Sendai Dropwort

"Sendai Dropwort" is a water dropwort ⁽¹⁾ with a beautiful contrast between vivid green leaves, shoots and white roots. Characterized by its fresh fragrance, rich taste, and crispy texture, the dropwort is used for regional cuisine and dishes for traditional events and has been anchored as an essential traditional ingredient for regional customs and food culture.

Sendai Dropwort is cultivated and shipped based on the standards specified by Sendai Seri Shinko Kyogikai(Sendai Dropwort Promotion Association), which states the variety, cultivation methods, and shipment standards.

Sendai Dropwort cultivation is believed to have started during the Edo period when people improved and cultivated water dropwort that grew naturally in wetlands created by subsoil water from the Natori River ⁽²⁾.
　The water dropwort produced in the producing area has been famous nationwide since the Edo period and attracted consumers who enjoy the high fragrance and pleasant texture in early spring when it is still freezing cold. The dropwort appears in a haiku composed by Date Masamune who was a feudal lord of the Sendai Domain, and records mention that the water dropwort of the area was a specialty of the Date (= Sendai) Domain.
　Using a variety that has long been selected and bred, producers have cultivated Sendai Dropwort using abundant subsoil water and implemented strict shipment control, resulting in the current quality characteristics.
　In the area, dropwort has been regularly used as a precious wintertime vegetable and eaten boiled, cooked with other ingredients, dressed with sauce, or used in tempura, miso soup, and as a spice for buckwheat noodles as well as in the form of "Sendai Zoni", which has traditionally been served on auspicious occasions and during the New Year's holidays.
　Since around 2014, "seri nabe (dropwort hot pot)" has won awards in various contests, such as "Sendai Nabe Grand Prix (Sendai Hot-Pot Grand Prix)" and the nationwide "Nippon Zenkoku Nabe Grand Prix (Japan Nationwide Hot-Pot Grand Prix)" and has captured people's hearts. The hot pot, which uses dropwort as the main ingredient, is anchoring as a new food culture of the region.

1. Water dropwort: A perennial herb native to Japan. Grows wild in moist areas such as ridges between paddy fields, and features unique, strong odor and texture.
2. Natori River is a Class A river located on the Pacific side of the mid-southern part of Miyagi Prefecture. The headwaters originate in Mount Kamurodake on the border of Miyagi and Yamagata Prefectures. The river flows eastward through the Sendai Plain and to the Pacific Ocean at Yuriage, Natori City.