"Okahijiki" is a traditional vegetable originating from Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture, and is a nutritious land-based hijiki!

Okahijiki? Hijiki? You may be wondering what it means for seaweed to be called oka

In Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture,hijiki seaweed grown in fields, known as "okahijiki,"adds color to the dinner table. We'd like to introduce the charm of "okahijiki," which you probably won't see or hear about much outside of Yamagata Prefecture.

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What is Okahijiki?

Okahijiki is an annual plant of the Amaranthaceae family, and is also known as miruna (water mustard greens)

This wild plant grows in saline sandy areas, and in Japan it is cultivated as a vegetable, with the young leaves and stems being eaten since ancient times

It is said that it was named Okahijiki because the leaves resemble the seaweed hijiki

The origin of the okahijiki that came to be cultivated was Sunatsuka Village, Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture (now Nanyo City), which was inland and far from the sea

Why did cultivation spread inland? It is said that during the Edo period, seeds of Okahijiki, which grew wild on Shonaihama in northern Yamagata Prefecture, got mixed up in shipping cargo and ended up in Nanyo City, where there was a dock in the Mogami River basin

By the way, it seems that Japan is the only country where okahijiki is cultivated as a vegetable

Most of the crops are grown in greenhouses or tunnels, and if humidity builds up, they are prone to disease and can even die overnight. Since they are grown almost entirely without pesticides, it seems like they have a constant struggle with insects

However, thanks to the hard work of these farmers, we consumers are able to eat okahijiki with peace of mind, which is something we are grateful for

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Okahijiki is thin and I wonder if it has any nutritional value!

Okahijiki is a green leafy vegetable rich in carotene .

Its potassium content is among the highest of any vegetable, and it is also rich in calcium, iron, vitamin K, magnesium, and manganese

Although the leaves are thin and it looks like it's just a stem, it is actually a surprisingly nutritious vegetable

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How do you eat it to make it taste good?

A typical way to prepare it"ohitashi" (blanched vegetables).

It's a simple dish, just drizzled with soy sauce or mentsuyu (noodle soup base), but the crisp texture of the sea beans is sure to become addictive

Adding a little mayonnaise makes it a hit with kids, and apparently it even appears on the school lunch menu at elementary and junior high schools in Nanyo City, its hometown.

Because sea beans themselves have a mild flavor, they are popular when mixed with canned tuna or other ingredients, as this further enhances their nutritional value

When mixed with mustard, it is popular as a snack to go with alcohol. I think it goes especially well with sake

It is also used in a wide variety of dishes, such as tempura, stir-fries, and as a garnish for sashimi, and is available in the market for a long period of time, making it a very popular traditional vegetable in Yamagata Prefecture

How to choose when buying and what to be careful of when cooking

Although it seems that okahijiki is rarely shipped outside the prefecture, it is becoming more common to see it in markets in neighboring prefectures, and cultivation itself appears to be spreading to other areas

When purchasing, it's recommended to choose smaller plants, as the stems become tough as the plants grow larger . The reddish part near the base is tough and inedible, so cut it off before cooking.

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summary

Just hearing the word "okahijiki" makes it hard to imagine what it is. Hijiki is generally a type of seaweed, so I never thought it would be a vegetable

When we looked into the origins of okahijiki, we found that it has been cultivated for food since the early Edo period, making it a surprisingly old vegetable

Okahijiki is a vegetable so beloved by the people of the prefecture that it is even served in school lunches in Nanyo City, where it originated. Delicious and nutritious, okahijiki is a vegetable that you should definitely try if you have the chance

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