Product Summary (Registration No.145)

Registration No.145 西わらび

Registered name (Transcription) : 西わらび（Nishi Warabi）
Reference information : Nishi Warabi（Bracken）

Category of product

Class 1 : Agricultural product（Bracken）
Class 5 : Processed agricultural product（Boiled bracken）

Production Area

Nishiwaga Town, Waga County, Iwate Prefecture

Registered Group

Nishiwaga Warabi Seisan Hanbai Network (Nishiwaga Warabi Production and Sales Network)

Characteristics

"Nishi Warabi" is a warabi (bracken) that is characterized by thick and long shoots. The shoots are soft when boiled and has abundant umami content, minimal astringency, and a small amount of stiff fibers. The bracken is highly valued by consumers as it is traded at a higher price than bracken from other producing areas, and is closely connected to the local food culture.
The rhizome of Nishi Warabi is also used as an ingredient for "warabi mochi", a specialty of the area.

Link with the Production Area

Bracken plants have grown naturally in Nishiwaga Town, located in the mountainous region of the Ou Mountains, and its name comes from the fact that merchants called the distinctive bracken of Nishiwaga Town in the western part of Iwate Prefecture. Nishi Warabi has a history of being used carefully because it played a role in saving people’s lives during famines in the past. The town is now promoting the branding of Nishi Warabi.