Minakuchi Kanpyo (Dried Gourd Strips) (Shiga): season, origin and where to buy

Seasonal calendar

Sun-drying gets into full swing from mid-July, and the finished product is sold year-round.

Timing shifts with the weather and conditions in each region.

Official registration details (MAFF)

The registered description as published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Characteristics

It is characterized by becoming soft and absorbing much taste when it is cooked. The producing area has been famous for the production of "kanpyo" since the Edo period. It is an essential ingredient and used in abundance for "Ugawa zushi", a local dish eaten during spring festivals, etc., and has been handed down through generations as a local ingredient, anchored in the food culture of the region.

Link with the production area

It is produced by using bottle gourds of local varieties in Minakuchi-cho, Koka City, Shiga Prefecture, implementing traditional methods such as sun-drying the strips without using a warm air dryer. With a history of production extending over 400 years, a scenery of its output during the period is visible in Utagawa Hiroshige's work from the series "The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido: Minakuchi" (around 1833).

Characteristics and link with the area: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries website (https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/intel/gi_act/register/250701_3.html)

Where to buy

As a rule, only products that meet the registered standard may use a GI name (with exceptions such as prior use). Check for the GI mark and the place of origin to tell it apart from ordinary products with similar names.

Buy from the producer group (opens in a new tab)Find on furusato nozei (opens in a new tab)

These links go to Japanese-language shops; check whether they ship overseas.

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FAQ

Dried gourd strips made in Minakuchi, Koka, Shiga, from a local variety of bottle gourd and sun-dried in the traditional way. They turn soft and soak up flavor well when cooked. Produced here for some 400 years, they even appear as a local specialty in a woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige.

Minakuchi Kanpyo (Dried Gourd Strips) is produced in Minakuchi-cho, Koka City, Shiga Prefecture.

Minakuchi Kanpyo (Dried Gourd Strips) is in season (harvested or shipped) in Jul–Aug. Sun-drying gets into full swing from mid-July, and the finished product is sold year-round.

Look for it via furusato nozei (hometown tax donation) and the producer group's own shop. Check the GI mark and the place of origin before you buy.

Minakuchi Kanpyo (Dried Gourd Strips) was registered as a Geographical Indication on March 27, 2024 (Registration No. 150). The registered producer group is JA Kouka.