By NAOHIRO TAKIGAWA/ Staff Writer
August 2, 2023 at 08:00 JST
An appetizer with a cherry blossom leaf (Provided by Yasuhiro Kishiwada)
YOSANO, Kyoto Prefecture--Dishes and sweets prepared using the Oshima-zakura cherry blossom tree’s flowers and edible leaves are cropping up here and nearby.
Yasuhiro Kishiwada, 66, who owns the Amano-Hashidate Yusai inn near the scenic Amanohashidate sandbar in Miyazu, has come up with an appetizer, main course and even a dessert made using the leaves.
“Cherry blossom leaves from Yosano are reliable because they are grown chemical-free,” Kishiwada said. “They are not meant to be the main ingredient, but their faint bitter taste and refreshing green color are useful in dishes.”
Sashimi slices processed with kelp and salt-pickled cherry blossom leaves are being served at the inn until the end of August.
Other items will be introduced between the spring and summer of next year.
To help increase employment in the community, cherry blossom trees are grown on farmlands that have been lying fallow in Yosano.
The inn purchases leaves that are smaller and softer than those used for confectionary making. The leaves are then pickled in salt for a relatively short period of seven to 10 days to retain their original green color before they are frozen.
Kikusui Shokuhin, a food company based in Yosano, has developed “udon” noodles kneaded with cherry blossom extract, which offer a hint of a cherry blossom aroma.
The noodle product was the brainchild of Masato Ichida, who was president of the company.
He passed away in May before seeing the packaged product delivered to the company in mid-June, according to his daughter Takako, 41, who now runs the company.
Each pack containing 300 grams (three servings) of Sakura Udon is available for 1,000 yen ($7), including tax, at the Yosano Yasai-no-Eki vegetable and souvenir shop in Yosano.
Meanwhile, Yosano-based confectionary Otsuki Kaho will offer “mochi” sticky rice cakes and other sweets made with Oshima-zakura leaves again after the New Year holidays and until the end of April next year.
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