Seasonings of Okayama

Okayama gets little rain and a great deal of sun. It is known for its fruit, but its vegetables have their own character as well.

Ki-nira is Chinese chive grown in the dark, blanched by shutting out the light. Okayama accounts for most of the national crop, and compared with green nira the aroma is gentler and the taste sweeter. It is a case of a vegetable found nowhere else becoming the seasoning's own personality. The calm Seto Inland Sea left its own mark too, in a preference for lighter seasoning with fish.

• Ki-nira, blanched by growing it away from the light
• The calm Seto Inland Sea and a taste for lighter seasoning