🍲 Yugao no misoshiru (Evening Glory Gourd Miso soup)

Yugao (evening glories) are a summer delicacy in the Fuji Hokuroku region, and "yugao no miso soup" is frequently served at the dinner table. It is generally called "yugao", but in Yamanakako Village it is often called "yugo". The yugao cultivated in this area is a different plant from the morning glory, and is not the "maru-yugao" used to make kanpyo, but the "naga-yugao" with a long, gourd-like shape. Yugao has long been used as a diuretic in the diet of people suffering from kidney disease. The name "yugao" comes from the fact that it blooms in the evening, in contrast to morning glories, which bloom in the morning. It has been cultivated in Japan since ancient times, but it is not known when and how it was introduced to Japan. In the Fuji-Hokuroku Area (Fuji-northern foothills area), yugao cultivation has been practiced since the Taisho Era (1912-1926), and it was actively cultivated for the market from around 1965. Currently, the number of people growing yugao has decreased due to the aging of the population, but many households still grow yugao in their fields, and it has become one of the representative vegetables of the region.