Gobo(牛蒡)

Japanese food is good for you. Except sometimes high in salt.
Let me introduce gobo, burdock today.

Burdock(English: edible burdok, French: grande bardane comestible) also known as Bardane, Clotburr, Beggars Buttons and Gypsy Rhubarb.

Gobo(edible burdok) is a very commen root that is eaten in Japan.  We use burdok in Tempura, Nimono, salad, etc.  My kid's favorite is fried burdock.  Becomes like potato chips, crispy!  I often haven complimented by foreign guest when they try the burdock Tempura.  Burdock is sliced or cut into sticks in the size of matches and deep fried with Tempura flour.  For most foreigners eating burdock is new to them.  Burdock is from the Northern part of the Eurasian Continent.  It is said to come from China before the 9th century.  Before, It seemed that burdock is only cultivated in Japan to eat.  Nowadays, it is also cultivated in other asian countries to export to Japan. 

Japanese know that gobo is very good for your digestions.  

For more information about the health benefits of burdock,  please take a look at this link.

We rarely see the burdock flower since burdock is harvested before the flower blooms.