Seven herbs (nanakusa) processed food

Abstract

To facilitate eating of rice porridge with seven herbs (Nanakusa-gayu) which is also medicinal herb cuisine which is taken as a festival dish and with a limited season when taken.SOLUTION: A Nanakusa processed food is provided by mixing dried Nanakusa obtained from as a material Nanakusa whose sprout season has passed and a seasoning capable of emphasizing flavors of Nanakusa and facilitating eating of the food. By mixing the Nanakusa processed food into rice porridge or rice, a novel medicinal herb dish can be taken as an instant food, the dish having looks, colors, and flavors of an original one of Nanakusa-gayu as its model and being readily taken.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to processed foods of seven edible plants used in seven-herb porridge.

Background Art

[0002] Seven types of plants, namely celery, shepherd's purse, chickweed, common chickweed, Indian chickweed, turnip (swede), and white radish, are used as food under the name of "spring's seven herbs". "Seven-herb porridge" made by chopping these "spring's seven herbs" and cooking them with rice has been eaten since the pine season (January 7th).

[0003] Seven-herb porridge is a ceremonial food for praying for good health and freedom from illness on the seventh day of the first lunar month, which is the first festival among the five seasonal festivals. Since each of the seven herbs has medicinal effects such as detoxification and anti-inflammation, it is also a kind of medicinal diet that can soothe a tired stomach during New Year's dishes. Young seven herbs (young shoots) have been used in seven-herb porridge with the wish of incorporating the vitality of the plants. Using young shoots of the seven herbs not only bears the above-mentioned auspicious meaning but also has a practical significance that even those who do not like medicinal diets can easily eat them. That is, most of the seven herbs become tough and difficult to eat deliciously after passing the young shoot period (seedling to early growth stage), but young shoots are soft and easy to eat.

[0004] Thus, seven-herb porridge is popular as an easy-to-eat medicinal diet on festive days. However, among the spring's seven herbs used in seven-herb porridge, some, such as chickweed and Indian chickweed, are wild weeds that are not cultivated for food. Therefore, it is not easy to obtain spring's seven herbs in urban areas.

[0005] The inventor of the present application thought that he wanted to continue the tradition of eating seven-herb porridge during the process of urbanization, and in the underground food sales area of the former Hankyu Department Store, which was known as a place where the forefront and peak of Kansai cuisine gathered, in 1983, he started selling a set of fresh spring's seven herbs as New Year's food.

[0006] The sale of this fresh spring seven-herb set attracted attention as a novel attempt at the beginning of its sale, and since then, fresh and processed products of the spring seven-herb set, which are difficult to obtain in the city, have been provided. For example, a processed product obtained by freeze-drying the spring seven herbs has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] The spring seven herbs, which are the foods for the event in Matsunouchi, are originally eaten as fresh products using young shoots. In particular, since the spring seven herbs have medicinal effects and include wild weeds with a strong rustic flavor, as freshly made porridge using fresh young shoots, it is colorful, fragrant, and easy to eat. However, if time has passed since cooking or if poor-quality or stale herbs are used, the original charm is often lost. In particular, when processing the spring seven herbs into retort pouch-packed seven-herb porridge or freeze-dried processed products, it is not easy to maintain the original shape, color, and flavor of the seven-herb porridge.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] In view of such problems, the inventor has developed a seven-herb processed food containing a dried product of the spring seven herbs and a dried product of seasonings. Specifically, the present application provides the following.

[0010] (1) A seven-herb processed food comprising a dried product of seven herbs consisting of the aerial parts of celery, shepherd's purse, chickweed, carpetweed, Indian chickweed, turnip, and Japanese radish, and a dried seasoning. (2) The seven-herb processed food according to (1), wherein the dried seasoning is dried miso obtained by drying miso.

[0011] (1) In this aspect, by combining the dried seven-herb product with a dried seasoning, when the seven-herb processed food is mixed with cooked rice, "unusual seven-herbs" porridge or pickled vegetables in soup can be instantaneously made. Spring's seven herbs are originally made into plain porridge when eaten as seven-herb porridge. However, the present invention enables it to be made into "unusual seven-herb porridge" with added flavor by seasonings, making it easy to eat while having the flavor of seven-herb porridge, and enabling it to be easily eaten as a processed product rather than as a fresh product.

