Japanese sweet potatoes gain global popularity

[thomas]

Any other イモ (薩摩芋 satsuma imo) lovers here? This autumn, we have grown addicted to Japanese sweet potatoes (the solid, undistilled ones). Since we have given up on unhealthy snacking, they are a nutritious snack replacement.

Japan's sweet potato exports have surged due to innovative preservation techniques and a focus on catering to diverse global markets:

High-quality Japanese sweet potatoes are now being exported to various regions, including Asia, Europe, the United States, and the Middle East. In 2023, Japan exported 6,200 tons of sweet potatoes, a significant increase from the previous decade. The export value soared to 2.9 billion yen, nearly tenfold the earlier figure. The export surge, mainly since 2018, can be attributed to the popularity of Japanese sweet potatoes in Singapore, fueled by their introduction at Don Quijote stores. The company's PR official credits the high sugar content and quality of the selected potatoes for their success as a popular sweet treat. These sweet potatoes are served raw and baked at 47 Don Quijote outlets worldwide.

Kushima Aoi Farm, based in Miyazaki Prefecture, is Japan's leading exporter of sweet potatoes, accounting for 20% of the national total. The company employs about 100 workers, including a significant number of foreign nationals, to manage its 1,450-ton storage facility. Annually, Kushima Aoi Farm handles 10,000 tons of sweet potatoes, sourced from its own fields and 280 partner farms. Approximately 1,000 tons of these potatoes are exported to 11 countries and regions, primarily for sale in local supermarkets. To ensure product freshness during transportation, the company employs specific preservation techniques. The potatoes are stored in climate-controlled containers that maintain high humidity and temperature levels. This environment promotes the natural healing of any scratches or wounds on the potatoes, forming protective cork layers that prevent decay and spoilage during shipping.

Japanese sweet potatoes winning over consumers around the world | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

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I asked Gemini whether sweet potatoes were healthy:

Nutritional Powerhouse: Japanese Sweet Potatoes

Japanese sweet potatoes are not only delicious but also incredibly nutritious. They are a rich source of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Here's a breakdown of their key nutritional benefits:

• Vitamins and Minerals:
  • Vitamin A: Essential for maintaining healthy vision, skin, and immune function.
  • Vitamin C: A powerful antioxidant that boosts immunity and aids in iron absorption.
  • Potassium: Helps regulate blood pressure and heart health.
  • Manganese: Involved in various metabolic processes, including bone health and energy production.
  • Copper: Essential for iron absorption and energy production.
• Fiber:
  • It promotes digestive health and helps regulate blood sugar levels.
• Antioxidants:
  • Help protect cells from damage caused by harmful free radicals.

Incorporating Japanese sweet potatoes into your diet can improve overall health and well-being. They are versatile ingredients that can be enjoyed in various ways, from baked to roasted, mashed, or even in sweet treats like pies and cakes.

Note: While Japanese sweet potatoes are a nutritious food, it's important to consume them in moderation as part of a balanced diet.

Nutritional break-down (Wikipedia):

Cooked sweet potato (baked in skin) is 76% water, 21% carbohydrates, 2% protein, and contains negligible fat (table). In a 100-gram reference amount, baked sweet potato provides 90 calories and rich contents (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of vitamin A (120% DV), vitamin C (24% DV), manganese (24% DV), and vitamin B6 (20% DV). It is a moderate source (10–19% DV) of some B vitamins and potassium. Between 50% and 90% of the sugar content is sucrose. Maltose content is very low, but baking can increase the maltose content from between 10% and 20%.

 

[johnnyG]

AndI instantly think of the little trucks... "yaaaki imoooo"

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

"Wow, 78% Sugar Content! Why Are Summer Sweet Potatoes So Sweet? The Best Way to Make the New Summer Staple, Cold-Baked Sweet Potato"



Long lines at sweet potato events! But why "sweet potatoes" in the summer? We investigated the reason.

■Why are summer sweet potatoes sweet? 78% sugar content also appears

Caster Kumazaki Fuuto:
Summersweet potatoes are often aged for a long time, so they are said to be very sweet. The key to this is "curing".

