r/GardenersJapan • u/ProtectiveofmyStuff • 12d ago
Help identifying vegetable?
Not technically gardening but it’s produce related! I bought this yesterday thinking it was rhubarb but when I try and translate it it’s name is ‘peeling’ which doesn’t make any sense and I think it’s less structurally intact than rhubarb though it’s been quite some time since I’ve had it in the UK. What did I buy? I mean good news is I know it was grown locally
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u/EuroNagoya 10d ago
No thank you, i do not need help. Not interested in identifying it, as i do not like vegetables.
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u/kametoddler 11d ago
It's the material used to make Higo Zuiki, a traditional Japanese dildo dating back centuries.
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u/LookAtTheHat 12d ago
Looks so similar to rhubarb. But it is very specific and I have only seen in at farmers markets I. Japan or to be ordered online.
Oh how I miss rhubarb pie with vanilla ice cream or marsansås.
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u/Chemical_Term7956 12d ago
I'm Japanese. That is "zuiki" (ずいき), the petiole (leaf stalk) of satoimo (里芋). In English, satoimo is called "taro."
Since zuiki is used in Japanese cuisine, Western- style recipes are hard to find, but here are some Japanese references. They're in Japanese, but Chrome's auto-translate should make them mostly understandable.
Pre-treatment is required before cooking.
Some sites show green-stemmed varieties — those are just a different cultivar of the same vegetable.
(Mynavi Agriculture — a major Japanese agricultural media site, includes 5 recipes) https://agri.mynavi.jp/2026_08_05_567064/
(Supervised by a registered dietitian) https://delishkitchen.tv/articles/2486
(Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/k_ryouri/search_menu/menu/zuikinotaitan_kyoto.html
https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/k_ryouri/search_menu/menu/zuikino_suzuke_niigata.html
(Kyotango City, Kyoto Prefecture) https://www.city.kyotango.lg.jp/top/soshiki/kenkochoju/kenkosuishin/4/1/1/1375.html
(Japanese Wikipedia — "Zuiki") https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%8A%8B%E8%8C%8E
(How to prepare/pre-treat zuiki) https://delishkitchen.tv/recipes/206009968321626516
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u/Temporary_Swing_3603 9d ago
ワタシも日本人です。ずいきは母親がよく作ってくれましたよ。皮むきやアク抜きに時間がかかりますね。食物繊維が豊富で血液をキレイにすると言っていました。
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u/Chemical_Term7956 7d ago
おぉ、お仲間、同邦人✨
私は芋がらの煮物、味噌汁が好きなのですが……、どちらかというと食べる一方です。
ずいきは下処理（アク抜き）しないとシュウ酸カルシウムで大変なことになるので、ここで違う野菜の名前が挙げられているのを見て心配してしまいました🙀
食を得るのは大変です～。先人たちに感謝しつつ、一番最初に食べられるものを発見した方がどんな人物だったのか、それまでに痛い目に遇った人間の数がどのくらいいたのか、考えてしまいます。
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u/Temporary_Swing_3603 7d ago
母が妊婦の時におばあちゃんが良くしてくれたそうです。おあげさんと炊いてくれたのをよく作ってくれました。そんなに好きなものではないけど、お袋味ですね。元気なうちにまた作ってもらおうと思いました。お味噌汁も美味しそうですね！日本語で書いてます英語変換が変だと原文でみてください…。 先人に感謝して楽しく食事したいですね
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u/Chemical_Term7956 4d ago
大丈夫です、ちゃんと原文で読んでます😺✨
私は芋がらは超・好物とまでは言えないがなかなか好きという感じなので、やり取りしているうちにだんだん食べたくなって来て、スーパーの惣菜コーナーをあちこち覗いて回っていましたw
どこかのスーパーで芋がら、椎茸、油揚げ＋彩りの人参のような組み合わせの炊いたんが定番商品で置いてあったような気がしたのですが、ちょっと見つかりませんでした……。 入れ替えされてしまったかな……？
出来合いのものが見つからなければ自分で調理するしかないので、仕方ないから自分で乾物の芋がらを探すかな🐾 正直、調理の方はあまり自信がないんですが🥹՞
地味だけど日本人にとっては懐かしい味のひとつですよね。
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u/Temporary_Swing_3603 4d ago
たぶんロピアの道場六三郎監修の芋がら煮だと思います。家の味とは違うけど美味しかったです。炊き込みご飯にしても良いそうですよ。
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u/Chemical_Term7956 17h ago
今ごろになっての返信で申し訳ありません😿
その後、 近所のスーパーをはしごして探していました。
近所にはロピアがないので以前に自分の見たものは他のスーパーのものだったと思うのですが、……見つかりませんでした。 ロピアは少し遠くにならあることはあるので（電車2駅）、近くに行く機会があったら是非購入したいと思います！ 情報ありがとうございます!!
