Eggplant Day (Nasubi Kinenbi)

What Is Eggplant Day?

Every year on April 17, Japan celebrates "Eggplant Day" (Nasubi Kinenbi). The date is a play on words: "yo (4) - i (1) - na (7) - su" sounds like "yoi nasu," meaning "good eggplant." The day was established by the Council of Major Winter-Spring Eggplant Producing Prefectures, made up of agricultural cooperative groups from six prefectures: Kochi, Okayama, Saga, Tokushima, Fukuoka, and Kumamoto, and was registered with the Japan Anniversary Association in February 2004. April is peak shipping season for winter-spring eggplants, and the date also honors Tokugawa Ieyasu, who is said to have loved eggplant and who died on the 17th day of the 4th month in the old lunar calendar. The aim is to promote the deliciousness of eggplant and encourage people to eat more of it.

Tokugawa Ieyasu and Eggplant

Eggplant has long been treasured both as a lucky food and as a prized first-of-the-season delicacy.

• Ieyasu and "Orido Eggplant": Ieyasu is said to have been fond of "Orido eggplant," grown in Orido in Suruga Province (now Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka City). The first eggplants of the season were expensive, and early-season eggplants are said to have been presented to him.
• "Fuji first, hawk second, eggplant third": This famous saying lists the three luckiest things to see in a New Year's dream. One theory holds that it lists "high" things from Suruga Province, Ieyasu's home territory — Mt. Fuji, Mt. Ashitaka, and the high price of early eggplants — while another says it lists Ieyasu's favorite things.

The Secrets of Eggplant's Color and Texture

• "Nasunin": The purple of eggplant skin comes from an anthocyanin pigment called nasunin. Cooking eggplant with the skin on lets you enjoy its color in the dish.
• Mostly water: Eggplant is more than 90% water. Its sponge-like flesh soaks up oil and dashi when cooked, which is why it works so well in simmered, fried, and stir-fried dishes.
• Many varieties: Japan has many regional varieties, including long, small, round, water (mizu-nasu), and Kamo eggplants.

Fun Facts About Eggplant

• "Nasu" vs. "Nasubi": Both words refer to the same vegetable. The older name was "nasubi," and "nasu" is said to have spread from the language of court ladies. Many areas of western Japan still say "nasubi."
• "Don't feed autumn eggplant to your daughter-in-law": This old saying can be read as mean-spirited (keeping the tasty autumn eggplant from her), but other interpretations say it showed concern — because eggplant was thought to cool the body, or because its few seeds were feared to bring bad luck for having children.
• Why "eggplant" in English: The name is said to come from white, egg-shaped varieties once known in Europe.
• Beloved worldwide: From Italian melanzane dishes to Turkish imam bayildi ("the imam fainted"), eggplant is enjoyed around the world.
• "Nasu" and "to accomplish": Because "nasu" sounds like the verb meaning "to accomplish," eggplant is also considered a lucky vegetable.

Ideas for Enjoying Eggplant Day

• Cook with seasonal winter-spring eggplant — mapo eggplant, grilled eggplant, or thick-cut eggplant "steaks."
• Look up varieties from growing regions such as Kochi, Fukuoka, and Kumamoto and compare them.
• Inspired by "nasu" meaning "to accomplish," check in on the goals you set for the new fiscal year.
• Learn about traditional local vegetables such as Orido eggplant, linked to Ieyasu.

A Day to Enjoy Spring Eggplant

April 17 is a day to enjoy eggplant at the height of its winter-to-spring shipping season. It goes with any seasoning and works in Japanese, Western, and Chinese cooking — why not add an eggplant dish to today's menu?