Nagiso, Nagano (長野県木曽郡南木曽町) – Zenagi dinner 2026 Jun. 03
We had a private dinner at Zenagi, a three-room, exclusive-use property in an elegantly restored farmhouse in the Kiso Valley in Nagano Prefecture. There was no menu, and the explanation of the servings were in Japanese, but I’ve tried my best to summarize everything in both languages here. They are:
COURSE 1 – Sansai to Jimoto Noka no Yasai (山菜と地元農家の野菜 – Wild and farmed vegetables medley):
Sansai (山菜 – Wild mountain vegetables):
* Koshiabura (こしあぶら – Koshiabura are edible wild mountain vegetables and are thin-stemmed buds with soft green leaves found in the Chengiopanax sciadophylloides tree)
* Chanchin (香椿 (チャンチン) – the young leaves of Toona Sinensis, aka. Chinese mahogany)
* Udo pickles (独活ピックルズ – Pickled Japanese Spikenard/Aralia Cordata
* Kogomi (こごみ – Ostrich Fern)
Jimoto Noka Yasai (地元農家野菜 – Locally-grown vegetables):
* Radish (ラディッシュ)
* No ichigo (農苺 – Farmed strawberries)
* Kinusaya (絹莢 – Kinusaya Silk Pod (peas))
* Snap Endo (スナップエンドウ – Snap Endo peas)
* Orange & Kiiroi Ninjin (オレンジと黄色い人参 – Orange & Yello carrots)
* Blackberry (ブラックベリー)
* Beets (ビーツ)
* Baby Asparagus (ベビーアスパラガス)
* Ayuchovy paste (鮎チョビーペースト – A paste of Ayu, the Japanese sweetfish. Made in a way similar to how Anchovy paste is prepared)
COURSE 2:
* Smoked Shinshu Salmon Tart (スモーク信州サーモンタルト)
– Sunki no cream cheese (すんきクリームチーズ – Cream cheese mixed with sunki. Sunki is an ancient fermented preserved food in the Kiso region of Nagano Prefecture. It is a salt-free pickle, made by fermenting the leaves and stems of red turnips using only the power of lactic acid bacteria, without using any salt.)
– Edible flowers (エディブルフラワー)
COURSE 3:
* Shin Tamanegi potage (新玉葱ポタージュ – Newly-harvested white onion potage)
COURSE 4:
* Inoshishi maki-yaki (猪薪焼き – Wood-fired wild boar)
– Ninjin maki-yaki (人参薪焼き – Wood-fired carrot)
– Amazake & ninjin puree (甘酒塩麴と人参のピューレ – Amazake and carrots puree. Amazake is a fermented rice drink that is naturally sweet. It is made from rice, rice koji and water.)
– Miso chips (味噌チップス – Miso red soybean paste chips)
– Kaki-zu to anise sauce (柿とアニスソース) – Vinegared persimmon and anise plant sauce)
COURSE 5:
* Ise wan Sawara maki-yaki (伊勢湾鰆薪焼き – Wood-fired Japanese Spanish Mackerel from Ise Bay)
– Rucola maki-yaki (ルッコラ薪焼き – Wood-fired rucola)
– Hakko jagaimo sakekasu puree (発酵じゃが芋と酒粕ピューレ – Fermented potatoes and sake lees puree)
– Tomato kawa powder (トマト皮パウダー – Powdered Tomato skin)
COURSE 6:
* Tomato maki-yaki (トマト薪焼き – Wood-fired Tomato)
* Tomato & Lemon sherbet (トマトとレモンシャーベット)
* Tomato ekisu jule (トマトエクスピューレ – Tomato extract jule)
* Dried Tomato (ドライトマト – Dried tomato)
* Yagi cheese (ヤギチーズ – Goat cheese)
COURSE 7:
* Iwana (岩魚 – White-spotted char)
* Iwana tamago (岩魚卵 – White-spotted char roe)
* Hinoki happa chips (ヒノキ葉っぱチップス – Japanese cypress leaf chips)
* Hakko genmai risotto (発酵玄米リゾット – Fermented brown rice risotto)
COURSE 8:
* Shika Niku maki-yaki (鹿肉薪焼 – Wood-fired deer meat)
– Aka wine kuro ninniku sauce (赤ワインと黒ニンニクソース – Red wine and garlic sauce)
– Jimoto Sweden Kabu (地元ルタバガ (スウェーデンカブ) – Locally-grown Rutabaga (i.e. Swedish turnip))
– Marmelade (マーマレード)
COURSE 9 – DESSERT #1 – SHERBET SAN SHURUI (シャーベット三種類 – 3 Types of Sherbets):
* Ringo (林檎 – Apple)
* Kiwi (キウィ)
* Doburoku (どぶろく – Doburoku is an unfiltered, cloudy white sake made by fermenting rice, rice koji and water without going through the filtering process (pressing).)
– Jimoto Hachimitsu (地元蜂蜜 – Local honey)
COURSE 10 – DESSERT #2 – CHOCOLATE NI SHURUI (チョコレート二種類 – 2 Types of Chocolate):
* Hinoki happa oil chocolate (ヒノキ葉っぱオイルチョコレート – Chocolate made with Japanese cypress leaf oil)
* Magnolia happa oil chocolate (マグノリア葉っぱオイルチョコレート – Chocolate made with Magnolia leaf oil)