Kusefuku Shoten Store "Phantom Sweet Potato: Nanafuku Imo

The "Phantom Sweet Potato Nanafuku Imo" is now on sale sequentially at Kusefuku Shoten stores and the official online store. Stores will start selling the product on October 23. The price is 637 yen (tax included).

The Nanafuku sweetpotato is characterized by its elegant sweetness with a clean aftertaste and little bitterness or bitterness. The "Phantom Sweet Potato Nanafuku Imo" is made with the minimum amount of ingredients so that the original aroma of the sweet potato can be felt. We recommend enjoying the Nanafuku Sweet Potato Jam by itself on toast. You can also add butter or whipped topping if you like.

Nanafuku sweet potato

Nanafuku sweet potatoes are grown on Nii Oshima, an island 1.5 km northeast of Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture. It is a small island with a circumference of 9.8 km and a population of about 200.

Characterized by its elegant sweetness, simple, potato-like flavor, and moist texture, Nanafuku sweet potatoes originated in Italy. From there, it went to the U.S. and was further brought to Hiroshima in 1900, where its cultivation in Japan began. It was only after the war that it was introduced from Hiroshima to Nii Oshima.


Other places tried to grow it, but it did not have the same sweetness and flavor as the one grown on Nii Oshima. Also, there are only a few farmers producing them, and the annual harvest is limited to about 15 tons, which is why they are called "phantom sweet potatoes.

Locally, it is popular to eat it as tempura or baked sweet potato. Farmers also add them to miso soup and make dried sweet potatoes. It is not known exactly why delicious Nanafuku sweet potatoes grow only on Nii Oshima, but according to local people, the barren soil and well-drained terraced fields, which are not suitable for rice cultivation, as well as the sea winds and wind direction, may have an influence. The "Mere Old Man" is a bit of a misnomer.