, ''Brassica rapa'' var. ''hakabura'') is a Japanese

leaf vegetable Leaf vegetables, also called leafy greens, vegetable greens, or simply greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by their petioles and shoots, if tender. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be called salad gre ...

, of the

brassica ''Brassica'' () is a genus of plants in the cabbage and mustard family (Brassicaceae). The members of the genus are informally known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages, mustard plants, or simply brassicas. Crops from this genus are sometim ...

family, a form of turnip greens. It is a

biennial plant A biennial plant is a flowering plant that, generally in a temperate climate, takes two years to complete its biological life cycle. Background In its first year, the biennial plant undergoes primary growth, during which its vegetative structur ...

often pickled that has been cultivated in the

Shin'etsu region is a geographical region of Japan. The area encompasses the old provinces of Shinano and Echigo. Though the name is a combination of those two provinces, the region also contains Sado Island from Sado Province. It is located in the modern-d ...

, centered around the village of Nozawaonsen, Shimotakai District,

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

. It is of the same

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

as the common turnip and one of a Japanese variety of

mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, small, round seeds of ...

leaf. Also known as , it is counted as one of Japan's three major pickled vegetables, along with and . After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it grew nationwide, from Hokkaido to Kumamoto.

Background

Nozawana is part of the turnip family. Currently, it is thought to be a different variety derived from the turnip (var. hakabura, turnip greens), and is currently being used as a traditional pickled vegetable grown in the area (inekokina, haburona, narusawana, chōzenna). Both turnips and purple turnips (Suwa beni turnip, Hososhima turnip, etc.) are thought to be closely related. Tradition holds that sometime between 1751 and 1764 the plant was brought from the Kyoto mountains to the village of Nozawaonsen by the master of a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

, , who lived in Nozawa. It has been cultivated around that area ever since, and thus is now called "Nozawana" (''na'' means vegetable in Japanese). Also known as , nozawana is one of Japan's three major pickled vegetables, along with and . Turnips in Japan are broadly divided into the Asian variety (i.e. bomdong) via China, which is prevalent in western Japan, and the European variety ('' Brassica rapa'') via

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

, common in the mountainous areas of eastern Japan and has excellent cold resistance. Pickled nozawana is among the most typical local foods in

. It is also used in

onigiri , also known as or , is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese rice ball made from white rice. It is usually formed into triangular or cylindrical shapes, and wrapped in ''nori'' (seaweed). Onigiri traditionally have sour or salty fillings such as ''um ...

. Before the

Taishō era The was a period in the history of Japan dating from 30 July 1912 to 25 December 1926, coinciding with the reign of Emperor Taishō. The new emperor was a sickly man, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group ...

(1912–1926), local villagers called the plant a turnip. Skiers from the city who visited a local ski resort were so impressed by the pickled turnip that they nicknamed it "Nozawanazuke". From then on became known as Nozawana and Nozawana pickled throughout the country. After World War II, it began to be grown nationwide, from Hokkaido to Kumamoto. Its leaves are approximately long. If left to overwinter without harvesting, the

rapeseed Rapeseed (''Brassica napus'' subsp. ''napus''), also known as rape and oilseed rape and canola, is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family), cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturall ...

will sprout and yellow rapeseed flowers will bloom in the spring.

Cultivation

For cultivation, seeds are sown in September and thinned out repeatedly, with the thinned seedlings eaten as pickled vegetables. The following spring, buds will grow from the remaining roots after the snow thaws. These flowers can be harvested and used as vegetables (totachina), or as new seeds that can be sown to grow spring mustard and Japanese warbler. The leafy above-ground part grows further and blooms in May, and its seeds are collected in June. The leaves are harvested from October through December and used primarily for pickled nozawana. At Nozawa Onsen, nozawana has been cultivated as a successor crop on arable land known as "Obatake", where

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest ...

