Protected local food
Manganji Amato Sweet Pepper
万願寺甘とう
A long, sweet pepper from northern Kyoto Prefecture with no heat at all. Thick like a bell pepper but soft enough to eat whole, seeds and all.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 23 June 2017
- Region
- Kansai
- Official name in Japanese
- 万願寺甘とう
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 京都府綾部市、舞鶴市及び福知山市
Born in Manganji
The pepper first appeared in the Manganji area of Maizuru, when a local Fushimi pepper crossed naturally with another type. Kyoto Prefecture later bred a stable variety from it. Seed is managed by the local growers' groups and co-op, so it is grown only in Ayabe, Maizuru and Fukuchiyama in Kyoto.
Big, sweet and soft
It is a large pepper with a pinched shoulder and a gentle curve. The flesh is thick like a bell pepper but soft, so you can eat the whole thing. It smells fresh and sweet with just a hint of chili, and it has no heat.
How to eat it
Grill it whole and finish with soy sauce and bonito flakes, simmer it with dried fish, or stir-fry it. In Kyoto restaurants it often appears as a simple grilled side.
Good to know
- Northern Kyoto's coast, including Maizuru and Amanohashidate, is a good escape from the crowds of Kyoto city.
- For another Kyoto vegetable, look for Kyo Kamo Nasu, the round eggplant of Kamigamo.
Questions travellers ask
Is Manganji Amato spicy?
No. It is a sweet pepper with no heat, closer to a bell pepper than to a chili.
Where is it grown?
In Ayabe, Maizuru and Fukuchiyama, in northern Kyoto Prefecture.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
- 800 years of Japanese tea in Uji and southern Kyoto
- Kitamaebune: the merchant ships that made Japan's port towns rich
- Lake Biwa Canal: the waterway of hope from Otsu to Kyoto
- Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage: Japan's 1,300-year journey of the heart
- Tango chirimen: 300 years of silk on Kyoto's north coast
- Yokosuka, Kure, Sasebo and Maizuru: Japan's naval port cities
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.