Sweet Tales of Sweet Potatoes in Edo Japan

Roasted, steamed, pureed, candied - sweet potatoes or satsumaimo are considered autumn delicacies in traditional Japanese cooking (washoku). Although native to the American continent, nowadays, they take part in the Japanese pantry. They arrived in Western Japan in the 17th century, where they prospered as a nutritious, hardy crop and spread eastwards in the following centuries. As a case study, this paper will present the sweet potato's introduction, diffusion, and acceptance during the Edo period (1600-1868) when washoku took shape. Based on written sources and material culture, the main topics will be the naturalization and acculturation of a foreign entity and how a cuisine reacts and adapts to it.