Food · Fermented foods

Tsuruna (New Zealand Spinach)

つるな (Tsuruna)

Also known as: Tsuruna, New Zealand spinach, Tetragonia tetragonoides, 蔓菜, Hama-jisha

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At a glance

CategoryFood
Japanese labeling nameつるな
Common Japanese notationsつるな, 蔓菜, ツルナ, ハマジシャ
OriginNew Zealand spinach (Tetragonia tetragonoides); native to Pacific coastal regions of Japan, also globally distributed; salt-tolerant coastal succulent green
Typical functionsCoastal regional cuisine, Salt-tolerant green for traditional cooking
Regulatory status in JapanStandard agricultural product labeling. Not a designated allergen.

Tsuruna (つるな / 蔓菜) is New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia tetragonoides), a salt-tolerant coastal succulent green native to Japanese Pacific coastal regions. The OEM positioning is coastal regional specialty.

Classification

Tags below link to other ingredients sharing the same attribute, so you can pivot from one ingredient to its peers.

Functions

Regulatory tags

Used in (typical product categories)

Finished-product categories that commonly include this ingredient in Japanese-market formulations.

  • Fresh tsuruna (regional, summer seasonal)

What it is

Tsuruna is Tetragonia tetragonoides, a salt-tolerant coastal succulent.

Typical uses in Japanese products

Coastal regional cooking, ohitashi, simmered preparations.

For OEM: regional retail.

Regulatory classification in Japan

Standard food labeling. Not a designated allergen.

Regulatory classification in other markets

EUTetragonia tetragonoides is global. Niche specialty positioning.
USAEstablished as 'New Zealand spinach' retail.
ChinaNiche specialty positioning.
KoreaNiche specialty positioning.

Example products

Example finished products will be added after verification of regional origin.

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Related ingredients

References

  1. MEXT Standard Tables of Food Composition — つるな

Last updated: 2026-04-28. Ingredient entries are reviewed at least annually against current regulatory listings.

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