Kaensai - Kaensai (English spelling) table beet

A biennial plant of the Chenopodiaceae family (APG classification: Amaranthaceae). It is a variety of sugar beet and is closely related to Swiss chard and fodder beet. The blade of the basal leaf is ovate or oblong, and the petiole is slightly longer than that of Swiss chard. It is characterized by a deep red color throughout the plant, a large turnip-like swelling of the root, a deep red surface, and concentric red patterns when cut into slices. It has been cultivated in Europe for medicinal purposes since around 1000 BC, and was used as food from the 2nd and 3rd centuries, but it is said that it became popular as a vegetable in the Middle Ages. It was introduced to Japan during the Edo period, and the first mention of it can be found in Yamato Honzo. The variety that is widely cultivated today is the one that was introduced from Europe and the United States after the Meiji period. It can be harvested 60 to 80 days after sowing. If you boil the roots, slice them thinly, and soak them in vinegar, they turn a bright red color, making them a good addition to salads or meat dishes. The name comes from the fact that the shape and color of the whole plant resemble flames.

[Hoshikawa Kiyochika January 21, 2021]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

アカザ科（APG分類：ヒユ科）の二年草。サトウダイコンの1変種で、フダンソウや飼料用ビートともごく近縁の作物である。根出葉の葉身は卵形または長楕円(ちょうだえん)形で、フダンソウよりは葉柄がやや長い。特徴は全草が濃赤色で、根は大形のカブ状に肥大し、表面は濃赤色、輪切りにすると同心円状に赤い紋様がある。紀元前1000年ころからヨーロッパで薬用として栽培され、2～3世紀からは食用とされたが、野菜用に普及したのは中世からという。日本への渡来は江戸時代で、『大和本草(やまとほんぞう)』に最初の記載がみられる。現在広く栽培されるのは明治以降に改めて欧米から導入された品種である。播種(はしゅ)後60～80日で収穫できる。根をゆでて薄切りにし、酢に浸すと赤色がさえ、サラダに加えたり肉料理の彩りによい。名は全草の形と色を火焔に見立てたもの。

［星川清親　2021年1月21日］

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