Protected local food
Ono Mame
大野豆
A small, soft-skinned broad bean from the Ono area of Takamatsu in Kagawa. It nearly vanished, and the local community brought it back in 2013.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 29 January 2024
- Region
- Shikoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 大野豆
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 香川県高松市香川町大野、香川町寺井及び寺井町
A small, tender broad bean
Ono mame is a broad bean, or fava bean, that is smaller than the usual large Japanese type, with a thin, soft skin that is easy to chew. It is the traditional bean for shoyu-mame, roasted broad beans soaked in sweet soy sauce, and for oshinuki-zushi, a pressed sushi made for festivals in Kagawa.
Grown after the rice
In Ono and Terai, in Takamatsu city, mild winters and well-drained soil let farmers grow broad beans after the rice harvest. The local Sanuki long-pod bean has been called Ono mame and loved since the early Showa era.
Saved by the community
In the Heisei era farmers switched to other varieties and Ono mame nearly disappeared. In 2013 the local community council, working with schools and the city, brought it back. It is now served in local school lunches.
Good to know
- Look for shoyu-mame in Kagawa shops and udon restaurants. It is a classic Kagawa side dish.
- Takamatsu's Ritsurin Garden is one of Japan's finest landscape gardens.
Questions travellers ask
What is shoyu-mame?
A Kagawa dish of dried broad beans roasted in their skins and then soaked in a sweet soy-sauce mix.
Is it eaten fresh too?
Yes. It is eaten both as green beans in spring and as dried beans.
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.