Hokkaido Sweet Corn is Off the Hook!

Hokkaido Sweet Corn is Off the Hook!

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Ah, Hokkaido… Rich with nature and full of delicious vegetables on the vast fields just a few minutes away from the city center. Hokkaido corn is definitely a summer favorite! It’s lovingly called とうきび “Tohkibi” in Hokkaido.

You can easily see how popular Hokkaido corn is just by looking at the souvenir snacks available for purchase (corn chocolate, corn soup, roasted corn, and even a whole cob of corn easily packaged for you to put in your suitcase!). My personal favorite is just grabbing a cob of corn from the stalls in Odori Park, or from the convenience store for a quick snack on the road. It is so sweet; you don’t even need to add butter or soy sauce (a popular corn condiment) for flavor! Though, you could never have enough of Hokkaido butter…. Children are sure to love this sweet taste!

Corn is a summer vegetable, so I highly recommend eating it during the summer season (July to late September) in Hokkaido. It is available all-year-round, but for the sweetest, freshest taste, summer is best!

Have you ever picked corn yourself? It’s pretty exciting walking through Hokkaido’s vast fields to find your own big, juicy, corn! Did you know some corn of Hokkaido has a sugar content as high as 17?? That means it tastes sweeter than a melon! And you know how popular Hokkaido melon can be…. I highly recommend picking corn fresh off thefields with your own hands, and biting into it raw! I was personally happily shocked by the sweet flavor! You can also try it boiled and charcoal grilled right on the farm for a great local farming experience. The farmers are very kind to guide you how to harvest; you can tell they really want to share the true taste of corn with you!

There is a local farm just 40min outside of Sapporo City that offers fresh Corn Picking. Let us know if you’d like to add this to your itinerary.

By the way! There is also white corn in Hokkaido called “Pure White”! That is very sweet too; it’s hard to believe it’s still a vegetable when it clearly tastes as sweet as a fruit! You might see it at local farmers’ markets or walking down “Sakaemachi” in Otaru City.

Please try Hokkaido corn when you visit in the summer!!
PS. I’m actually writing this blog while drinking Corn Soup. Delicious!

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