Stone Bridge Press publisher Peter Goodman discusses foraging and gathering edible plants (and seaweed) in Japan with author Winnie Bird, whose book Eating Wild Japan has been described by Elizabeth Andoh as “a delightful homage to those who practice the art of bringing wild foods deliciously to table.”

Winnie brought all her skills as an experienced environmental journalist to bear on her explorations into wild food culture in Japan, and in this podcast she describes the challenges of research and some of the many delights of her discoveries. While residing in a rural city in the mountains, she noticed many of her neighbors gathering native plants to prepare for bento lunches and to use in soups and other family dishes. Over a period of years she traveled into Japanese rural areas to meet these foragers. She heard them discuss the traditions of foraging and learned many of their gathering techniques and recipes.

Winnie also discusses the foraging practices in Japan versus those in the US, where the locavore movement is more of a high-end indulgence, where in Japan local foods are simply a normal part of many rural diets. She talks about substitutions for ingredients not found outside Japan. And throughout she emphasizes the importance that food gathering has had in human culture and how it has been impacted by modern living and development. 

Eating Wild Japan: Tracking the Culture of Foraged Foods, with a Guide to Plants and Recipes by Winifred Bird

Winifred Bird is a writer, translator, lifelong cook, and lover of plants both wild and domesticated. For almost a decade she lived in rural Japan, where she worked as an environmental journalist, grew organic rice and vegetables, and ate as many foraged foods as possible. She lives with her family on an island in Lake Michigan, where she is a contributor to the local newspaper.

Peter Goodman is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California, which for over thirty years has specialized in books on Asia, especially Japan and China. For a complete list of Stone Bridge Press books, visit www.stonebridge.com.

For a complete list of Stone Bridge Press books, visit www.stonebridge.com.