According to Tetsuya Yokomizo of Ono Food Machinery, which manufactures the sweet potato roasting machine "Meijingyaki," curing is harvesting and ripening sweet potatoes. If you leave them at a high temperature and humidity for several days (for example, about three days at a temperature of 35°C and humidity of 90%), the skin will thicken and prevent the invasion of bacteria.

In other words, it is a technology that makes sweet potatoes less likely to rot. However, they will rot if they are aged for a long time. Until a few years ago, it was said that (potatoes harvested in autumn or winter) would not last until the following summer.

However, thanks to research by farmers and researchers into the temperature and humidity of the curing process, sweet potatoes that don't spoil until summer have been developed. In other words, summer sweet potatoes have a more extended ripening period and are sweeter.

Sweet and healthy, SAZANKA's "Extremely Sweet Matured Roasted Sweet Potatoes (large: 1,000 yen)" has a 78% sugar content, a rare sweetness.

Caster Horan Chiaki:
I just had it, and it was juicy and extremely sweet.

Caster Inoue Takahiro:
It was so sweet that I couldn't believe how much potential the sweetness of sweet potatoes alone could have.

Sports psychologist (PhD) Tanaka Urve Kyo:
It was very sweet. It was delicious.

■Exquisite: Wrap roasted sweet potatoes in a blanket. Easy and delicious at home

Caster Kumazaki:
We asked Yokomizo of Ono Food Machinery how to make the new summer staple "chilled roasted sweet potato."

[How to make chilled baked sweet potatoes]

-Wrap in aluminium foil and bake in a toaster

-Wrap in a blanket to cool (about two hours)

-Cool in the fridge, and it's done

It takes 4-5 hours to make, so it's best to make it in the morning if you want to have it as a 3 o'clock snack.

 

[mdchachi]

Those yaki imo trucks really hot the spot on those cold Tokyo days and nights.

 

[johnnyG]

Sweet potato vodka.

 

[johnnyG]

One daughter and her family are back visiting, and they came home from shopping this afternoon with a couple of these:

 

[mdchachi]

5 seconds? Seems like it would be better savor it a little.

 

[johnnyG]

One potato sold here (eaten?) every five seconds? Probably during the season.

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

100 sell for ten minutes] What is a cheap, delicious reason why "the baked potato of Don Quixote" is popular?

【10分に100本売れてる】“ドン・キホーテの焼き芋”はなぜ人気なのか、安くて美味しい理由とは？ | 【公式】モノマックス（MonoMax）｜付録、カバン、時計、家電、カップ麺などの情報を詳しく解説！

ドン・キホーテほぼ全店の店頭で販売されている焼き芋。それだけでなく、ドンキでは「焼き芋大福」「焼き芋タルト」「焼き芋グミ」など数多くの焼き芋関連商品が登場しています。実はドンキでは10年以上焼き芋を販売し続けており、直...

monomax.jp

The opportunity when Don Quixote would handle a baked potato in earnest is the Great East Japan Earthquake. It does it by an opening to hear the story not to be appreciated that I sell, and a point grieves at of the sweet potato of Ibaraki by an earthquake disaster for a long time from the potato wholesale dealer which was a business partner to have wrestled for baked potato sale.

After pushing forward the reviews such as raw materials or the machine from around 2014, and repeating efforts to sell a high-quality baked potato for low price at store, the recognition spread to a rise, many consumers, and sales came to approximately gradually handle it afterwards in all the stores like the present.
One baked potato of such Don Quixote is often sold for around 200 yen and is the impression that compares it that it is sold in a convenience store or a supermarket, and is low-priced. On the other hand, as for the taste, there are many voices of the praise on the net including "cheap, delicious it is the best" "eating every day" "delicious". Why can a low-priced baked potato come out though it is high quality?

"The secret of the taste handles only the farm which I appointed to keep unity in taste and the material which selected carefully. Furthermore, I can hold down a price by shipping it directly from each raw materials production center to a store (Don Quixote public information)