Myoga
Encyclopedia
Myōga or myoga ginger (Zingiber mioga, Zingiberaceae
) is an herbaceous, deciduous, perennial
native to Japan
and southern part of Korea
that is grown for its edible flower buds and flavorful shoots. Flower buds are finely shredded and used in Japanese cuisine
as a garnish for miso
soup, sunomono and dishes such as roasted eggplant. In Korean cuisine flower buds are skewered alternately with pieces of meat and then are pan-fried.
A traditional crop in Japan
, myoga has been introduced to cultivation in Australia
and New Zealand
for export to the Japanese market.
As a woodland plant myoga has specific shade requirements for its growth. It is frost-tolerant to 0F, -18C possibly colder.
, others have shown promise for potentially anti-carcinogenic
properties. http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/ars.2005.7.1621
Zingiberaceae
Zingiberaceae, or the Ginger family, is a family of flowering plants consisting of aromatic perennial herbs with creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes, comprising ca. 52 genera and more than 1300 species, distributed throughout tropical Africa, Asia, and the Americas.Many species are important...
) is an herbaceous, deciduous, perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
native to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and southern part of Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
that is grown for its edible flower buds and flavorful shoots. Flower buds are finely shredded and used in Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of shogun rule...
as a garnish for miso
Miso
is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting rice, barley and/or soybeans, with salt and the fungus , the most typical miso being made with soy. The result is a thick paste used for sauces and spreads, pickling vegetables or meats, and mixing with dashi soup stock to serve as miso...
soup, sunomono and dishes such as roasted eggplant. In Korean cuisine flower buds are skewered alternately with pieces of meat and then are pan-fried.
A traditional crop in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, myoga has been introduced to cultivation in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
for export to the Japanese market.
As a woodland plant myoga has specific shade requirements for its growth. It is frost-tolerant to 0F, -18C possibly colder.
Medicinal Properties
While some constituents of myoga are cytotoxicCytotoxicity
Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells. Examples of toxic agents are a chemical substance, an immune cell or some types of venom .-Cell physiology:...
, others have shown promise for potentially anti-carcinogenic
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
properties. http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/ars.2005.7.1621
Cultural references
There is an old saying in Japan that eating too much myoga makes you forgetful or stupid.eating too much myoga makes you forgetfulExternal links
- More info and pics about myoga from the blog the scent of green bananas