Protected local food
Kamisho Taro
上庄さといも
A local taro from the Kamisho area of Ono in Fukui. Its dense, firm flesh holds together when simmered and has a chewy, almost mochi-like bite.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 10 November 2017
- Region
- Chubu
- Official name in Japanese
- 上庄さといも
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 福井県大野市上庄地区（昭和29年6月30日現在における行政区画名としての福井県大野郡上庄村）
A local line
Kamisho satoimo is a local line of taro known as Ono zairai, grown in the Kamisho area of Ono, a castle town in a mountain basin in Fukui. The flesh is very dense and firm, so it does not fall apart when cooked, and it has a sticky, chewy texture.
Basin weather, river water
Ono's basin has big swings between day and night temperatures, which helps the taro store starch. The Mana and Kuzuryu rivers provide plenty of water for summer irrigation, and nearly every field in the district suits taro.
How to eat it
Simmer it in dashi and soy sauce (nimono), or try nikkorogashi, a classic home dish of taro rolled in a sweet soy glaze.
Good to know
- Ono is known as the little Kyoto of Hokuriku, with a hilltop castle often seen above a sea of clouds in autumn.
- In Fukui, also try Yoshikawa Eggplant and Wakasa Obama Kodai Sasazuke.
Questions travellers ask
What is satoimo?
Japanese taro, a small, starchy root with a slippery, sticky texture when cooked.
Where is Kamisho?
An area of Ono city, in the mountains of eastern Fukui Prefecture.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
- Echizen-Fukui: 400 years of towns built in stone
- Esashi: the herring town that outshone Edo
- Kitamaebune: the merchant ships that made Japan's port towns rich
- The railway across the sea: Nagahama, Tsuruga and Imajo
- The Six Ancient Kilns: pottery born and raised in Japan
- Wakasa and the Saba Kaido: the mackerel road to Kyoto
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.