Kanpyō (food)

For the Japanese era, see Kanpyō (era).

Kanpyō (かんぴょう or 干瓢), sometimes romanized and pronounced kampyō, are dried shavings of Lagenaria siceraria var. hispida, a variety of calabash gourd. The gourd is known as yugao (夕顔) or fukube (フクベ) in Japanese.^[3] Kanpyō is an ingredient in traditional Edo style Japanese cuisine. Cooked and flavored kanpyō is commonly used in futomaki sushi roll.^[3]

Kanpyo (dried gourd strips)

Kanpyō (raw), dried shavings of Lagenaria siceraria var. hispida
Nutritional value per 100 g
Energy	1,079 kJ (258 kcal)
Carbohydrates	65.03 g
Dietary fiber	9.8 g
Fat	0.56 g
Saturated	0.045 g
Trans	0
Monounsaturated	0.103 g
Polyunsaturated	0.244 g
Protein	8.58 g
Vitamins and minerals Vitamins Quantity %DV† Vitamin A 0 IU Thiamine (B1) 0% 0 mg Riboflavin (B2) 3% 0.044 mg Niacin (B3) 18% 2.9 mg Pantothenic acid (B5) 51% 2.553 mg Vitamin B6 31% 0.532 mg Folate (B9) 15% 61 μg Vitamin B12 0% 0 μg Vitamin C 0% 0.2 mg Vitamin D 0% 0 IU Minerals Quantity %DV† Calcium 22% 280 mg Copper 48% 0.433 mg Iron 28% 5.12 mg Magnesium 30% 125 mg Manganese 49% 1.137 mg Phosphorus 15% 188 mg Potassium 53% 1582 mg Selenium 5% 2.6 μg Sodium 1% 15 mg Zinc 53% 5.86 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Water	19.97 g
Alcohol (ethanol)	0
Caffeine	0
Cholesterol	0
"USDA Database entry for Kanpyo, (dried gourd strips)". Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[1] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies[2]

Kanpyō was originally grown in the Osaka region.^[4] Now it is a specialty product of Tochigi Prefecture,^[5] where it is a cottage industry.^[3] The region is so tied to the food product that it hosts the "Kanpyō Highway with History and Romance".^[6] The yuru-chara for Oyama, Tochigi is Kapyomaru (かぴょ丸), an anthropomorphized calabash.^[6]

The gourd is harvested between late July and September. The white flesh of the gourd is cut into strips 3 cm wide and 3 mm thick, then either dried in the sun or dehydrated.^{[7][failed verification]} Over 200 tons a year of dried kanpyō are produced per year.^[3] Kanpyō available in the United States is sometimes chemically bleach-dried to a very white color, as opposed to the creamy color of the naturally-dried kind.^[5] Sulfur dioxide is sometimes used as a fumigant but must not be used in concentrations exceeding 5.0 g per 1 kg of dry matter.^[8]

Dishes featuring kanpyō

The traditional new year dish kombu-maki tied with strips of kanpyō

In addition to being the focus of many dishes, kanpyō strips are frequently used as an edible twist tie in dishes such as fukusa-zushi and chakin-zushi.^[3] Typically the dried strips are boiled to soften, and then boiled a second time with soy sauce, sugar, and other ingredients added for flavor.^[3][9]

Kanpyō-maki rolls

• Futomaki^[3][9]
• Kanpyō-maki, also called teppo maki ("gun barrel maki") as it looks like the end of a rifle^[3]
• Matsukasa sushi ("pinecone sushi"), a roll using squid filet (instead of nori) wrapped around sushi rice, kanpyō, shiitake, snow peas, and whitefish^[3]
• Shojin dashijiru, a vegan soup stock^[5]

Kanpyō drying in Minakuchi-juku from The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō by Hiroshige

See also

• Oden