Local Flavors
From Forest to Table
Growing food in the Minami Alps used to be a challenge, due to the harsh climate and soil with poor water retention. Even white rice, often thought of as a ubiquitous food in Japan, would have been considered a rare treat. Necessity, however, is the mother of invention, and the local food culture is a testament to making the most of available produce and foraged ingredients.
Of course, thanks to improvements in technology, the Minami Alps now produce a variety of tasty crops, including fruit from the orchards at the base of the mountains.
Waste Not, Want Not
With a little ingenuity and hard work, people in the Minami Alps created delicious dishes from simple ingredients like potatoes, beans, foraged greens, and game. The recipes have been handed down from generation to generation, and visitors and residents alike can enjoy them to this day.
Preserved foods are important in mountain communities. One popular dish is pickles made from sansai (literally “mountain vegetables”)—the first spring sprouts of a number of wild edible plants. These are mixed with cultivated vegetables and mushrooms, that are then salted and cured. Another variation features vegetables preserved in homemade miso paste.
One of the most interesting local specialties is shoyu no mi, which means “soy sauce beans.” Soybeans are mixed with koji, a fungal spore that is also used in making sake. The beans are carefully laid out and mixed as they cure over several days, then placed in the sun to dry (although the cook has to watch out for the local monkeys, who apparently like the fermented beans). The finished product is dark, dry, and somewhat pungent, reminiscent of blue cheese. Before serving, the beans are soaked in water and salt, then dished up with sliced green onion, bonito fish flakes, or other toppings. As this Minami Alps specialty is quite labor intensive, few people make it today. However, a community group is teaching the technique to younger residents, to preserve this important part of the region’s food culture.
