Protected local food
Akutsu Magari Negi
阿久津曲がりねぎ
A curved leek from the Akutsu district of Koriyama, Fukushima. Its white part is soft and sweet, with far more sugar and umami than ordinary leeks.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 3 February 2022
- Region
- Tohoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 阿久津曲がりねぎ
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 福島県郡山市
Sweet and full of umami
Magari negi means curved leek. The white, blanched part of the Akutsu leek is soft and sweet with a deep savoury taste. Compared with ordinary supermarket leeks it has about 1.8 times the umami amino acids and about 1.7 times the sugar. It sells for around 30% more than other Koriyama leeks and won praise at Japan's National Negi Summit for being soft and sweet.
Kept alive by locals
It was grown in Akutsu in the early Showa era and spread across Koriyama city in Fukushima. In 2005 locals formed a preservation society that still grows the original seed, and in 2008 the leek became a certified Koriyama brand.
Good to know
- Koriyama is a Shinkansen stop about 80 minutes from Tokyo and a gateway to Lake Inawashiro and Aizu.
- Compare with Nissato Negi, another sweet curved leek from Utsunomiya.
Questions travellers ask
Why is it curved?
Curved leeks are replanted at an angle while growing, and the bent stalk is known for being soft and sweet.
When is it in season?
From autumn into winter, when cold weather makes leeks sweetest.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.