Photo/Illutration A lotus root (Provided by Shinji Watanabe)

One dish I crave around this time of the year is China’s Jiangsu province specialty known as “Lion’s Head” (shizitou).

Large meatballs shaped to resemble the head of a lion are stewed with napa cabbage until the latter is almost mushy. Zhou Enlai (1898-1976), who was called the people’s premier, was particularly partial to this dish as a “taste of home.”

I remember savoring this delicacy at a restaurant in Beijing that was started by Zhou’s long-time chef upon retirement. I frequented the establishment, having fallen in love with the delicate saltiness of the stew.

According to my foodie friend, the secret of its goodness lay in the “uniquely crunchy texture” of the meatballs, which contained minced lotus root.

The latter gave the tender meatballs just the right crunch--neither too assertive, nor too understated. This, my friend pointed out, was proof of the sophistication of China’s gourmets, to whom the texture of food matters as much as the taste.

The lotus root is low-key, but that is what I like about this vegetable. It is also considered to be an auspicious food in Japan because its many holes are said to enable people to see the future through them.

I remember a song by Futen no Tora-san, the beloved protagonist of the “Tora-san” movie series: “Anyone who can grow roots even after falling into a sewer will someday blossom into a lotus flower.”

Nov. 17 is “renkon no hi” (Lotus Root Day) in Japan. The origin is said to go back about 30 years, when lotus root farmers from all over the nation held a big event in Ibaraki Prefecture, one of the top production centers.

Nowadays, supermarkets carry lotus roots all year-round, but they are said to be in season from late autumn to early winter, which is just about now.

A haiku by Ryotei Fukuda (1905-1988) goes to the effect, “Warm mud and cold mud/ Digging lotus root.”

The “digging lotus root” is a “kigo” seasonal phrase in haiku that heralds the early arrival of winter.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 17

* * *

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.