Sansai

Sansai, which means "mountain vegetables" in Japanese, originally referred to wild vegetables that grew naturally in the mountains. Nowadays, however, some of these vegetables, such as warabi, are cultivated rather than foraged. You can often find sansai precooked and packed in liquid, ready for sale in plastic packages at supermarkets and ethnic food stores across the U.S. Popular types include fern shoots, fuki stalks, and mixes that feature bamboo shoots and mushrooms. Sansai plays a key role in shōjin ryōri, a vegetarian cuisine rooted in Buddhist traditions.

Some common examples of sansai are:

- Chishimazasa (bamboo shoots)

- Fuki-no-tō (butterbur flower shoots)

- Gyojaninniku (ramps)

- Hana-ikada (young leaves of Helwingia japonica)

- Itadori (Japanese knotweed)

- Kogomi (fiddlehead ferns)

- Mitsuba (Japanese parsley)

These mountain vegetables are prized for their unique flavors and are staples in traditional Japanese dishes.