Raw
Kakiae Namasu
Kakiae namasu — vinegared edible chrysanthemum with lotus root and walnuts
A Niigata dish of the reddish-purple edible chrysanthemum called kakinomoto, briefly blanched and dressed in vinegar with lotus root and walnuts. Rooted in shojin vegetarian cooking, it is said to be indispensable at memorial services and New Year, brightening the autumn table.
- Origin: Niigata
- About 260 km north of Tokyo
What it's made of
Deep reddish-purple edible chrysanthemum petals are briefly boiled, then combined with autumn vegetables like lotus root and walnuts and dressed carefully in a sesame-vinegar sauce. The chrysanthemum's distinctive aroma and crisp crunch carry a faint sweetness, and the sesame vinegar's richness and tang bring everything together gently. Its vivid purple color brightens the table, marking the arrival of autumn in a way unique to this region.
How it's made
Edible chrysanthemum petals are briefly boiled in water with salt and vinegar added, which keeps their color vivid. Autumn vegetables such as lotus root, carrot and dried shiitake mushrooms are prepared alongside walnuts, then mixed thoroughly with the boiled chrysanthemum and dressed firmly in sesame vinegar. Some regions and households add cabbage, fried tofu or konjac, each enjoying their own combination that draws on the season's colors.
Why it took this shape
This dressed dish, which grew out of Buddhist vegetarian cooking, is said to have long been essential at memorial services, celebrations and whenever guests needed entertaining. Edible chrysanthemums, grown in home gardens and corners of farm fields, were a familiar sight, and their vivid color is thought to have added brightness to tables set for both solemn and festive occasions. Available only during the brief window each autumn when the petals appear in markets, it remains a strictly seasonal treat.
Before you go
- Osechi and zoni for the New YearA guide to the meaning behind osechi's tiered boxes, the regional differences in zoni (square vs. round mochi, clear vs. miso broth), and the nanakusa-gayu custom.
- Setsubun: ehomaki and lucky beansA guide to ehomaki, the uncut sushi roll said to be eaten facing a lucky direction on Setsubun, and to mamemaki, the bean-throwing custom with roasted lucky beans.
- Food for Hinamatsuri and Tango no SekkuA guide to the chirashi sushi and hina-arare eaten at Hinamatsuri, and the kashiwa mochi and chimaki eaten at Tango no Sekku — festivals wishing for children's healthy growth.
Dishes in the same style
- Akagarei no KomaburiRoe-bearing red flounder is sliced into sashimi and tossed with its own boiled, crumbled eggs, a dish from around the Amijiro area of Iwami Town. Said to have descended from a similar dish made with crucian carp roe, it pairs rich eggs with mild, fatty winter flounder for festivals and New Year's.
- Amagi no KawatakeA rare wild freshwater algae, found only in the Kogane River in Asakura, is dressed with sweet or three-flavor vinegar — said to have once been presented to the shogun, and now conservation efforts continue as it's listed as endangered.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Also from Niigata
- AnboA Chuetsu-region dish of steamed rice-flour dumplings filled with sweet bean paste, pickled greens or eggplant. Similar in spirit to Nagano's oyaki but distinguished by its rice-flour skin, reflecting land suited to rice rather than wheat.
- Echigo misoA red, savory miso from Niigata, also called 'ukikoji miso' (floating-koji miso) because its polished whole-grain rice koji appears to float within the paste. Its style is said to vary across Niigata's Joetsu, Chuetsu, Kaetsu, and Sado districts, each shaped by local climate.
- Fugu no Ko no KasuzukeA rare Sado delicacy in which puffer fish ovaries are salt-cured for two years or more, then aged for a long stretch in Sado's sake lees. Only ovaries processed by licensed fugu chefs are sold, and the practice is said to date back to the Edo period.
- Fukashi NasuA Niigata dish of kinchaku eggplant halved, steamed, chilled and eaten with mustard or ginger soy sauce. In a prefecture among Japan's top eggplant producers, it is said to have been valued as a cooling dish through the summer.
- Hegi SobaA soba from Ojiya, Niigata, that uses funori seaweed, the same binder once used to size thread for the region's textiles, as a noodle binder. It is arranged in small bite-sized portions on a wooden box called a hegi.
- Hiyashijiru Miso JitateA chilled soup from the Chuetsu region, dashi thinned with miso and studded with chopped cucumber and shiso. Devised to stay appetizing through the summer heat, it is said to be eaten on its own or poured over rice or noodles.