🍱 Wakegi-ae (Wakegi dish)

Since ancient times, farmers have often grown "wakegi" as a spring vegetable. Similar to "hoso-negi" (Japanese leek), an essential condiment for Udon noodles, and "shiro-negi" (Japanese leek), a familiar winter Nabe dish, Wakegi is an indispensable ingredient for the spring table. It is a hybrid of Japanese leek and onion, and has a softer aroma than Japanese leek and a sweeter flavor when cooked. It was named "wakegi" (meaning "parted leek") because buds grow from a bulb and branches out. The "Wakegi-ae" has been eaten at the time of the Dolls' Festival as a good-luck charm for the prosperity of offspring. On Teshima in Shozu County, there is a custom called "Wakegi no guruguru," in which wakegi is rolled up into bite-sized pieces without being cut, hoping that good things will continue to happen. The ingredients used in the dish include Mate-gai and Asari, which are also caught in spring, in place of octopus, making it a local dish that makes abundant use of seasonal ingredients from both the mountains and the sea. It is also called "Wakegi no Nuta-Ae" because it is made by stretching white miso paste with vinegar and other seasonings.