Okra Powder
オクラパウダー
(JA EAST TOKUSHIMA)
Okra is a popular summer vegetable that grows larger in hotter climates. It's cultivated in Tokushima Prefecture, on the eastern end of Japan’s Shikoku Island, which is the traditional starting point for the island's 1,200km pilgrimage route that encompasses 88 Buddhist temples.
Okra is known as a "neba-neba" food, a group of foods (including natto and yama-imo, a sticky potato) that have a slimy and gooey texture and are rich in vitamins, folic acid and dietary fiber. They've been studied for their ability to improve insulin sensitivity and oxidative stress and are a great way to beat off summer heat fatigue.
This powder includes okra from stalk to seed, and is freeze-dried to maintain its high nutritional value. Each 1g serving includes 1 full okra so you can easily add this nutritional powerhouse to any dish or mix a spoonful with water and enjoy it as a drink.
Learn more about the Japan Agricultural Co-operatives (JA or Nōkyō (農協)) and its almost 700 regional members in our Producer Spotlight.
Suggested use:Add to any dish or smoothie for a nutritional boost or mix with water and enjoy it as a drink.
Ingredients: Okra
Nutritional information:Per: 100g, Calories: 360kcal, Total Fat: 1.9g, Sodium: 0.028g, Total Carbohydrate: 71.2g, Protein: 14.6g
Dried Natto
干し納豆
(NAGAMINE CORPORATION)
You'll either love it or hate it, there's no real in-between. There are few more controversial foods than natto. This fermented soy bean is smelly, sticky, stringy, slimy, delicious, healthy and a truly acquired taste.
To help introduce you to this unique food, we've included the purest dried natto available in Japan. It's sun-dried and unsalted using domestic soybeans from Ibaraki Prefecture, the home of natto.
Suggested use: Enjoy as is but be sure to shew it thoroughly for proper taste and digestion. No need to refrigerate. Store in a dry, cool place.
Ingredients:Soy beans, natto germs
Nutritional information:N/A
Daiginjo Naraduke (Pickled Melon)
大吟醸の奈良漬
(MIKAWA)
These naraduke, pickled melons, are made from oriental pickling melons sourced from Yamaguchi prefecture that have been pickled using Daiginjo sake lees (or sake kasu, the byproduct of sake production). Diaginjo is regarded as the highest-grade of sake and is usually the most prized bottling of a sake brewery as it represents the height of the brewmaster's ability. Extra care is taken when polishing the rice to remove at least 50% of the outer layer of the grain.
The sake lees comes from the award winning sake brewery Dassai, located deep in the mountains of Yamaguchi prefecture. Dassai grew from a small brewery to one that has received international recognition. They focus on producing top-quality sake that is created usinga careful combination of traditional labor-intensive hand-crafted methods and cutting edge technology, using the best quality rice for sake brewing, Yamada Nishiki.
The combination results in a sweet and sour taste that is delicate, refined and graceful.
Suggested use:Enjoy as is.
Ingredients:Oriental pickled melon (produced in Yamaguchi prefecture), sake lees, salt, sugar, shochu (distilled spirit), mirin (sweet sake)
Nutritional information:Per: 100g, Calories: 157kcal, Total Fat: 0.17g, Sodium: 4.3g, Total Carbohydrate: 40.8g, Protein: 4.5g
