Photo/Illutration The Oyama Hasu Gozen set meal prepared with lotus flowers and seeds, left, harvested from the Oyama Shimo-ike pond in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture (Koji Shimizu)

TSURUOKA, Yamagata Prefecture--A restaurant is offering a special set meal until the end of the month that makes use of lotus flowers and seeds from a Ramsar Convention site here.

The lotus-themed “Oyama Hasu Gozen” is being served at Okimizuki, a seafood restaurant housed inside the city-run Kamo Aquarium, for 1,500 yen ($10.20), including tax.

The dish is prepared using lotus petals and seeds harvested from the Oyama Shimo-ike pond, located about 3 kilometers east of the aquarium. The pond serves as an agricultural reservoir.

Head chef Takeshi Suda, 47, came up with the new offering after he noticed the lotus from the wetland and thought it would be nice to use not only the root, but the entire plant.

Lotus seeds are served with “tai chazuke” (a bowl of cooked rice immersed in dashi stock from sea bream) and seasonal side dishes.

Two types of special salt were produced for the new dish as well. One is made by boiling seawater added with lotus stamens and pistils, while the other is produced with the petals.

Both salts add flavor to the dishes while also being added to the hot water served before the meal.

The petals are pickled in syrup to retain their color and shape and are served as a dessert, entertaining diners with their appearance and taste.

The Ukikusa Kumiai association, which dates to the Edo Period (1603-1868), harvests lotus roots and other crops.

The restaurant then purchases the ingredients from the association.

The cooperative said that while it has shipped lotus buds and flowers as sympathy flowers and for ornamental purposes, it had no use for lotus seeds.

“It is a pleasure for us to see lotus seeds used (for a meal),” said Tomio Tanaka, 72, head of the association. “We want to use this opportunity to host experience-based tours and other events and help revitalize the area.”

Using the lotus plant means fewer leaves and stems left in the pond, which will help conserve the environment and water quality of the wetlands, according to a representative of Hotoria, a city-run nature study facility near Oyama Shimo-ike.

“I hope it provides an opportunity for people to become more interested in the wetlands and learn about Ukikusa Kumiai through the new dish,” said Takeshi Ueyama, 41, vice director and curator at Hotoria.

The seeds and other parts of the lotus are also used for medicinal cuisine and are effective for recovering from fatigue, according to Suda.

“With Hotoria, the association and the aquarium working together, we want to promote the new dish as a new tourism resource for the Oyama area,” the head chef said. “We hope people will enjoy the Hasu Gozen and it will relieve their weariness from the summer heat.”

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