Dioscorea japonica explained

Dioscorea japonica, known as East Asian mountain yam,^[1] yamaimo, or Japanese mountain yam, is a type of yam (Dioscorea) native to Japan (including Ryukyu and Bonin Islands), Korea, China, Taiwan, and Assam.^[2]

Dioscorea japonica is used for food. Jinenjo, also called the wild yam, is a related variety of Japanese yam that is used as an ingredient in soba noodles.

Names

In Japanese, it is known as .^[3] is another kind of Dioscorea japonica, which is native to fields and mountains in Japan.

In Chinese, Dioscorea japonica is known as yě shānyào (Chinese: {{Wikt-lang|zh|野) which translates to English as "wild Chinese yam" or simply "wild yam". Another name is Rìběn shǔyù (Chinese: {{Wikt-lang|zh|日本; literally "Japanese yam").^[4]

In Korean, it is known as cham ma (Korean: 참마), as well as dang ma (Korean: 당마).

Chemistry

Dioscorea japonica contains the antimutagenic compounds eudesmol and paeonol.^[5]

Varieties

Several formal botanical varieties have been proposed. Four are accepted:^{[2] [4]}

1. Dioscorea japonica var. japonica - Japan (Ryukyu, Bonin), Korea, Taiwan, China (Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang)
2. Dioscorea japonica var. nagarum Prain & Burkill - India (Assam)
3. Dioscorea japonica var. oldhamii R.Knuth - China (Guangdong, Guangxi), Taiwan
4. Dioscorea japonica var. pilifera C.T.Ting & M.C.Chang - China (Anhui, Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Zhejiang)

Uses

In Japanese cuisine, both the Japanese yam and the introduced Chinese yam are used interchangeably in dishes and recipes.^[6]

See also

• Tororo (food), a Japanese dish made from grating raw yams such as yamaimo

Notes and References

1. Book: English Names for Korean Native Plants. Korea National Arboretum. 2015. 978-89-97450-98-5. Pocheon. 442. 4 January 2017. Korea Forest Service.
2. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=240312 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
3. Book: Ohwi, Jisaburo . Jisaburo Ohwi . Frederick G. . Meyer . Egbert H. . Walker . Flora of Japan . 21 January 2012 . 1965 . Smithsonian Institution . Washington, DC . 742327504 . 314 .
4. Web site: Dioscorea japonica in Flora of China @ efloras.org . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA . 21 January 2012.
5. Antimutagenic Activity of (+)-β-Eudesmol and Paeonol from Dioscorea japonica. Mitsuo Miyazawa, Hideo Shimamura, Sei-ichi Nakamura and Hiromu Kameoka, J. Agric. Food Chem., 1996, 44 (7), pages 1647–1650,
6. News: 'Yamaimo': Japan's slimy mountain yam. Itoh. Makiko. 2015-07-15. The Japan Times . 2019-06-07.