Kyoyasai

Kyōyasaiis vegetable of Kyoto prerfecture. According to reseach of the laboratory of health and environmant of Kyoto prefecture, Kyoyasai have more minerals, fibers, and vitamins than otehr vegitables (Ono, 2004). According to research of Kyoto prefecture University on vegetables, Kyoyasai also have more nutrients that repair DNA than other vegitables (Ono, 2004). Since kyoyasai are difficult to produce, they are expensive. To Japanese consumers, many kyoyasai are considered to look strange because they haven’t been developed conforming with today’s market. It is said that Kyoyasai brand is noted by many Japanese people. Acoording to reseach of Aotani, this is because historical impact has effect (Aotani, 2010).

Use of Kyo-yasai

The characteristics of them are that the strange shapes and the rich nutrients, although they take a lot of time to be grown because they aren’t much improved to be easy to grow. Because of it, Kyo-yasai is very worthy and much more expensive than the ordinaly ones. So, they do not be often eaten in home, but in some fancy restaurants.

Kyo-yasai have an important relationship to Kyo-ryori, Japanese-style food particular in Kyoto. Kyo-ryori has been influenced by Daigo-ryori, Honzen-ryori, Shojin-ryori, and Kaiseki-ryori. They are all kinds of Japanese-style food. Daigo-ryori was eaten by the Court, Honzen-ryori was eaten by samurai, Shojin-ryori was eaten by priests, and Kaiseki-ryori was eaten in tea ceremony. People in Kyoto have made many efforts to grow nutritious vegetables and they have thought that they should not waste the nutrients because of some reasons. The climate in Kyoto that is very hot in summer and very cold in winter is hard for vegetables to grow. In addition, Kyoto in the past lacked seafood because of the geographic characteristic. Therefore, Kyo-ryori was cooked in the way which does not waste nutrients of Kyo-yasai, and which makes the most of natural tasting of them. So Kyo-ryori do not need heavy seasoning. Traditionally, Kyo-yasai has been enjoyed the taste of the vegetables themselves.

In addition, Kyo-ryori does not use special foodstuff. People in Kyoto in the past should go through many hardships in order to get foodstuff from other regions because Kyoto is surrounded by three big mountains.

Kobujime,Furofuki and Saikyo-yaki are the representative examples of kyo-ryori.

In order to practice the local consumption of locally produced products, Kyo-yasai is used not only for Japanese–style food, but also for Italian, French, and so on today in Kyoto, Japan.

History

In Kyoto, people started to make vegetables about 1200 years ago. There was many of the aristocracy in ancient Kyoto, so, high-grade food was required by them. However, Kyoto was surrounded by mountains and it was difficult to get sea food. Instead, people made efforts to cultivate better vegetables. Thereby, they became able to get delicious vegetables. Kyoto is very hot in summer and very cold in winter because of a basin. Kyoto’s climate and the quality of soil also contributed to making delicious vegetables.

Furthermore, in Kamakura period, Zen Buddhism became popular. At that time, there are many temples in Kyoto. So, many people around Kyoto had syōjin ryōri, vegitarian diet. This resulted in improvements of the quality of vegetables and the way of cooking.

After that, in 1960, Kyoto Prefucture eventually regarded vegetables taken over in Kyoto as Kyōyasai.

However, in 1970’s, few kyōyasai were in the markets. This is because the vegetables lost popularity. The number of large family decreases, while the number of nuclear family increases. This is why people bought vegetables from foreign countries rather than big vegetables. Such vegetables were easier to cook than Kyōyasai. Kyōyasai was on the verge of extinction.

Growers decided to take countermeasures against this crisis. They improved vegetables so that people could easily use them in cooking. One of the examples is that they made vegetables smaller without changing tastes. Other example is to inform new ways of cooking Kyoyasai. Other organizations also took countermeasures. Administrative organizations in Kyoto cooperated with agricultural ones and distribution ones. They tried to increase sales of Kyōyasai to sustain regional agriculture in Kyoto. For that, in 1989, they started to certify some of Kyōyasai as name-brand products. They also promoted Kyōyasai to cities that had many people, for example, Tokyo, Osaka and so on.

