Eating Wild in Japan
Our guest is Winifred Bird who is a writer, translator, lifelong cook, and lover of plants, based in northern Illinois. \n\nWinnie recently published a fabulous book called \u201cEating Wild Japan - Tracking the Culture of Foraged Foods, with a Guide to Plants and Recipes\u201d from Stone Bridge Press. \n\nWhen we talk about Japanese cuisine, we tend to think of dishes like sushi, ramen and kaiseki without considering enough about native ingredients that play a significant role in Japanese food culture. One of the most important ingredients is sansai or edible wild plants. Since two-thirds of Japan\u2019s total land area is forested, you can find amazing seasonal edible plants throughout Japan. \n\nWinnie is one of the very few people who discovered the charm of sansai and wrote a book about it in English, based on her experience of living in Japan for 9 years. \n\nIn this episode, we will discuss Winnie\u2019s eventful life in Japan, what sansai is, why sansai is so important in Japanese food culture, delicious sansai dishes that you should not miss at Japanese restaurants or in Japan and much, much more!!!