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Norabouna no Ohitashi ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

  • Kanagawa Prefecture

    Norabouna no Ohitashi

Norabouna no Ohitashi

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  • Main lore areas

    Kawasaki City

  • Main ingredients used

    Norabouna

  • History/origin/related events

    An ohitashi dish made using norabouna, a traditional vegetable said to have been cultivated in the Suge area of Tama, Kawasaki City, for about 800 years. Norabouna was historically grown to extract oil, and farmers practiced self-seeding for personal use. Known for its strong vitality, it is said to have saved many lives during the great famine of the Edo period. Currently, it is cultivated in various areas, including the northern part of Kawasaki City, including the Suge area, and Odawara City in Kanagawa Prefecture, as well as in other prefectures such as Hiki District in Saitama Prefecture and Akiruno City in Tokyo.
    Belonging to the Brassicaceae family, norabouna has a unique bitterness with minimal astringency, offering a faint sweetness, tender texture, and a distinctive feature of being able to consume the flower stalks (to). When the main stem is deeply pruned about 10 centimeters above the ground surface initially, subsequent side shoots can be harvested four or five times. Local farmer Takashi Takahashi created this cultivation method around 2000 and actively shared it with neighboring farmers. During the same period, local farmers, business associations, and others collaborated to develop products such as castella and tofu using norabouna. This initiative helped transition norabouna, which had previously been primarily for personal use by farmers, into a more widely recognized vegetable.
    A popular way to enjoy norabouna is in ohitashi, a simple dish that allows you to savor the fragrance, sweetness, and texture of the ingredient.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    Due to the harvesting season of norabouna being from late February to late April, norabouna ohitashi is typically consumed during spring. It is widely enjoyed as a daily dish in households, and recently, various menus incorporating norabouna have been introduced in restaurants throughout the city.
    It's worth noting that after harvesting, norabouna is susceptible to spoilage, and as a result, it is not widely available in the market. Instead, it is primarily sold at the front of farms and large-scale farm markets.

  • How to eat

    Boil the washed norabouna in hot water with added salt. Once it's cooked, cool it in cold water and then squeeze out excess water. Cut it into pieces around 5cm in length, arrange it in a dish, and drizzle a little soy sauce or dashi soy sauce over it to taste.

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    (Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches to commercialization)
    Norabouna is registered as part of Kanagawa Prefecture's agricultural brand, "Kanagawa Brand," and is utilized as a tourism resource. In local restaurants, a wide range of variations, including bagel sandwiches and kimchi, are enjoyed. Additionally, municipal junior high schools provide school lunches using locally produced norabouna every March.
    Takahashi, who developed cultivation methods capturing the qualities of norabouna, established the "Suge Norabou Preservation Society" in 2001 to inherit and promote the norabouna tradition in the Suge area. Even after Takahashi's passing, his activities have been continued by his family and the civic group "Kawasaki Norabou Project."

RECIPE

Ingredients (2 serving)

  • Norabouna 200g
  • Soba dipping sauce As needed
  • Bonito flakes As needed

How to cook

  • 1. Boil the green mustard in plenty of salted water for about 4 minutes.

  • 2. After boiling, remove from water, cool, and squeeze.

  • 3. Cut into about 5 cm pieces and place in a bowl.

  • 4. Pour soba dipping sauce into a bowl and warm to the consistency of "kake-tsuyu.

  • 5. Pour a generous amount of soba-tsuyu over the soba-tsuyu and sprinkle katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) over the top.

provider : Kawasaki Norabou Project

Recipes vary depending on the region and home.

Contact

Food Cultures Office, Overseas Market Development and Food Cultures Division, Food Industry Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Tel:+81-3-3502-5516

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