () "fer ...

'') * ''Koshiabura'' (コシアブラ), '' Chengiopanax sciadophylloides'' - young leaves. * ''Mitsuba'' (ミツバ), ''

Cryptotaenia canadensis ''Cryptotaenia canadensis'', the Canadian honewort, is a perennial plant species native to the eastern United States and eastern Canada. Its young leaves and stems can be used as a boiled green or seasoning similar to parsley. The parsnip ...

'' subsp. ''japonica'' * ''Niyama-irakusa'' (ミヤマイラクサ), '' Laportea macrostachya'' - Nettlelike plants, which though young leaves and stems are eaten have stinging hairs requiring caution * ''Nomijigasa'' (モミジガサ), '' Parasenecio delphiniifolius'', syn. ''Cacolia delphiniifolia'') - an aster family plant, for young leaves and shoots * ''Nirinsō'' (ニリンソウ), '' Anemone flaccida'' - young leaves are eaten but may be mistaken for wolfsbane * ''Nobiru'' (ノビル), ''

Allium macrostemon ''Allium macrostemon'' (野蒜, ノビル), Chinese garlic, Japanese garlic or long-stamen onion, is a species of wild onion widespread across much of East Asia. It is known from many parts of China, as well as Japan (incl Ryukyu Islands), Kore ...

'' - similar to

field garlic Field garlic is a common name for several plants in the garlic genus, ''Allium'': *'' Allium oleraceum'' *''Allium vineale ''Allium vineale'' (wild garlic, onion grass, crow garlic or stag's garlic) is a perennial, bulb-forming species of wild o ...

* ''Nogeshi'' - sowthistle (''

Sonchus oleraceus ''Sonchus oleraceus'' is a species of flowering plant in the tribe Cichorieae of the family Asteraceae, native to Europe and Western Asia. It has many common names including common sowthistle, sow thistle, smooth sow thistle, annual sow thistle, ...

''), for young leaves * ''Seri'' - Japanese parsley (''

Oenanthe javanica ''Oenanthe javanica'', commonly Java waterdropwort, water celery, water dropwort, Chinese celery, Indian pennywort and Japanese (flat leaf) parsley, is a plant of the genus '' Oenanthe'' originating from East Asia. It has a widespread native dist ...

'') * ''Sarunashi'' ('' Actinidia arguta'') - fruits are eaten raw or to flavor alcohol * ''Shiode'' (''

Smilax riparia ''Smilax'' is a genus of about 300–350 species, found in the tropics and subtropics worldwide. In China for example about 80 are found (39 of which are endemic), while there are 20 in North America north of Mexico. They are climbing flowering ...

'' var. ''ussuriensis'') - young leaves * '' Tara no me'' - young shoots of the Japanese angelica tree * '' Tade'' (''

Persicaria hydropiper ''Persicaria hydropiper'' ( syn. ''Polygonum hydropiper''), also known as water pepper, marshpepper knotweed, arse smart or tade, is a plant of the family Polygonaceae. A widespread species, ''Persicaria hydropiper'' is found in Australia, New Z ...

'') - Water pepper, leaves and shoots used as an ingredient for sauces or as a garnish * ''Tsuwabuki'' ('' Farfugium japonicum'') - Stems prepared like ''fuki'' * ''

Udo Udo is a masculine given name. It may refer to: People Medieval era *Udo of Neustria, 9th century nobleman * Udo (Obotrite prince) (died 1028) * Udo (archbishop of Trier) (c. 1030 – 1078) * Lothair Udo II, Margrave of the Nordmark (c. 1025 � ...

'' - Japanese spikenard. * ''Uwabamisō'' (''

Elatostema umbellatum ''Elatostema umbellatum'' is a species of flowering plant in the nettle family (Urticaceae). It is native to Japan, where it is found from the Kantō region westward. Its natural habitat is in moist, deeply forested places in the mountains. It i ...

'' var. ''majus'') * '' Warabi'' -

bracken Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells (eggs ...

shoots * '' Zenmai'' - another type of fern top, more prized than ''kogomi'' or ''warabi'', and also sold dried.

References

* (government website PDF) Buddhist cuisine Japanese cuisine Japanese vegetables {{Japan-cuisine-stub

Examples

See also

References