🍱 Nasu no Oranda Ni

Vegetables grown in Kanazawa city using traditional methods are called “Kaga Yasai”. Yasai is the Japanese word for vegetable. Vegetables that can be sold under the brand name “Kaga Yasai” are those that are locally grown and have been produced since 1945 or before that. Currently, there are 15 different types of vegetables being sold under the brand name. Some examples are, Kaga Fat Cucumber, Gensuke Daikon, “Aka Zuiki” (=red taro stem), “Kinjisou” (=type of spinach), and Amaguri Kabocha (=red kuri squash). Heta Murasaki Nasu is also a Kaga Yasai and is a locally grown eggplant. Heta Murasaki means purple stem in Japanese and the vegetable has a bright purple stem as seen in its name. The body of the eggplant is oval shaped like an egg. The glossy skin of the eggplant is thin and the fruit inside is soft and sweet. This vegetable is popular because it keeps well for a long time. Heta Murasaki Nasu was first grown around 1945. It is said that Heta Murasaki Nasu was made using an eggplant named Ogi grown in the Arimatsu and Izumi areas of Kanazawa city. At the beginning of the Showa period, the main producers of Heta Murasaki Nasu became the Kinjo and Sakiura areas as it is known today. “Nasu no orandani” is eaten during the harvest season of eggplants. Depending on the family that makes it, the eggplants are either boiled, deep-fried, or stir fried. This dish is made when there is plenty of eggplants to go around, in order to not waste them. Heta Murasaki Nasu is perfect for this dish because it does not become dissolved even when simmered for a long time. Oranda means Holland in Japanese and this dish is said to have gotten its name because it uses the same cooking methods that were used in Nagasaki, a region influenced by Dutch culture.