🍡 Stir-fried stalks of sweet potatoes

In Kochi Prefecture, there is a food culture of eating sweet potatoes and pumpkin stems. The stem is the "petiole" that connects the leaves to the stem. When you say "Imo no kuki (potato stem)" dish, it is generally made with sweet potato stems. The climate of Kochi Prefecture has a lot to do with the fact that the locals started eating stems. Due to the hot and humid climate of Kochi Prefecture, the stems of sweet potatoes and pumpkins flourish in the fields during the summer months. Farmers used the stems for food, and it has spread as a wisdom of living. Nowadays, it is readily available at supermarkets in urban areas and is eaten by ordinary households, but reportedly this is a trend that began to emerge after the migration of people from rural areas to the cities. Farming housewives used to peel the stems of sweet potatoes and sell them at the Sunday market. The stems were important for the family's finances, as they generated additional income from them. Because of the vestiges of this, there is still a common phrase among the elderly, "Come on, let's peel off Imo no kuki (sweet potato stems)" after spending money.