Japanese food

Last update September 22, 2025

Japanese Food - Nano Hana -



  

Nano Hana

Edible Rapeseed

When spring comes, these yellow flowers begin to decorate the dinner table. Also called “Nabana” (vegetable flower), it specifically refers to the Brassicaceae family. It is often cooked as Ohitashi (plain boiling) and eaten with Shōyu or mayonnaise. Alternatively, you can sauté it along with other ingredients, such as bacon. Just like other early spring vegetables, it has a distinctive, mild bitterness. In rural Kyoto, there is a local speciality called “Nano Hana Zuke (or Hana Zuke)” (Nano Hana pickle), characterised by a peculiar, pungent odour, with an acidic-bitter taste. There are some Hana Zuke products available on the market, whose odours and tastes are relatively mild. That means, however, that the flavours are blander compared to the authentic ones, which are only produced by a limited number of farmers today.

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Nano Hana Ohitashi. 		japanese-food-nanohana-sautee
Nano Hana sautéed with bacon. 		japanese-food-hanazuke
Nano Hana Zuke produced by a farmer in Kyoto.
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Nano Hana Ohitashi.

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Nano Hana sautéed with bacon.

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Nano Hana Zuke produced by a farmer in Kyoto.