🍱 Kuwai no fukumeni

"Kuwai(=arrowhead)," which is planted in late June to early July in rice fields, is a short-season ingredient with harvesting typically from late November to mid-December. Kuwai has been cultivated in the low-lying wetlands of the Ayase River basin in the southeastern part of the prefecture, which are unsuitable for rice cultivation. It is said that during a major flood in the Kanto region in 1786 (Tenmei 6), when rice cultivation suffered devastating damage, farmers were saved because Kuwai sold at high prices. In the late Meiji era, seeds were introduced from Angyou and Noda villages, and cultivation became more widespread. Although production temporarily ceased during the war and post-war period, it later recovered, and in the 1950s and 1960s, the cultivation area reached its largest scale. Currently, areas such as Koshigaya, Soka, and Saitama City are producing regions, with the second highest production volume in the country (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 2018 "Regional specialty vegetable production status survey"). Various Kuwai dishes are enjoyed in producing areas, and in school lunches, "Kuwai rice," where fresh Kuwai is boiled and mixed with rice, is served. One of the traditional Kuwai dishes is "Kuwai simmered with seeds of cape jasmine," eaten at celebrations such as New Year's for good luck. It is finished with bright yellow color dyeing with seeds of cape jasmine.