Food · Fermented foods

Zuiki (Taro Stalk)

ずいき (Zuiki)

Also known as: Zuiki, Taro stalk, Sato-imo stalk, ずいき, 芋茎, Akazuiki (red taro stalk)

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At a glance

Category	Food
Japanese labeling name	ずいき
Common Japanese notations	ずいき, 芋茎, ズイキ, 赤ずいき
Origin	Stalks of taro plants (Colocasia esculenta), traditionally Yatsugashira or Akazuiki (red-stalk variety) cultivars; modern production primarily as by-product or specialized cultivation in Tohoku and Niigata regions; both fresh and dried (hoshi-zuiki) forms
Typical functions	Traditional Japanese simmered preparations, Hoshi-zuiki (dried zuiki) — preserved category for year-round use, Pickled (su-zuke) and miso-pickled retail, Heritage cuisine ingredient
Regulatory status in Japan	Standard agricultural product labeling. Note that raw zuiki contains calcium oxalate that requires processing (boiling, soaking) before consumption. Not a designated allergen.

Zuiki (ずいき) is the leaf stalks of taro plants (Colocasia esculenta), traditionally from Yatsugashira or specialized Akazuiki cultivars. The OEM positioning is heritage and traditional: as fresh autumn-seasonal cooking vegetable for traditional simmered preparations, as hoshi-zuiki (dried zuiki) for year-round preserved retail, and as pickled retail. Volume is small — a heritage cuisine ingredient rather than mass-market vegetable. Tohoku and Niigata regions are the major modern production areas.

Classification

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

Product applications

Functions

Flavoring

Regulatory tags

Culinary ingredient

Origin

Plant-derived

Used in (typical product categories)

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

Fresh zuiki (autumn seasonal)
Hoshi-zuiki (dried zuiki) retail
Pickled zuiki retail

What it is

Zuiki is the leaf stalks of taro plants. The traditional and most common cultivar for zuiki production is Yatsugashira or specialized Akazuiki (red-stalk taro varieties).

Production: Tohoku and Niigata regions for modern specialized production. Both fresh (autumn seasonal) and dried (hoshi-zuiki) forms.

Note on safety: raw zuiki contains calcium oxalate requiring processing (boiling, soaking, salting) before consumption.

Typical uses in Japanese products

Traditional simmered preparations — boiled with soy sauce, dashi, and sugar.

Hoshi-zuiki (dried zuiki) — preserved for year-round use, rehydrated for cooking.

Pickled retail.

For OEM: hoshi-zuiki retail (Tohoku origin), pickled zuiki retail, and heritage cuisine ingredient supply.

Regulatory classification in Japan

Standard food labeling. Calcium oxalate processing required. Not a designated allergen.

Regulatory classification in other markets

EU	Niche specialty positioning.
USA	Niche specialty positioning.
China	Niche specialty positioning.
Korea	Niche specialty positioning.

Example products

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

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Related ingredients

Used in similar product applications

Other ingredients commonly used in the same finished-product families.

Sharing similar functions

Ingredients that overlap on functional benefit tags.

From the same origin

Other ingredients that share an origin classification.

References

MEXT Standard Tables of Food Composition — ずいき各形態

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