🍲 Kuwanoki-mame Ni (Simmered Mulberry Beans)

"Kuwanoki-mame ni" is made by simmering "kuwanoki-mame" (=mulberry beans) grown in Miyama area, located in the northern part of Yamagata city in Gifu, in soy sauce and sugar. When the "kuwanoki-mame" (=mulberry beans) ripen, the pod and the beans develop red patterns. This bean has been cultivated for many years in this region and is a type of kidney bean that has been certified as a traditional vegetable from the Hida/Mino regions. From the Meiji to the Taisho periods, sericulture flourished in the Miyama area of Yamagata city and many mulberry trees were planted to feed the silkworms. To make sure that "kuwanoki-mame" (=mulberry beans) were protected from typhoons, they were planted at the base of mulberry trees so that their vines would wrap around the bark of the trees which would protect them from violent winds. This is how the mulberry beans got its name "kuwanoki-mame" (=mulberry beans), as they were planted alongside "kuwanoki" (=mulberry trees).