Konjac
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| Amorphophallus konjac K. Koch |
Konjac (Amorphophallus konjac; syn. A. rivieri; Japanese: 蒟蒻; こんにゃく; konnyaku; Chinese: 蒟蒻; pinyin: jǔ ruò), also known as konjak, konjaku, devil's tongue, voodoo lily, snake palm, or elephant yam (though this name is also used for A. paeoniifolius), is a plant of the genus Amorphophallus. It is native to warm subtropical to tropical eastern Asia, from Japan and China south to Indonesia.
It is a perennial plant, growing from a large corm up to 25 cm in diameter. The single leaf is up to 1.3 m across, bipinnate, and divided into numerous leaflets. The flowers are produced on a spathe enclosed by a dark purple spadix up to 55 cm long.
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[edit] Cultivation and use
Konjac is grown in China, Japan and Korea for its large starchy corm, used to create a flour and jelly of the same name. It is also used as a vegan substitute for gelatin.
In Japanese cuisine, konnyaku appears in dishes such as oden. It is typically mottled grey, and firmer in consistency than most gelatins. It has very little taste; the common variety tastes vaguely like seaweed. It is valued more for its texture than flavor.
Japanese konnyaku jelly is made by mixing konnyaku flour with water and limewater. Hijiki is often added for the characteristic dark color and flavor. Without additives for color, konnyaku is pale white. It is then boiled and cooled to solidify. Konnyaku made in noodle form is called shirataki (see shirataki noodles), and used in foods such as sukiyaki and gyudon.
Japanese historical novelist Ryotaro Shiba claims in a 1982 travelogue that konjac is consumed in parts of Sichuan province; the corm is reportedly called moyu (魔芋), and the jelly is called moyu dofu (魔芋豆腐) or shue moyu (雪魔芋).
Konjac can also be made into a popular Asian fruit jelly snack, usually served in bite-sized plastic cups. Due to the concern in the late 1990s about the risk of small children and seniors choking on the snacks, there have been subsequent recalls in the U.S. and Canada. Unlike gelatin, konjac gel does not dissolve readily in the mouth. The snacks usually have warning labels advising parents to make sure that their children chew the jelly thoroughly before swallowing.
The dried corm of the konjac plant contains around 40% glucomannan gum. This polysaccharide makes konjac jelly highly viscous.
Konnyaku has almost no calories but is very high in fiber. Thus, it is often used as a diet food.
Konjac powder was added to the first national currency of Japan in the late 1800s, to prevent counterfeiting, but it was stopped after rats began to eat the bills.
There is no connection with the alcoholic drink with similar pronunciaion, Cognac.
[edit] References in Anime and Manga
- In the Japanese comic Doraemon, the main character Nobita eats a piece of Hon'yaku-Konnyaku (literally translation konjac), obtained from Doraemon's four-dimensional belly pouch, to understand and speak any language.
- In the Japanese comic and TV animated series Lupin III (Lupin the 3rd), Goemon Ishikawa's sword can cut through steel girders but not konnyaku jelly.
- Konnyaku is also used for several side-jokes in Yotsuba&!. Yotsuba asks her dad what his job is, he answers "Honyakuka" (translator) and she misinterprets this as a "Konnyakuya" (maker of konnyaku). This leads other characters to believe that since he doesn't talk much about his job, he must be keeping trade secrets for making high-quality konnyaku.
- As one of several food-based items with consistent jokes in Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, the most infamous regards when Tokoro Tennosuke (Jelly Jiggler) equating the power of an evil force with that of konnyaku when comparing it to chart of various gelatinous/jiggly foods. Not coincidently, the top of his chart is tokoroten, which is what he's made of!
- In "Kanon", Yuuichi caught Makoto digging through the fridge for a midnight snack; Yuuichi then dropped a Konnyaku down Makoto's shirt.The next day, Makoto tried to get revenge on Yuuichi by putting Konnyaku on his face while he's asleep. Yuuichi wakes up though, and forces her to eat it.
[edit] References
- Kaidō wo Iku, vol. 20: Chūgoku—Shoku to Unnan no Michi (On the Road, vol. 20: China—The Roads of Shu and Yunnan) by Ryotaro Shiba (1987), Chapter 3.
