Murakko Bussankan （むらっこ物産館）is a cooperative product center in Nishiki Town. After the winter closure from November till April, the store is finally open offering you many different kinds of seasonal vegetables and traditional crafts hand-made by the local villagers.
Murakko Bussankan
Murakko Bussankan welcomes visitors in festival on the 3rd Sundays of every month. In April, it is called “Bakkya Matsuri,” or butterbur sprout festival. Butterbur sprout is one of the wild delicacies (“sansai”) enjoyed in late April. It is called “fukinoto” in common Japanese but “bakkya” in Akita dialect. The popular ingredient is served deep-fried, croquette, and in sweetened miso sauce.
The store will have different kinds of dishes like mentioned above, as well as some warm meals for cheap prices. This is a perfect stop-over to taste how the authentic homey meals taste like, since it is cooked by local mothers! (More)
Butterbur sprouts are enjoyed deepfried, croquette, and sauteed in sweet miso sauce.
What is Sansai?
“Sansai” literally translates to “mountain vegetables.” They are as “wild” as they could be (yes, that means free of pesticides and fertilizers) and also delicious as it is enjoyed over many generations. Sansai could be any plants like leaves, sprouts, mushrooms, etc.
The sansai is collected and prepared by the local villagers, which are the specialists of sansai in this area. You do not want to go find the wild delicacies in the mountains yourself, since there are many kinds that resembles and could deceive you--- you must make sure to have only the edible ones. The preparation is another trouble: Some sansais take complicated process before they become palatable. No wonder why they are sold expensively in Tokyo area.
So here is your perfect chance! Just stop by at Murakko Bussankan to taste the seasonal sansai at the freshest and bestest time of the year!
Bakkya Matsuri at Murakko Bussankan
11a.m. to 15 p.m. Sunday, April 17th, 2011.
2 comments:
Even for tourists, this would be a great place to visit and get to know the area's local produce. :)
Yes, Lina-san. A lot of tourists on cars visit here on the way to Kakunodate. It's quite convenient, because they offer a lot of small snacks to-go as well. Thank you for the comment as always :)
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