Leek - Leek (English spelling)

Japanese: リーキ - りーき（英語表記）leek

A biennial plant of the lily family (APG classification: Amaryllidaceae). A vegetable native to the Mediterranean coastal areas, it is also called leek, Chinese chive, or leek. The leaves resemble those of garlic, but are larger. The leaf blade is flat, 30-50 cm long, 3-4 cm wide, and bent to the left and right from the central vein. More than 10 leaf blades grow above ground, overlapping each other, and the leaf sheath is underground, forming a white root-like shape of a leek with a diameter of about 3 cm, but is less than 30 cm long. In early summer, the flower stalk grows to a length of 1-2 meters, and at the end of the stem, a spherical inflorescence with a diameter of 7-10 cm is produced. The flowers are about 1 cm in diameter and come in pink, red, purple, or white. Many black seeds bear fruit and die, but several chestnut-shaped bulbs with a diameter of 1-5 cm form underground at the base, which germinate in the fall and reproduce. Seeds are sown in a seedbed in spring or autumn, and the seedlings are planted in the field. Like leeks, they are grown by piling up soil to soften the soil, and the white roots are harvested in winter. They have been widely used in Europe since ancient Greece and Rome. They were introduced to Japan in the early Meiji period, but are not used much because leeks are more widely used and their yield is inferior.

[Hoshikawa Kiyochika March 20, 2019]

use

The white roots are used in stews and soups, and in salads with the young leaves. It is said that Emperor Nero of Rome used it as a medicine for beautiful voice. Leeks also have flower stalks that are purposely bent and twisted to grow, and the blooming stalks are used as fresh flowers.

[Hoshikawa Kiyochika March 20, 2019]

leek
©Shogakukan ">

leek

Young Leeks (Poirot Jeune)
©Shogakukan ">

Young Leeks (Poirot Jeune)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

ユリ科（APG分類：ヒガンバナ科）の二年草。地中海沿岸地帯原産の野菜で、セイヨウネギ、ニラネギ、ポロネギなどとよばれる。葉はニンニクに似ているが、それより大形。葉身は扁平(へんぺい)で長さ30～50センチメートル、幅3～4センチメートル、中央脈から左右に折れている。地上には10枚余の葉身が重なって伸び、葉鞘(ようしょう)部は地中にあって太さ径3センチメートルほどのネギの白根状になるが、長さは30センチメートル以下。初夏に花茎が伸び、長さ1～2メートルになり、その先に径7～10センチメートルの球状の花序をつける。花は径約1センチメートル、花色は桃、紅、紫、白色である。多くの黒い種子が実って枯れるが、地中の根元に径1～5センチメートルの栗(くり)状の球根が数個でき、これが秋に発芽して繁殖する。春または秋に苗床に種を播(ま)き、苗を畑に定植。ネギ同様に土寄せして軟化栽培し、白根を冬季に収穫する。ヨーロッパでは古代ギリシア・ローマ時代から広く利用されている。日本へは明治初年に伝来したが、ネギが普及しているためと収量も劣るのであまり利用されていない。

［星川清親　2019年3月20日］