🍱 Hasu-mushi (Steamed lotus root)

Kaga Yasai is a brand of vegetables recognized by Kanazawa City. This brand name was first used in earnest in the Heisei era (around 1990). To be certified as a brand, the vegetables must be grown mainly in Kanazawa City and have been cultivated since before 1945. There are 15 certified vegetables, including sweet potatoes, Kaga futo cucumber, Gensuke daikon radish, bamboo shoots, and Kaga lotus root. Of these, Kaga lotus root has a long history of cultivation dating back to the feudal domain era. The Kahoku Lagoon reclaimed land, which spans two cities and two towns, including Kanazawa City, Kahoku City, and Tsubata Town, is a major production area. It is characterized by the short space between the joints, and the two joints at the tip are considered the tastiest. The meat is thick and has a pleasant crunchy texture. It is also called "rice cake lotus root" because of its high starch content. It is very sticky when grated, and the local dish "steamed lotus root" has long been eaten to take advantage of its stickiness. Kaga lotus root farming flourished from the late Meiji Period to the Taisho Period as it gained a reputation for its flavor. Many farmers built their own "lotus root palaces." The fifth lord of the Kaga domain, Tsunanori Maeda, planted lotus root seeds brought back from the Mino Province in the inner moat of Kanazawa Castle to grow ornamental flowers. "Hasu-mushi" is a local dish popular among the locals for its texture of Kaga lotus root. "Hasu-mushi" is a steamed dish made by grating Kaga lotus root and mixing it with other ingredients.