What does a year-old, salted maple leaf taste like? Nothing much, apparently. Instead, merchants use the leaf as an attractive frame for the sweet coating, which is drier and crispier than the tempura surrounding, say, a shrimp. Some cooks also add sesame seeds for an extra pop of flavor.
Vendors first commercialized tempura-fried leaves after a train station opened near Minoh’s most notable waterfall in 1910. Outdoorsy tourists visiting the Osaka prefecture flocked to the site, taking the tasty, iconically-shaped souvenir with them when they left. (The salt preserves the young maple leaves, making them a year-round snack.) The novel delicacy became a symbol of the region, and it remains difficult to find in other parts of the country.
You’ll hear locals refer to maples as momiji, which means “becomes crimson-leaved.” The word also translates literally to “baby’s hands,” but don’t be alarmed: No human babies were harmed in the making of this unusual snack. Baby maple leaves, on the other hand, were not so lucky.
“my first semester i had only nine students.
hoping they might view me as professional and well prepared,
i arrived bearing name tags fashioned in the shape of maple leaves.”
-david sedaris
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credits: bert kimura, gastro obscura
It’s interesting to know what humans would eat.
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we are a curious lot
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Yup! Most definitely
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Euell Gibbons would be so proud!
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ha, yes!
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I knew you would get the reference. Thanks for not making me feel ancient.
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I would try one, just to say I had eaten it. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I would like to try one as well-
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I guess people eat everything, but, it may be tasty…
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right
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Can’t imagine that’s good for the tree. Hope the locals know what they’re doing.
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I think it’s been going on for a while –
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I think they wait for the leaves to come off the tree before they fry them, edyjournal. At least I hope so.
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I got the impression they harvest them from the tree once the leaves reach a certain color.
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yes, it is interesting about the harvesting, not sure but it sounds like they take them from the tree
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You are right, edyjournal. Good point.
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it does sound like they pick them at just the right point for cooking, so don’t know how it would affect the trees
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Good point, Beth.
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Being the giver that I am, I would break a piece off for myself and then invite the people around me to do the same. That way I could say that I’ve experienced the taste without committing to eating the entire leaf.
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a great solution
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Wow I didn’t know about this, but it actually looks delicious.
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I’d love to try it
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So interesting! I would try it.
Blessings!
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Me too!
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Different! I’d give it a go, can’t be any worse than some of the processed (but delicious) snack foods available.
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That’s right
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What the heck. I like the concept. And that’s a great quote.
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Me too and love David sedaris
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Maple syrup I love, but maple leaves? Interesting!
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Anything is possible
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I am suitably intrigued!
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Same!
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Fascinating. I love all the things that humans come up with. Stay curious.
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there is no end to it
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Well, if we can take the sap of the maple tree..which in itself is horrible and turn it into something so divine as maple syrup, why not the leaves of the maple tree? If nothing else the shape of this snack is beautiful! 🙂
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it is beautiful
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I think I get it, Beth, you eat the coating and throw the leaf out?
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sounds like they eat the whole thing?
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Well I missed the whole darn point.
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))
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My first thought was to pour on some maple syrup. But then I read it was tempura, so that didn’t seem quite right. We eat all kinds of vegetation, so why not tree leaves? At the very least, this is another beautiful Japanese art form.
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yes –
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How interesting is that?
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very
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They “rip the young folliage of the trees.” Just one more cruelty. Even new leaves don’t have a chance, when humans are around. Awful. Nothing is safe from us. Absolutely nothing.
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that did sounds aggressive
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How interesting! And do they eat the leaf with the sugar coating!
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yes
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Wow!
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I’d give it a try. There are indeed unique food traditions all over the world.
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there are, indeed
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I had no idea… I’ve never heard of fried maple leaves. 🙂
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it was new to me, too
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I would definitely try this 🙂
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next time in Japan in the fall..
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This is fascinating, although I’m not sure I’d be keen on eating the leaf.
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interesting, though –
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Yes, it is.
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I’m in for one bite
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excellent
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