Ajourney through eastern Shikoku is as colourful as anywhere in Japan. The people of Tokushima respect their land and water, and take full advantage of its produce. All through the year, plants are coming into full bloom: in winter, sugar cane is harvested; in spring, strawberries reach maturity; in summer, sudachi; and in autumn, rice comes to fruition. With its port yielding diverse seafood daily, and Awa pork and chicken cropping up in everyday dishes like ramen and yakitori, there’s really nothing the prefecture is lacking.
Hello yellow
Perhaps the best-known produce here is the citrus fruit. Tokushima’s signature foodstuffs, the much-loved yuzu and sudachi, are everywhere—and not just in food. You’ll find these green and yellow gems spicing up soft drinks and liqueurs, enhancing all manner of foods, and in the case of yuzu, bringing delightful aromas and soothing properties to toiletries, room mists, bath powders and body oils. Sudachi delivers a refreshing fragrance and is known as the “scented jewel”, enlivening Japanese dishes from tempura to sashimi and miso soup. And that’s not to mention the beauty these brightly coloured fruits lend to the landscape!
Purple reign
Naruto kintoki, the highest-quality sweet potato in the land, grows here in ideal conditions and is found in foodstuffs everywhere, including confectionery. In fact, 90% of Tokushima’s potatoes are Naruto kintoki. Cultivated in sand by the Naruto Strait, and immediately identifiable with its bright purple skin, it is enriched with minerals that give it a light texture and fragrant aroma. Toshishige Fujiwara—a director at Tokushima Farmer Sommeliers’ Inc.—runs his family farm on reclaimed land at Kawauchi, Tokushima City. His sweet potatoes are harvested from July to December, refrigerated for six months at 13°C and their roots removed; then, after being bathed in water and sprayed by jets, they are ready for crating.
Half the sweet potatoes go to the farmers’ association here, while most of the other half goes to shops or outlets in Kansai area; some are also exported overseas to countries like Malaysia and Singapore, where the sweet version is preferred.