Photo/Illutration Workers dry “rakkasei” unshelled peanuts in Yachimata, Chiba Prefecture, on Nov. 14, 2024. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Just as the season of new rice arrives every year, so does the season of new peanuts.

That season is now. “Rakkasei” (unshelled peanuts) that were harvested this past autumn have completed their sun-drying process and are now appearing on the market.

Roasted in the shell, these new peanuts have a subtly sweet flavor that spreads in the mouth. I would describe their texture as light and crisp, unlike “regular” peanuts that are harder and crunchier.

There is something quite inviting about the literally nutty aroma of fresh-roasted new peanuts. But personally, boiled in salt water is how I like them best.

Harvested peanuts rapidly lose their freshness unless they are dried immediately. It was always the special “privilege” of peanut farmers to enjoy boiled peanuts in the shell right after they’d been dug up. But nowadays, they come in boil-and-eat bags for consumers to try.

Lest I miss this season, I ate boiled new peanuts from Yachimata in Chiba Prefecture, the nation’s top peanut producer.

The nuts of the locally developed “Oomasari” variety strain are more than twice the size of those I am used to eating. The texture reminds me of boiled chestnuts, and the nuts taste just as sweet. I kept shelling and popping them in my mouth, unable to control myself.

Come to think of it, peanuts are a strange food. They are called nuts, but they are actually a legume plant and a member of the pea family.

According to Kazumi Maeda, the author of “Rakkasei,” peanuts are believed to be native to the South American Andes region. A pot, shaped like an unshelled peanut, is said to have been excavated from ancient ruins in Peru.

The legume came from China to Japan, where cultivation began in earnest in the early years of the Meiji Era (1868-1912).

Poet Kyoshi Takahama (1874-1959), who was born around that time, penned this somewhat uncharacteristic haiku when he was past 60: “Eating peanuts/ Reading ‘Crime and Punishment.’”

Munching away on peanuts while reading this Dostoyevsky classic, he comes across as either being cynical or putting on an act.

However, it may also be that the sound of rhythmical crunching is perhaps just the right counterpoint to this difficult and weighty novel.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 29

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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.

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