I. Introduction of Kudzu

One of the seven autumn flowers, kudzu, is a vine plant with a strong life. From the roots to the flowers, every part of kudzu is utilized. The roots are used for food and Oriental medicine, leaves are used for livestock feed, vines are used for cloth textiles, and flowers are used for ingredients in folk medicine.

Kudzu powder made from roots is a far superior quality cooking starch than cornstarch, potato, wheat, or sweet potato. Kudzu powder is sometimes eaten in place of rice and wheat by people in mountainous regions, as a meal for sick people, or as emergency food, etc. It was even used as a portable food for samurai warriors. Its popularity also lies in the kudzu's superior flavor, delicate texture and kudzu powder's ability to enhance the flavor of other ingredients.

As used in Oriental medicine, kudzu has various uses such as promoting perspiration, alleviating fever, stiff muscles, and high blood pressure. Kudzu, with its high nutrition and superior effectiveness, is exported all over the world as MUSO's representative dried food product.

How to Use Kudzu

Kudzu has, for a long time, been used in a traditional Japanese pastry, a bun with a bean-jam filling. When sugar was a precious commodity and hard to get, kudzu was used to make it sweet. Today kudzu is used for various dishes besides Japanese sweets, especially to add sweetness and gluten to plain-flavored dishes. When kudzu is used for tempura (frying dishes), the ingredients become crispy. Kudzu is also used for soup, mousse, jelly, and steamed dishes, adding luster by heating or steaming for a while. By utilizing its jelly texture, the shape and flavor of kudzu dishes are maintained for a long time without being affected by slight temperature changes. The luster will keep for 2-3 days.

Kudzu kiri, noodle made from kudzu, can be eaten as noodles with black honey in a bowl of cold water or as ingredient for various seasonal dishes such as casserole dishes in winter and vinegar dishes for summer. Also kudzu kiri can be fried as a tempura ingredient. It has a distinctive transparency and firmness. To make Kudzu decoction, dissolve kudzu in 10 times as much water. Add a small amount of barley malt syrup or honey. Stir well with low heat until it turns transparent.

MUSO's Kudzu

MUSO's kudzu comes from Kagoshima prefecture on Kyushu Island where it has been grown for more than 100 years. Kagoshima is famous for kudzu production and is responsible for about 90% of Japanese kudzu production. MUSO's kudzu is made from kudzu roots that are 5-10 years old with a diameter of 10-15cm and an average weight of 10kg. These characteristics are optimum for producing the best quality of starch.

After kudzu roots are gathered, they are ground, washed and stemmed. Afterward they are repeatedly "settled," "skimmed," and "washed" with cold, clean water until the supernatant liquid becomes transparent. Finally the kudzu is dried to perfection by letting it sit for 1.5 months. This creates a high quality, firm textured kudzu. The characteristics of MUSO's kudzu are high purification and clear white color, which come from using the best quality kudzu roots and traditional manufacturing processes.