Japanese food

Last update September 20, 2025

Japanese Food - Renkon -



  

Renkon

Lotus Root

To enjoy a nice, crunchy chewing sensation, Renkon is one of the best candidates. As the name suggests, the food is derived from the root of a lotus and is commonly eaten boiled, fried, or sautéed. For its distinctive porous structure, it’s considered a lucky food based on the pun that you can see through things (through pores). That makes it a regular item for Osechi Ryōri (New Year’s Cuisine), such as Su Renkon (vinegar Renkon), which is prepared by boiling the roots in vinegar. An inventive cook can even use the structure to create recipes, such as Karashi Renkon (a local product of Kumamoto Prefecture), in which the holes are filled with mustard-mixed Miso. Renkon No Hasami Aghe, or a fried Renkon sandwich with minced meat between, and Renkon Manju, a round, mound-shaped patty made from grated Renkon, are also pleasant menu items at an Izakaya (Japanese-style pub). However, no creativity is required to cook Nimono, Tempura, and Kimpira, all of which are delicious in their own right.

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Renkon sautéed with other ingredients. 		japanese-food-renkon
Renkon Nimono for Osechi Ryōri. 		japanese-food-zoni
Renkon Kimpira seasoned with salt and sesame oil.
japanese-food-renkon
Renkon sautéed with other ingredients.

japanese-food-renkon
Renkon Nimono for Osechi Ryōri.

japanese-food-zoni
Renkon Kimpira seasoned with salt and sesame oil.