Gonbachi no Abura-itame (Fried ‘Gonbachi’ Wild Vegetable) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

Wakayama Prefecture

Gonbachi no Abura-itame (Fried ‘Gonbachi’ Wild Vegetable)

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Main lore areas

Southern region
Main ingredients used

Gonbachi

History/origin/related events

‘Gonbachi’ is officially called ‘Itadori’ and a Polygonaceae plant, and is a kind of wild vegetables grown in mountains in spring. It is found at sunny banks or riverbed, or remains of collapsed banks, and prevailed throughout in Japan. The consumption of ‘gonbachi’ is high in Wakayama Prefecture. It is also called ‘Sukampo’ or ‘Suppon’ in some areas.
When you break thick, well-grown young stem from its root, you can hear popping sound. There are many ways to cook depending on the areas or families, like frying, simmering, marinating or making preservative food. It goes well with oil, and you can enjoy crunchy texture and slight sourness once you fried it.
Opportunities and times of eating habits

This dish is served at home daily in spring, and has been popular with common people. You can eat all the year if you pickle it with salt to preserve longer.
How to eat

When you pick the ‘gonbachi’, boil it immediately then peel. You can also peel after drying it under the sunshine for a couple of hours to make it softer. People used to eat green stems raw without peeling. Don’t eat too much because it contains oxalic acid.
Efforts for Preservation and Succession

(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches to commercialization)
In accommodations in Ryujin-mura, this dish is served to the guests as a wild vegetable dish. The increasing number of regions are cultivating ‘gonbachi’ or developing merchandise using it.

RECIPE

Ingredients (4 servings)

‘Gonbachi’ (‘Itadori’ wild vegetable) 200g
Red chili pepper 1
Sake 2 tsp.
Sugar 1 tsp.
Light soy sauce 1 tbsp.
Mirin(=sweet rice wine) 2 tsp.
Dashi (=Japanese soup stock) 2 tsp.
Sesame oil As needed
Sesame seeds A little

How to cook

1. Cut ‘Gonbachi’ into easy-to-eat size after removing salt. Remove seeds from red chili pepper and finely chop it.
2. Put sesame oil on a frying pan. Add ‘gonbachi’ and red chili pepper to fry. Add soy sauce, sugar, ‘mirin’, sake and ‘dashi-jiru’ for flavor, then sprinkle sesame seeds.

provider : "Let's tell and make the most of Wakayama's food ingredients and food culture" (Wakayama Prefecture Lifestyle Improvement Liaison Council, Wakayama Prefecture)

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

Gonbachi no Abura-itame (Fried ‘Gonbachi’ Wild Vegetable) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

Wakayama Prefecture