was cultivated until the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

. The original seed of nozawana called "teradane" is grown in the field of the residence of in Nozawa Onsen, and is sold as "turnip seed". In the areas where Nozawa onsen's bathers went and the areas where nozawana was cultivated are almost the same, as visitors to Nozawa Onsen bought turnip seeds as souvenirs. The lyrics for "", which begins with "Enter the rape field and the sun fades," were written by , who was born in Nagae Village, Nagano Prefecture (now Oaza Nagae, Nakano City). In the Hokushin region of Nagano Prefecture,

has been cultivated as a major cash crop since the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, and it is assumed that the motif of the lyrics was the memory of rapeseed rape blossoms spreading all over the place. When the demand for rapeseed oil decreased and rapeseed cultivation ceased, rape blossoms disappeared, but in recent years the nozawana flowers grown for tourism have become popular. In Europe there is a vegetable called turnip tops, and known as in Italy. Although it is not classified as a turnip, it is similar to nozawana in that its roots enlarge like a turnip, but are not edible.

Pickling

When harvested, the turnip greens are separated from the roots (the turnips). The greens are washed in a (i.e.

onsen In Japan, are hot springs and the bathing facilities and Ryokan (inn), traditional inns around them. There are approximately 25,000 hot spring sources throughout Japan, and approximately 3,000 ''onsen'' establishments use naturally hot water ...

), and then soaked in a large wooden bucket. In its preparation, each family has their own seasonings. There are honzuke (pickled shallots), which have undergone

lactic acid fermentation Lactic acid fermentation is a metabolic process by which glucose or other hexose, six-carbon sugars (also, disaccharides of six-carbon sugars, e.g. sucrose or lactose) are converted into cellular energy and the metabolite lactic acid, lactate, w ...

and has turned amber color, and with a light pickle, remains green. Because it is manufactured and stored in a cold environment,

fermentation Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are catabolized and reduce ...

does not progress very far, and it is characterized by a light taste and low odor. If left at room temperature, it will rapidly soften, change its texture, and increase its sour taste, so it must be kept at a low temperature for storage. It is widely loved as an accompaniment to tea and drinks. In addition to eating it as is, it has a wide range of uses, such as being used in stir-fried dishes and fried rice, or chopped into small pieces and mixed with

nattō is a traditional Japanese cuisine, Japanese food made from whole soybeans that have been Fermentation in food processing, fermented with Bacillus subtilis, ''Bacillus subtilis'' var. ''natto''. It is often served as a breakfast food with rice. ...

as a condiment. It is also popular as an ingredient in

rice ball A rice ball may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a ball shape. Rice balls exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten, and are particularly prevalent in Asia. Rice ba ...

s and oyaki. Those with a strong sour taste are sometimes stir-fried with soy sauce, sugar, and oil and eaten as " tsukudani style". In the Hokushin region of

, nozawana is called "Ona" or "Nappa", and nozawana pickled vegetables are called "Ohazuke". In Nagano Prefecture, the production area, there was a problem in supplying green pickled vegetables all year round. Mainly produced in Shizuoka Prefecture, from March to May, tunnel-grown products are mainly produced in Yamanashi and Nagano prefectures, in June, mainly produced in Ibaraki prefecture, and from July to September, mainly produced in Yatsugatake in Nagano prefecture. The solution was to move the production area from the middle of the mountain to Togakushi . In 1983, Nagano Prefecture selected nozawana pickles as a "Nagano Prefecture Selected Intangible Folk Cultural Property, Cultural Property of Shinano Taste."

Gallery

File:Mentaiko bento.jpg , Mentaiko and nozawana on rice File:Nozawana04.jpg, Nozawana sold in bundles

References

External links

* {{cite book, first1 = Michio , last1 =Oi, first2 = Yasuko , last2 =Sato, language =ja , title= 長野県在来カブ・ツケナ品種の類縁関係, trans-title = Relationships of turnip and tsukena varieties native to Nagano Prefecture, series= Horticultural Research , year = 2002 , volume = 1 , number = 4 , page = 237-240, doi =10.2503/hrj.1.237 Leaf vegetables Brassica Japanese pickles