Protected local food
Kahoku Seri
河北せり
Japanese water dropwort, or seri, from the old Kahoku area of Ishinomaki in Miyagi. Grown in deep paddies fed by spring water, its stems often reach 50 cm.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 23 December 2020
- Region
- Tohoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 河北せり
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 平成17年3月31日における行政区画名としての宮城県桃生郡河北町（現宮城県石巻市相野谷、中島、皿貝、馬鞍及び小船越）
A long, crisp herb
Seri is a fresh, slightly peppery water herb, one of Japan's seven herbs of spring. Kahoku seri has longer stems and leaves than most, often more than 50 cm, and it stays fresh well. People in Ishinomaki like the crunchy stems near the root, eaten pickled or dressed as ohitashi.
Deep, spring-fed paddies
The growing area is in the former Kahoku town, now part of Ishinomaki city in Miyagi, at the edge of the Kitakami Mountains. Spring water from the mountains keeps the deep seri paddies full for months, and the deep water is what makes the stems grow so long. After harvest, growers wash the bunches carefully in that same water.
Rare spring seri
Spring seri grows longer and is harvested over a shorter window, so few places produce it. At the Ishinomaki market, Kahoku seri is the only spring seri sold.
Good to know
- In winter, Miyagi restaurants serve seri nabe, a hot pot packed with seri, roots and all.
- Ishinomaki has the Ishinomori Manga Museum and is about an hour from Sendai.
Questions travellers ask
What is seri in English?
Japanese water dropwort, or Japanese parsley (Oenanthe javanica).
When is it in season?
Mainly from autumn to spring. The spring harvest is short and rare.
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.