TONBURI: Caviar of the Fields

TONBURI: Caviar of the Fields

The Japanese eat a number of “unusual” foods, and TONBURI (とんぶり) surely qualifies as one of them. Tonburi are the seeds of Kochia scoparia/Bassia scoparia,  also known as 箒草 hōki-gusa. Branches of the mature kochia plant are crafted into hōki brooms (yes,...
PROJECT Tonburi

PROJECT Tonburi

PROJECT TONBURI Tonburi, the seeds of the broom plant, are tiny and black-green in color. Because they mimic the appearance and mouthfeel of sturgeon caviar tonburi is often referred to as  hataké no kyabia (“caviar of the field”).  Akita prefecture in the Tohoku...