[0012] As the seasoning, a seasoning having a flavor that enhances the color and aroma of the dried seven-herb product is preferable. For example, dried miso is preferable (aspect (2)). The seasoning preferably has a light color and taste. When using miso as the seasoning, the white miso should account for 50% or more of the total seasoning, and the blended miso should account for 20% or more of the total seasoning. By using the seven-herb processed food according to aspect (2), miso-made seven-herb porridge or pickled vegetables in soup can be instantaneously eaten. In aspect (2) of making unusual seven-herbs made with miso, seasonings other than miso may be included as the seasoning. As a seasoning to replace or mix with miso, seasonings derived from food ingredients used as materials for dashi such as kelp are preferable.

[0013] In addition to the above aspects, the present application provides the following. (3) The dried seven-herb product is made from the above-ground parts of the seedlings exceeding the normal growth stage with a plant height of 10 cm or more for celery, shepherd's purse, turnip, and daikon radish, 5 cm or more for chickweed and common chickweed, and 3 cm or more for Indian cress, which are the above-ground parts after the mid-growing stage, and is a bright green seven-herb dried product with a Lab value a value less than 0, obtained by scalding and drying the above-ground parts of the seedlings exceeding the normal growth stage with hot water at 80°C or higher. The seven-herb processed food according to (1) or (2). (4) The bright green seven-herb dried product is an aromatic bright green seven-herb dried product having an aroma equal to or higher than the standard aroma in a sensitivity test using the harvested state of the seven herbs as the standard aroma. The seven-herb processed food according to (3). (5) The dried seasoning is manufactured from natural raw materials. The above-mentioned seven-herb processed food contains the natural components originally present in the dried product of the above-mentioned seven herbs and the raw materials of the dried seasonings, and is a preservative-free seven-herb processed food that does not contain chemically synthesized coloring agents and flavoring agents, which is the seven-herb processed food according to any one of (1) to (4). (6) The seven-herb processed food according to any one of (1) to (5), which contains 1 g or more and less than 3 g of each of the dried product of the above-mentioned seven herbs and the dried seasonings, and is individually packaged without mixing the two.

[0014] Conventionally, young shoots have been used as the seven herbs used in the seven-herb porridge eaten on January 7. In the present application (3), however, the seven herbs that have grown further after passing the young shoot stage (i.e., after the mid-growth stage) are used. Generally, plants for food use are regarded as seedlings or young shoots in the initial growth stage until the above-ground part (stem and leaves) grows from the underground part (root) and the length of the above-ground part (plant height) reaches about 10 to 20% of the size when it is mature.

[0015] In the case of the seven herbs in spring, for celery, shepherd's purse, turnip (Japanese radish), and daikon radish (white radish), the plant height of the above-ground part becomes about 30 to 40 cm when mature. Therefore, in the present specification, for these plants, the stage from when the above-ground part (stem and leaves) grows from the underground part (root) until the length of the above-ground part (plant height) reaches about 3 to 5 cm is regarded as seedlings or young shoots in the initial growth stage. In the present application (3), it is preferable to use the above-ground part in the middle of growth (referred to as "plant exceeding seedlings" in the present specification) that has passed the young shoot stage (including seedlings, the same hereinafter) and has reached about 30 to 70% of the size when mature, and is not a young shoot but not yet mature (referred to as "exceeding seedlings and not yet mature" in the present specification). The state (plant height) of exceeding seedlings and not yet mature is about 3 cm or more and 20 cm or less, and varies for each plant.

[0016] Specifically, for celery, shepherd's purse, turnip, and radish, it is as described above. On the other hand, for chickweed and common chickweed, the plant height above the ground becomes about 10 to 20 cm when mature. Therefore, in this specification, for chickweed and common chickweed, the part above the ground (stem and leaves) extends from the part below the ground (root), and the length of the part above the ground (plant height) up to about 1 to 3 m is regarded as a seedling or a young shoot in the initial growth stage. For Indian cress, the plant height above the ground becomes about 5 to 10 cm when mature. Therefore, in this specification, for Indian cress, the part above the ground (stem and leaves) extends from the part below the ground (root), and the length of the part above the ground (plant height) up to about 1 to 2 cm is regarded as a seedling or a young shoot in the initial growth stage. In the present invention, as described in the aspect (3), it is preferable to use, as a raw material, the part above the ground during growth with a plant height of 3 cm or more and around 10 cm as a seedling-exceeding grass in a state between exceeding a seedling and not yet being mature. In this specification, the "plant height" refers to the length from the base of the plant to the tip of the part above the ground extending from the base of the plant.

