春のお野菜・第2弾
タラの芽、カタクリ、甘草の根、たんぽぽ、イタドリ、ガーリック・マスタード、ペッパークレス、トロントリリー、ナズナ。
春の到来を象徴する山菜です。
山菜をはじめに食べ始めたのはいつごろでしょう？ヒトが狩猟・採集しているころまでさかのぼるのでしょうか。野山に自生している植物は、すべてが食用ではありません。毒をもつ植物も少なからずあり、またそれらの植物は食べられる植物に酷似している場合も多くあります。昔の人の生身のチャレンジのおかげで私たちは美味しい山菜とそうでないものの区別ができるのですね。
日本に古くからある医食同源の考え方が、欧米にも広がり始めています。感度の高い欧米のシェフたちが自身の料理の表現方法にこのような考え方を取り入れ始め、様々なメディアを通して新しい食事・料理の在り方として注目され始めています。
Spring Vegetables 2
Sprouts of Aralia Elata (We call it Tara no me), Ground Ivy (Katakuri), Licorice (Kanzo no ne), Dandelion (Tanpopo), Japanese Knotweed (Itadori), Garlic Mustard, Pepper Cress, Toront Lily and Shepherd's Purse (Nazuna).
"Wild Plants" represent the food of Spring, we call these wild plants "Sansai".
When did people begin to eat the wild plants? Perhaps this practice began in early human history while people hunted; they might have also gathered these wild plants. Some wild plants are edible, but some of them are not. There are many poisonous plants among them and some of them look edible. Early humans had to experiment to learn which one is edible and which one is not by eating the plants themselves, discovering along the way which are the most delicious of the edible plants. Thanks go to our ancestors!
"Ishokudougen" is a way of thinking about eating, which Japanese people commonly do, is healing illness or injuries by yourself through a balanced delicious meal each day. It goes without saying that eating healthily improves the body's ability to resist illness and repair itself more rapidly. This lifestyle has been spreading to first world countries recently. Highly perceptive chefs have started to use this style for their work and has been introduced by many media outlets. The use of wild plants as food will gradually become more recognized.
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