【Reading】かんぴょう

【English Name】Kanpyo (Dried Gourd Strips)

Kanpyo is a traditional dried food made by shaving the fruit of the bottle gourd (yugao) into long ribbon-like strips and drying them in the sun. In the world of sushi, "kanpyo-maki"—simmered sweet-and-savory kanpyo wrapped in nori—has been loved since the Edo period, and it remains an indispensable ingredient in thick rolls (futomaki) and chirashi sushi.

Tochigi Prefecture accounts for more than 99% of domestic production. As of 2021, domestic distribution was about 1,039 tons, of which imports from China made up the majority at about 852 tons, while the 187 tons of domestic product circulated mainly in the retail market.

Kanpyo can be broadly divided into two types: bleached product, which undergoes fumigation with sulfurous acid gas to prevent mold and discoloration, and unbleached product, which receives no such treatment. Bleached kanpyo must have its sulfur content removed by salt-rubbing and pre-boiling before cooking. Unbleached kanpyo has a pale brownish tint and is prized for the natural sweetness of the material and its soft texture, though it tends to be priced somewhat higher. The Food Sanitation Act stipulates that the residual sulfur dioxide per kilogram of kanpyo be kept at or below 5.0 g.

Nutritionally, it is low in calories yet rich in dietary fiber, providing about 30 g of fiber per 100 g in its dried state. In sushi chefs' jargon, kanpyo-maki is sometimes called "Kizu-maki," a name said to derive from the place name Kizu in the old province of Settsu, handed down as the original production area of kanpyo.