VOX POPULI: Spring is the best season for those who have a taste for wild plants

Release time：2024-05-21 13:30:38 Source：Culture Chronicle news portal

Tempura of “taranome,” or sprouts of “taranoki,” (Japanese Angelica tree), and “udo” (Aralia cordata) dressed with vinegared miso are two popular dishes prepared from “sansai” edible wild plants.

Spring is the season for lovers of wild edibles.

Fujiko Taniguchi, a master of foraging from Anamizu, a town in Ishikawa Prefecture, had eaten up to 200 types of wild plants until her death at 88.

She would start her “bud patrol” soon after Keichitsu, the solar term for when insects awaken from winter, walking through the mountains of the Noto Peninsula.

One troublesome bit about eating wild vegetables is their preparation.

In her book “Yamanba Noto wo Kurau” (A mountain witch eats Noto), Taniguchi carefully explained how to remove the bitterness from wild vegetables.

Some wild plants should be blanched in boiling water with a pinch of salt added. For others, add a little vinegar. And there are those that need to be rinsed in water after boiling.

Following her tips for preparation, I made “‘fuki’ Japanese butterbur miso,” using “fukinoto” butterbur stalks, again this year.

It’s an excellent topping for rice and goes great in onigiri rice balls.

When I take a bite and enjoy its taste and aroma, one of my favorite haiku poems always comes to mind: “Finding fukinoto/ today is good enough with this.”

The poet Ayako Hosomi (1907-1997), who composed this haiku, was fond of butterbur sprouts.

She found just one in her garden and thought, “Everything about today is good enough with this.”

Such a description of her feelings at that time is included in her “Musashino Saijiki” (A collection of writings about seasonal things in Musashino), a straightforward and pure expression of joy.

Born in the Meiji Era (1868-1912) and hailing from Tanba, Hyogo Prefecture, Hosomi moved to Tokyo, where her husband died of intestinal tuberculosis two years into their marriage.

Three months after returning to her hometown, her mother also died of illness, and Hosomi became sick, herself.

She began composing haiku during her recovery, encouraged by her physician.

Hosomi always had a natural attitude and never missed the slightest light piercing through the darkness.

Another haiku she composed goes: “Eating butterbur sprouts/ without polluting the air.”

To live is to breathe, to eat.

The bittersweet taste of spring cleanses the soul and brings forth strength.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 17

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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