Protected local food
Kikuchi Suiden Gobo
菊池水田ごぼう
A white-skinned, straight and tender burdock root from Kikuchi and nearby towns in Kumamoto. Mild, with little bitterness, and available over a long season.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 20 March 2019
- Region
- Kyushu & Okinawa
- Official name in Japanese
- 菊池水田ごぼう
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 熊本県菊池市、熊本県合志市、熊本県菊池郡大津町、熊本県菊池郡菊陽町
White, straight and soft
Kikuchi suiden gobo has white skin and hardly bends. It is soft, with little of the bitterness burdock can have. Suiden means paddy field, and the roots grow in well-drained fields around Kikuchi, Koshi, Ozu and Kikuyo in Kumamoto.
Water and compost
Washing burdock and soaking out its bitterness takes a lot of water, and this area has many water sources. It is also cattle country, and growers dig in well-rotted compost, which gives a crumbly soil that holds just enough water. The harvest runs over a long season with steady quality and volume.
How to eat it
Try kinpira gobo, burdock salad with sesame dressing, or burdock tempura.
Good to know
- Kikuchi is home to Kikuchi Gorge, a cool forest walk in summer, and Kikuchi Onsen.
- Compare with Mito Burdock and Tsurajima Burdock. In Kumamoto, also try Kumamoto Akaushi.
Questions travellers ask
What does suiden mean?
Paddy field. The burdock is grown in drained fields in this rice-growing area.
Where is it grown?
In Kikuchi, Koshi, Ozu and Kikuyo, northern Kumamoto Prefecture.
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.