1.
butterbur; fuki
A wild plant with large round leaves whose long stalks are eaten as a spring vegetable. The stalks are boiled and peeled before cooking to remove their bitterness.
Often written in kana as ふき or フキ, especially on menus and packaging. The edible part is the leaf stalk, not the leaf.
Common collocations
- 蕗の薹: butterbur sprout — the flower bud, a prized early-spring delicacy
- 蕗を煮る: to simmer butterbur
- 蕗の煮物: simmered butterbur
- 蕗味噌: miso paste made with butterbur sprouts
Cultural note
Along with bamboo shoots and wild greens, 蕗 is one of the vegetables that signal the arrival of spring in Japanese cooking, and its faint bitterness is valued rather than avoided.