Protected local food
Mito Yawaraka Negi
水戸の柔甘ねぎ
A long, straight, tender leek from Mito in Ibaraki. Sweet and mild enough that even the green part can be eaten raw.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 7 February 2018
- Region
- Kanto
- Official name in Japanese
- 水戸の柔甘ねぎ
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 茨城県水戸市、東茨城郡城里町及び同郡茨城町
Long, straight and tender
The white part of this leek is 1.3 to 1.6 times longer than an ordinary Japanese leek, about 40 cm, and it hardly bends. The whole plant reaches about 140 cm. Yawaraka means soft, and the leek is tender throughout.
Sweet, not sharp
It is high in glucose and low in pyruvic acid, the compound linked to a leek's bite, so it tastes sweet with little heat or harshness. Even the green tops are mild enough to eat raw.
Grown under cover
Fields around Mito, Shirosato and Ibaraki town in Ibaraki drain well but hold enough water, with deep topsoil for such long leeks. Long hours of winter sun suit greenhouse growing.
Good to know
- Slice it thin and raw over noodles or tofu, or grill it whole. Mito is also famous for natto and the Kairakuen plum garden.
- Compare with Nissato Negi, a traditional curved leek from neighbouring Tochigi.
Questions travellers ask
Can you eat it raw?
Yes. It is mild and sweet, so even the green part can be eaten raw.
Where is it grown?
In Mito city, Shirosato town and Ibaraki town, Ibaraki 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.