A Fukuokan's Notes from Sapporo

I am quite used to, and like food with distinctive flavour, as long as it is plant-origin. But this one is very special. Even I, a seasoned smelly food lover, felt my sense of smell was nearly destroyed.

Salted Takana leaves are one of delicacies in Kyushu island, and usually isn’t that smelly to me. Its wide leave can be used to wrap up onigiri, or make a garnish for Ramen, or help to eat up white rice. Since my childhood, I have been familiar with the fermentation odour of them. But this one, salted with some rice bran that I got at  a local farmers’ market was beyond my knowledge of odour. Just left in the kitchen for a few minutes, my small flat was filled with smell of well-worn socks.

But after washed, desalted, and stir-fried with some chopped garlic and soy sauce, it turned out to be the most delicious Takana I have had.

Maybe the rice bran gave something special to the leaves. But I couldn’t dare to wrap my onigiri and take them outdoor, not to mention packed train. I would be arrested for antisocial behaviour.