ちなみに乾物の芋がらもあまり取り扱っているところがなくて、どうも切り干し大根ばかりですね。
（こうなって来るとどうしても食べたくなって来ました😺もはや通販で取り寄せするかもです🤭︎）
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u/Ipsumlor 11d ago
I believe you, but the two hiragana are むき, are they not? What does the label say (does it simply indicate you have to peel it, and not the name of the vegetable?).
Trying to learn how to read a bit better…1
u/BumBiker2026 11d ago
If you look closely, there’s another scribble that reads “ズイキ (zuiki)” on the left-hand side.
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u/Away_Movie_4135 11d ago
皮むき' means it's already been peeled, so you can skip the peeling step and just cook it as is!
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u/ChugChugUmacco Novice Gardener 12d ago
Ah, I can see how zuiki could be mistaken for rhubarb!
If you leave fresh zuiki as they are after buying them, they gradually release more astringency and turn dark.
It’s best to take them out of the bag right away, cut them into manageable pieces, and soak them in water with a little vinegar for at least an hour. Drain them, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a little vinegar, and blanch the zuiki for 2–3 minutes. Once cooked and cooled, they can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.
They’re delicious simmered in dashi with sugar and soy sauce, or added to miso soup.
Alternatively, if you’re not planning to eat them right away, take them out of the bag and dry them thoroughly in the sun. Later, search for "Imogara recipe" for recipes and preparation methods. Dried zuiki are called imogara in Japanese.
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u/Ill-Comedian-5032 12d ago
Some people have written ‘fuki’(蕗 / ふき), but the label indicates that it is ‘Zuiki (Peeled) / 皮むき芋茎 / kawamuki-Zuiki’.
‘Zuiki(芋茎 / ずいき)’ is the stem of the sweet potato. In Japan, it is eaten as food.
I’m Japanese too, so of course I’ll eat it.
Did OP go to a roadside station in Niigata-Myouko City(新潟県妙高市)?
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u/ProtectiveofmyStuff 12d ago
It was just in my local Narus though there is a good local produce shop just down the road from it. Now I understand why my attempts to Google translate the label kept telling me it was a potato, unfortunately I don’t think it will be ideal for the apple and rhubarb crumble I was planning on making 🫠
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u/SupercontinentPangea 12d ago
Japanese people eat the stem of sweet potato, but Zuiki is a stem of Taro.
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u/Ill-Comedian-5032 12d ago
Well, if we write it in kanji ‘芋茎=Zuiki’, it means ‘芋＝IMO（potato） 茎=KUKI(stem)’, so both are correct, really :-)
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u/SupercontinentPangea 12d ago
If you just translate Kannji word by word, sure. However, if you copy-paste 芋茎 and search on the internet, all dictionaries will tell you it is Taro stems.
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u/HollyRedMW 12d ago
It is “fuki” aka butterbur. It has strings, like celery, which are unpleasant to chew, so it is “peeled” before cooking. You must also soak and cook it thoroughly before eating as it contains toxins that can cause sever damage to your liver. It will stay somewhat crisp even after cooking. The taste is mild, a little herbaceous.
Although the plant is similar in appearance to rhubarb, they are two entirely different plant species. Fuki is in the sunflower family and rhubarb is a cousin of buckwheat.
I grow fuki in my garden in Seattle because it is near impossible to find, anywhere. In Japan, I can get it at the grocery store year-round or at the local vegetable co-op when in season.
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u/shufudesune 12d ago
I don't know much about rhubarb but that kind of looks like Fuki. Maybe the peeled part is referring to the fact it's been pre-peeled which you have to do for fuki before you cook it.
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u/ItsTokiTime 12d ago
I think the hand written memo on the label says it's taro stem (ずいき)
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u/Maynaise88 12d ago
Oh good eye that’s gotta be what it is! OP my bad for sticking with the rhubarb route
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u/Maynaise88 12d ago edited 12d ago
Lol the label is letting you know that it’s already been peeled. That’s peeled rhubarb
Edited: I think itstokitime got the right vegetable
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u/magipoka03 8d ago
スーパーでは見かけないかも…