[0017] The seedling-exceeding grass may be cut into pieces about 1 to 3 cm in the fresh state, blanched in boiling water at 80°C or higher, and then dried. The blanching may be carried out for about 1 second to several seconds, and after blanching, it may be cooled with cold water. By treating in this way, impurities can be removed and sterilization can be performed, and furthermore, it can be colored into a vivid green. The blanched seedling-exceeding grass is dried. In the drying process, the drying method is not limited as long as it is noted that the color and aroma of the blanched seedling-exceeding grass are not lost, and it may be dried by a method such as air drying or freeze drying. It is preferable to air dry with warm air at a low temperature (for example, about 40°C or higher and 80°C or lower) because the aroma will stand out.

[0018] By selecting and processing the raw materials according to the aspect (3) of the present application in this way, a processed product can be obtained that can reproduce the color, taste, and aroma of the seven-herb porridge, which is a festival food. Specifically, for the color and taste, in the measurement of Lab values by a color difference meter, it is preferable that the value of the a value, which is an index indicating the intensity of green, is less than 0 (that is, a negative value), particularly -5 or less, and more preferably -15 or less. Therefore, for the dried product obtained by the above-described treatment, the dried product with an a value less than 0 may be selected as the "fresh green seven-herb dried product" and preferably used in the present application (3).

[0019] Also, regarding the fragrance, it is preferable that, in the sensitivity test, using the seven herbs in the state before passing through hot water as a standard, the fragrance is equal to or greater than that of the standard fragrance. Therefore, for the dried product obtained by the above-described treatment, the dried product determined to have a fragrance equal to or greater than that of the standard in the sensitivity test may be selected as the "fragrant seven-herb dried product" and preferably used in the present application (4). The dried product of the seven herbs having the properties defined in (3) for color and taste and the properties defined in (4) for fragrance can be particularly preferably used in the present application as the "fragrant bright-green seven-herb dried product".

[0020] The bright-green seven-herb dried product, the fragrant seven-herb dried product, and the fragrant bright-green seven-herb dried product can reproduce one or both of the color, taste, and fragrance that are enjoyed as seven-herb porridge when the hot water is returned by selecting raw materials and devising the processing steps. Therefore, for the seven-herb processed food according to the present invention, substances (such as coloring agents and fragrances) that express the color and fragrance of the seven herbs are not required in addition to the dried product of the seven herbs. In particular, additives composed of chemically synthesized coloring agents, fragrances, seasonings, preservatives, and other chemically synthesized substances bring a flavor different from the flavor such as the color and fragrance of the seven-herb processed food prepared by the above-described procedure. Therefore, as an aspect according to the present application (5), a seasoning-free, additive-free seven-herb processed food is provided, in which both the seasoning and the dried product of the seven herbs are made from naturally derived raw materials and do not contain chemically synthesized substances.

[0021] The seven-herb processed food according to the present application is an instant processed food manufactured by drying and can be eaten immediately. It is preferably added to porridge, pickled in soup, etc. in an appropriate amount, neither too much nor too little. Therefore, in the aspect of the present application (6), an appropriate amount of the seven-herb processed food for one person (a bowl of rice or porridge) is individually packaged. Specifically, it contains 1 g or more and 3 g or less of each of the dried seven herbs and the dried seasoning, and they are individually packaged without being mixed. For individual packaging, it is preferable to, for example, remove the air so that the contents do not mix when the packaging is moved. Also, it is advisable to package it with a transparent member so that the fresh green color of the dried seven herbs can be visually recognized in the packaged state. Alternatively, a material (for example, aluminum) that prevents deterioration of the color and flavor of the dried seven herbs may be used as the packaging material. The individually packaged seven-herb processed food may be packaged together in a plurality and packaged in an outer bag having a light-shielding property that can prevent discoloration.

