Sansai (山菜) is a Japanese word literally meaning "mountain vegetables", originally referring to vegetables that grew naturally, were foraged in the wild, and not grown and harvested from fields. However, in modern times, the distinction is somewhat blurred, as some sansai such as warabi have been successfully cultivated. For example, some of the fern shoots such as bracken (Fiddlehead) and zenmai shipped to market are farm-grown.
They are often sold pre-cooked in water, and typically packaged in plastic packs in liquid. The fern shoots warabi (bracken), fuki stalks in sticks, and mixes which may contain the above-mentioned combined with baby bamboo shoots, mushrooms, etc., are available in retail supermarkets, and even in ethnic foodstores in the US.
Sansai are often used as ingredients in shōjin ryōri, or Buddhist vegetarian cuisine.
Sansai include:
chishimazasa (Nemagaridake) - bamboo shoots of Sasa kurilensis.fuki-no-tō - flower shoots of butterbur (tō refers to a plant beginning to bolt)gyojaninniku (Allium ochotense) - similar to ramps (A. tricoccum)hana-ikada (Helwingia japonica), young leaves.harigiri (Kalopanax pictus)- Kalopanax species, young leaves tarter than tara.itadori (Polygonum cuspidatum) - Japanese knotweedkogomi - fernbrakes of kusasotetsu (Matteuccia struthiopteris)koshiabura(Eleutherococcus sciadophylloides) - young leaves.mitsubamiyama-irakusa Laportea macrostachya (Laportea macrostachya) - Nettlelike plants, which though young leaves and stems are eaten have stinging hairs requiring cautionmomijigasa Cacolia delphiniifolia (Parasenecio delphiniifolius, syn. Cacolia delphiniifolia) - an aster family plant, for young leaves and shootsnirinsō (Anemone flaccida) - young leaves are eaten but may be mistaken for wolfsbanenobiru- (Allium macrostemon) - similar to field garlicnogeshi - sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus), for young leaves seri - Japanese parsleysarunashi (Actinidia arguta) - fruits are eaten raw or to flavor alcoholshiode (Smilax riparia var. ussuriensis) - young leavestara no me - young shoots of the Japanese angelica treetsuwabuki (Farfugium japonicum) - Stems prepard like fukiudo - Japanese spikenard.uwabamisō (Elatostema umbellatum var. majus)warabi - bracken shootszenmai - another type of fern top, more prized than kogomi or warabi, and also sold dried.