Definition

Deciding the strictly exact definition of Kyōyasai is difficult. But in general, rough definition exists. That is, all the vegetables which was grown in Kyoto prefecture will be called Kyōyasai. But in detail, there are Kyōyasai called Dentou no Kyōyasai (Traditional Kyoyasai). In order to be called Dento no Kyōyasai, more strict proviso exists. That is, according to the JA KYOTO, the agricultural cooperative of Kyoto prefecture,

1. It has been grown before Meiji period.

2. It is grown all the area of Kyoto prefecture.

3. Bamboos are included.

4. Mushrooms and fern except braken and springs are not included.

5. The species which are extinct are also included.

This proviso was made in 1988. It is thought to be different from normal Kyōyasai in that it has been grown for a long time. Also, the Dentou no Kyōyasai which follows more strict proviso will be called Brand Kyōyasai. They began to select at 1989. The following is the proviso, according to JA KYOTO.

1. It reminds people of Kyoto, or It is necessary to sell it more.

2. The suitable number of it will be available.

3. The quality of it is standardized.

4. It is superior to or differs from vegetables which was grown in other places.

5. Production quantities are sufficient.

6. The products which was made for processing are not included.

7. It passed the exam which is done by experts.

The proviso is very strict but Brand Kyōyasai is said to be delicious. Now 19 species are called Brabd Kyōyasai. The proviso number 5 exist in order to everyone can eat Brand Kyōyasai. It is not very precious thing that a handful of people can eat. People tend to feel that Kyōyasai is prized and expencive and it is difficult to buy. But actually, the concept of Brand Kyōyasai seems that all Japanese people enjoy eating delicious vegetable.

Kyo-yasai market

A-COOP KYOTO and JA KYOTO has been build kyo-yasai brand market. Kyo-yasai brand market was small scale market compared with other food market, because kyo-yasai is poor in varieties (Aotani, 2010), only 39 species (Ono, 2004). Furthermore, kyo-yasai is relatively expensive. In a survey, it is found that people living in Kyoto recognize kyo-yasai as “traditional and historical food,” and most consumer tend to emphasize not its taste or nutrition but its traditional brand. In addition to it, it is also found that kyo-yasai has a strong image as delicate, high rank and emotinal food. Kyoto City started developing them as brand in 1998, and subsequently Kyoto Prefecture started in 1999.

Kyoto City has mainly 3 purposes. First, the citizens of [[Kyoto] can easily purchase kyo-yasai. Second, formers take the needs of environment into consideration not to waste energy. Third, to carrying out the local consumption of locally produced products. Kyoto City appoints following 41 products as “Kyo-no-shunyasai (Kyoto vegetables in season).”

・tomato

・kyo temari

・eggplant

・kamo eggplant

・cucumber

・green soybeans

・sando beans

・takagamine pepper

・green pepper

・bamboo

・strawberry

・garden peas

・fruit garden peas

・sweet corn

・leaf pepper

・sobana

・long Japanese radish

・shogoin Japanese radish

・turnip

・big turnip

・spinach

・garland chrysanthemum

・brassica campestris var

・kujo Welsh onion

・horikawa great burdock

・hatakena

・sugukina

・kintoki carrot

・chaste

・kyo java water dropwort

・brassica nipposinica var

・mibuna

・winter cabbage

・spring cabbage

・broccoli

・cauliflower

・Chinese cabbage

・arrowhead

・taro-like tuber

・saya Japanese radish

・hanana

These are cultivated in [Kyoto]] City.

The main purpose of Kyoto Prefecture is to nationally populalize kyo-yasai and to boost the competitiveness of agricultural products. Kyoto Prefecture appoints following 21 products as “Brand products of Kyoto.”

・brassica nipposinica var

・mibuna

・kujo Welsh onion

・Japanese yam

・fushimi pepper

・manganji pepper

・kyo yamashina eggplant

・shikagatani pampkin

・kamo eggplant

・kyo tabgo pear

・murasakizukin

・shogoin Japanese radish

・arrowhead

・hanana

・taro-like tuber

・kintoki carrot

・horikawa greatburdock

・tanba Japanese chestnut

・azuki beans

・black soybean

・kyo bamboo

These are good quality products. Kyo-yasai market is strongly supported by them. These days, they are working on circulating kyo-yasai to a lot of areas in Japan by putting antenna shops at the Metropolitan areas(Aotani, 2010).

Related Pages

Japanese Cuisine [[1]]