Satsumaimo, the Japanese Sweet Potato

Abstract

Broadcast Transcript: This is Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Asia from the KU Center for East Asian Studies. Asia is a rice culture. And, here in Japan, you might say there is a satsumaimo sub-culture--that is, a culture of the Japanese sweet potato. Back in the mid-18th century, rice crops failed which was bad. Then a man named Aoko Konyo began cultivating satsumaimo plants. They quickly became wildly popular. From the 1920s to the 1980s, the Showa period, peddlers sold roasted sweet potatoes from pushcarts during the colder months. Students have enjoyed daiguku imo (university potato) deep fried, dipped in syrup and rolled in sesame seeds since the 19th century and imo hori, or potato digging, is still a popular kindergarten field trip. And you can even get imo gohan, potato rice. Now that's Asian fusion. From the KU Center for East Asian Studies, this is Randi Hacker. Wish you were here. #Japan #Hacker #CEAS