{"id":6717,"date":"2025-09-03T02:38:30","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T17:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yasai-yakuzen.com\/?p=6717"},"modified":"2026-09-07T18:13:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T09:13:33","slug":"yam","status":"publish","type":"vegtable","link":"https:\/\/yasai-yakuzen.com\/en\/vegtable\/yam\/","title":{"rendered":"The benefits of Japanese yam"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yam replenishes a weak Spleen and Stomach and gently settles easy tiredness, heaviness after a meal and swelling. Long loved as an ingredient that restores energy, it is brought in when strength is low or the appetite will not come. Bring it to the table as everyday nourishment.<\/p>\n

\"Yam\"<\/figure>\n

When yam is in season, its types, and how to choose it<\/h2>\n

If you want to enjoy what yam does, start with its season and the differences between its types and choosing becomes easier. Yam is one word for several things, and how sticky and how watery they are varies a good deal by type, as does what they suit. Winter into early spring is when they eat best, and that is when the sweetness and the flavour stand out.<\/p>\n

Season and growing area change with the type<\/h3>\n

Nagaimo, the most widely sold, comes mainly from Aomori and Hokkaido, and since it is dug from autumn through to spring it is available over a long season and easy to find all year. The autumn-dug crop is juicy and the spring-dug crop fuller in flavour, so the character changes with the time of year. Jinenjo, on the other hand, with its strong stickiness, belongs to autumn and winter in most people's minds and is loved as an ingredient for its scent. Yam firmed up by the cold has a fuller flavour when made into tororo.<\/p>\n

Nagaimo, yamatoimo and jinenjo, and what each suits<\/h3>\n

Even among yams, stickiness and water content differ by type, and so does what they suit. Here are the three main types.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
kinds<\/th>\nWhat stands out<\/th>\nWhat it suits<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Nagaimo<\/td>\nHigh in water and light in flavour. Easy to find<\/td>\nCut into batons, salads, dressed dishes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The yamatoimo group, such as tsukuneimo and ichoimo<\/td>\nStrongly sticky and full in flavour. The tsukuneimo of Tanba in Kyoto is known as a premium ingredient<\/td>\nTororo, and dishes where it is grated and cooked<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jinenjo<\/td>\nThe stickiest of all, and richly scented<\/td>\nProper tororo soup<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

Remember that the yamatoimo group and jinenjo are for tororo if you want it properly, and nagaimo for a crisp bite raw, and the range of what you can cook widens.<\/p>\n

How to choose good yam, and how to keep it<\/h3>\n

When choosing, look for firm, glossy skin and juicy whiskery roots and cut ends. The plumper it is, with no cuts or darkening on the surface, the easier it is to handle.<\/p>\n