Protected local food
Kaga Maruimo Yam
加賀丸いも
A round yam the size of a softball, from Nomi and Komatsu in Ishikawa. Grated, it turns thick and very sticky, with a clear yam flavour.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 7 September 2016
- Region
- Chubu
- Official name in Japanese
- 加賀丸いも
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 石川県能美市及び石川県小松市（高堂町、野田町、一針町）
Shaped by a flood
In 1934 the Tedori River flooded and washed river sand into the rice paddies of southern Ishikawa. When farmers grew yams in that soil, they came up round. The mix of river sand and paddy soil still gives the large, round shape today.
Sticky in a good way
Kaga maruimo is a yamatoimo, a type of Japanese mountain yam, about the size of a softball. It holds little water and a lot of the compounds that make yam sticky, so grated it becomes a thick, stretchy paste with a yam flavour. Food makers use it as a high-end ingredient too.
How it is eaten
The classic way is tororo: grated raw and poured over rice or into cold soba. It also binds traditional Japanese sweets and fluffy okonomiyaki.
Good to know
- Raw grated yam can make lips and hands itch for a moment. That is normal and passes quickly.
- In the same prefecture, look out for Noto Shika Korogaki, dried persimmons from the Noto peninsula.
Questions travellers ask
What is tororo?
Grated raw mountain yam. It is sticky and mild, served over rice, in soba or with tuna.
Where is Kaga Maruimo grown?
In Nomi city and part of Komatsu city, Ishikawa Prefecture, near Kanazawa.
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.