Effects of the Invention

[0022] According to the present invention, the seven herbs of spring that have been eaten as seasonal foods for the New Year's events can be eaten as an instant food that is easy to consume. Also, while having flavors such as a scent that gives the medicinal effect of the seven-herb porridge made using the seven herbs of spring including wild herbs with medicinal effects, it is possible to eat a unique seven-herb porridge or pickled in soup that is easy to eat even for those who are not accustomed to medicinal diets as an instant food. Furthermore, according to the present invention, a processed food having the color and flavor of the seven herbs of spring eaten as fresh food without using additives other than the seven herbs and seasonings, particularly chemically synthesized coloring agents and flavorings, is provided, and the original taste and scent of the seven herbs of spring can be eaten as an instant medicinal diet.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the examples of the present invention. <Example 1> Regarding chickweed, shepherd's purse, cuckooflower, Indian cress, celery, daikon radish, and turnip, the above-ground parts in a state of exceeding seedlings and less than maturity were harvested. For celery, daikon radish, turnip, and shepherd's purse, the above-ground parts about 15 cm in plant height were harvested, for cuckooflower and chickweed, those about 7 to 10 cm in plant height, and for Indian cress, those about 3 cm in plant height, all of which were the above-ground parts after the mid-growing stage.

[0024] The harvested seven herbs were cut into pieces about 1 cm for the parts near the roots and stems and about 1 - 3 cm for the parts near the leaves and leaf tips. After boiling and passing them through water maintained at 80°C or higher, they were then passed through cold water and dried using a dryer with warm air at 60°C to air-dry them.

[0025] Regarding 2 g of the obtained dried seven herbs, the Lab values of the most frequently seen green part (standard green A), the greener part than A (bright green B), and the duller green part than B (dark green C) were measured using a smartphone equipped with an app that can measure Lab values. The measured values were such that the a value of the Lab value was -26 for A, -32 for B, and -16 for C. Also, in a sensitivity test with the state before harvesting as the standard, it was recognized that there was a scent equal to or more than the standard scent. Also, as seasonings, dried products of white miso, combined miso, and kelp tea were prepared.

[0026] 3 g each of the prepared dried seven herbs and the dried seasonings were separately placed in a transparent plastic film without mixing them, air was removed to prevent mixing, and they were sealed and individually packaged. The breakdown of the 3 g of the dried seasonings was 2 g of the dried white miso, 1.5 g of the dried combined miso, and 0.5 g of the dried kelp tea.

[0027] This individually packaged product was mixed with one bowlful of cooked white rice scooped with a tea bowl, and hot water was poured over it to make it into a hot water soak. In the sensitivity test with the state before harvesting as the standard, a scent equal to or more than the standard scent was recognized. When measuring the Lab values of the three green parts, the most frequently seen green, the greener green, and the duller green, of the seven herbs in the hot water soak, the a values were -28, -38, and -18.

Claims

1. A processed seven-herb food product comprising a dried product of the aerial parts of seven herbs consisting of celery, shepherd's purse, chickweed, common chickweed, Indian cress, turnip, and daikon radish, and a dried seasoning.

2. The processed seven-herb food product according to claim 1, wherein the dried seasoning is dried miso.

3. The dried product of the seven herbs is made from overgrown seedlings of the aerial parts after the mid-growing stage, where the celery, shepherd's purse, turnip, and daikon radish have a plant height of 10 cm or more, the chickweed and common chickweed have a plant height of 5 cm or more, and the Indian cress has a plant height of 3 cm or more. The overgrown seedlings are blanched in hot water at 80°C or higher and then dried to obtain a bright green dried seven-herb product with an L*a* value less than 0. The processed seven-herb food product according to claim 1.

4. The bright green dried seven-herb product is an aromatic bright green dried seven-herb product having a fragrance equal to or greater than that of the standard fragrance in a sensitivity test using the harvested state of the seven herbs as the standard fragrance. The processed seven-herb food product according to claim 3.

5. The dried seasoning is manufactured from naturally derived raw materials. The processed seven-herb food product contains natural components originally present in the raw materials of the dried product of the seven herbs and the dried seasoning, and does not contain chemically synthesized substances including chemically synthesized coloring agents and fragrances. It is an additive-free processed seven-herb food product according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The processed seven-herb food product according to any one of claims 1 to 4, containing 1 g or more and 3 g or less of each of the dried product of the seven herbs and the dried seasoning, and individually packaged without mixing the two.