Mountain Vegetables

Visiting Onsen Ryokan or Farm Stay in Akita, you will see dishes of mountain vegetables. Over 70% of Akita land is covered by mountain trees, Akita is famous for natural mountain vegetables. There are different vegetables in seasons, even Japanese people living in city have rare experience to eat them. Most of the mountain vegetables in spring and summer are eaten as tempura or boiled with soy soup. In winter, you will enjoy preserved mountain vegetables. When you go trekking on mountains or just walk around your stay, you may find out tasty mountain vegetables. Please ask local people before you actually eat! Here are some mountain vegetables we recommend!

Bakke(Fukinotoh)

Bakke is the first mountain vegetables in early spring. Ending long winter season, and melting the snow, one small green starts growing up from the land. Bakke is the signal of spring. Tasty Bakke is the one which the leaf is closed, and good for Tempura. Sometimes you will eat Bakke with miso in Onsen Ryokan or Farm Inn. It is one of the easiest to find out.

Mountain Wasabi

Mountain Wasabi is the natural Wasabi, and difficult to find out. Only around the beautiful river, you can find out. It is difficult to find out the one, but once you find out one, there should be more and more. You may find after May or June since the leaf become bigger. Please find the leaf first, and dig to roots. Boiling both leaf and roots for 1 min, so tasty with soy sauce!

Nameko(one of the mushroom)

If you go to the trekking in autumn, you may see many types of mushrooms. Name is one of the most tasty and famous mushrooms for autumn. You may be surprised at its appearance because Nameko is covered by slimy gerry, but the taste is amazing. There are many mushrooms in the mountain, but please ask to the guide first since some of them are not eatable.