Vegetables

Japanese yam

山芋　やまいも　yamaimo

Also known asyamaimo

At its best in Jan, Feb, Oct, Nov, Dec

Japanese yam (yamaimo), Japanese vegetable
Japanese yam (yamaimo) is at its best in Jan, Feb, Oct, Nov, Dec. It is in the market from Sep to Mar.

When it is at its best

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

In seasonAvailable

How to cook

Japanese yam: Tororo

Tororo

Grated and loosened with dashi, poured over barley rice or soba.

Japanese yam: Cut into strips

Cut into strips

Cut fine and eaten raw, for the crisp bite.

Japanese yam: Isobe-age

Isobe-age

Grated, wrapped in nori and deep-fried, which leaves it light.

Japanese yam: Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki

Folded into the batter, giving a fluffy texture.

How to choose

Even thickness with few root hairs, and a cut face still white.

Storage

Whole, wrap in newspaper and keep somewhere cool and dark. Cover a cut face with film and refrigerate.

Main areas

Good to know

Nagaimo holds more water and is loose enough to eat raw. Yamatoimo is far stickier, enough to lift with chopsticks when grated. Wild jinenjo is the stickiest of all and expensive. Choose by how much stickiness the dish needs.

Back to the calendar

At their best around the same time