Various sansai (literally, “mountain vegetables”) come to market as winter thaws into spring. For most Japanese, the culinary allure of these edible plants lies in their bitterness that awakens winter-dormant taste buds and reinvigorates a sluggish, hibernating metabolism.
One of my favorite sansai is udo (Japanese spikenard), a rather oddly shaped perennial plant native to many parts of Asia. Udo is prized for its delicate, elusive taste and juicy-crisp texture. Udo thrives shaded from sunlight, covered in earth to protect it from wild swings in temperature; it has been foraged from woodland areas in Japan since the 8th century. Cultivation began during the Edo Period (1603-1868) in and around Kyoto and spread to other parts of Japan.