Nozawana

Nozawana(野沢菜),Brassica rapaL. var.hakabura) is a Japaneseleaf vegetable, of thebrassicafamily, a form ofturnip greens. It is abiennial plantoftenpickledthat has been cultivated in theShin'etsu region, centered around the village ofNozawaonsen,Shimotakai District,Nagano Prefecture. It is of the samespeciesas thecommon turnipand one of a Japanese variety ofmustardleaf.
Also known as shinshūna(信州菜), it is counted as one of Japan's three major pickled vegetables, along withtakana[ja]andhiroshimana[ja]. AfterWorld War II, it grew nationwide, from Hokkaido to Kumamoto.
Nozawana is part of the turnip family. Currently, it is thought to be a different variety derived from the turnip (var. hakabura,turnip greens), and is currently being used as a traditional pickled vegetable grown in the area (inekokina, haburona, narusawana, chōzenna).Both turnips andpurple turnips(Suwa beni turnip, Hososhima turnip, etc.) are thought to be closely related.
Tradition holds that sometime between 1751 and 1764 the plant was brought from theKyoto mountainsto the village ofNozawaonsenby the master of aBuddhist temple,Kenmeiji[ja], who lived inNozawa. It has been cultivated around that area ever since, and thus is now called "Nozawana" (nameans vegetable inJapanese).Also known as shinshuuna(信州菜), nozawana is one of Japan's three major pickled vegetables, along withTakana[ja]andhiroshimana[ja].
Turnips in Japan are broadly divided into the Asian variety (i.e.bomdong) via China, which is prevalent in western Japan, and the European variety (Brassica rapa) viaSiberia, common in the mountainous areas ofeastern Japanand has excellent cold resistance.
Pickled nozawana is among the most typical local foods inNagano Prefecture. It is also used inonigiri.Before theTaishō era(1912–1926), local villagers called the plant a turnip. Skiers from the city who visited alocal ski resortwere so impressed by the pickled turnip that they nicknamed it "Nozawanazuke".From then on became known as Nozawana and Nozawana pickled throughout the country. After World War II, it began to be grown nationwide, from Hokkaido to Kumamoto.
Its leaves are approximately 60–90 centimetres (24–35 in) long. If left tooverwinterwithout harvesting, therapeseedwill sprout and yellow rapeseed flowers will bloom in the spring.
For cultivation, seeds are sown in September and thinned out repeatedly, with the thinned seedlings eaten as pickled vegetables. The following spring, buds will grow from the remaining roots after the snow thaws. These flowers can be harvested and used as vegetables (totachina), or as new seeds that can be sown to grow spring mustard and Japanese warbler. The leafy above-ground part grows further and blooms in May, and its seeds are collected in June. The leaves are harvested from October through December and used primarily for pickled nozawana.
AtNozawa Onsen, nozawana has been cultivated as a successor crop on arable land known as "Obatake", wherehempwas cultivated until theMeiji period. The original seed of nozawana called "teradane" is grown in the field of the residence ofKenmeiji Temple[ja]inNozawa Onsen, and is sold as "turnip seed".
In the areas where Nozawa onsen's bathers went and the areas where nozawana was cultivated are almost the same, as visitors to Nozawa Onsen bought turnip seeds as souvenirs.
The lyrics for "Oborozukiyo[ja]", which begins with "Enter the rape field and the sun fades," were written byTatsuyuki Takano[ja], who was born in Nagae Village, Nagano Prefecture (now Oaza Nagae, Nakano City). In the Hokushin region of Nagano Prefecture,rapeseedhas been cultivated as a major cash crop since theEdo period, and it is assumed that the motif of the lyrics was the memory of rapeseed rape blossoms spreading all over the place.
When the demand for rapeseed oil decreased and rapeseed cultivation ceased, rape blossoms disappeared, but in recent years the nozawana flowers grown for tourism have become popular. 
In Europe there is a vegetable called turnip tops, and known ascima di rapa[it]in Italy. Although it is not classified as a turnip, it is similar to nozawana in that its roots enlarge like a turnip, but are not edible.
When harvested, theturnip greensare separated from the roots (the turnips).The greens are washed in acommunal bath[ja](i.e.onsen), and then soaked in a large wooden bucket. In its preparation, each family has their own seasonings.
There are honzuke (pickled shallots), which have undergonelactic acid fermentationand has turned amber color, and with a light pickle, remains green.
Because it is manufactured and stored in a cold environment,fermentationdoes not progress very far, and it is characterized by a light taste and low odor. If left at room temperature, it will rapidly soften, change its texture, and increase its sour taste, so it must be kept at a low temperature for storage. It is widely loved as an accompaniment to tea and drinks. In addition to eating it as is, it has a wide range of uses, such as being used instir-frieddishes andfried rice, or chopped into small pieces and mixed withnattōas a condiment. It is also popular as an ingredient inrice ballsandoyaki. Those with a strong sour taste are sometimes stir-fried with soy sauce, sugar, and oil and eaten as "tsukudanistyle".
In theHokushin regionofNagano Prefecture, nozawana is called "Ona" or "Nappa", and nozawana pickled vegetables are called "Ohazuke".
In Nagano Prefecture, the production area, there was a problem in supplying green pickled vegetables all year round. Mainly produced in Shizuoka Prefecture, from March to May, tunnel-grown products are mainly produced in Yamanashi and Nagano prefectures, in June, mainly produced in Ibaraki prefecture, and from July to September, mainly produced in Yatsugatake in Nagano prefecture. The solution was to move the production area from the middle of the mountain to Togakushi .
In 1983, Nagano Prefecture selected nozawana pickles as a "Nagano Prefecture Selected Intangible Folk Cultural Property, Cultural Property of Shinano Taste."