Beniazuma Sweet Potato– Rich, Sweet, and Popular
At a Glance: A super popular sweet potato varietal for both the table and for shochu production.
The Beniazuma 紅東 sweet potato has a very sweet and rich flavor profile when eaten, as well as when it’s made into Shochu. The resulting Shochu often has a smooth texture with high extract.
The tasty Beniazuma sweet potato originated in the mid-80’s from Ibaraki in Kantō, Japan. Kantō has remained its stronghold. Overall, it’s the most popular table variety in Japan. It has even been the target of potato thieves! Beniazuma logically commands the lead in terms of production area. One of its parent cultivars is the famed Koganesengan. It’s productive, high in starch, and has deep red/purple skin and a yellow core.
Harvest typically ranges from early September to mid-November. They become sweeter with a month or two of age, and are therefore eaten during early-mid winter.
If you want to find Beniazuma– your best option might be at an Asian grocer. But if you want to find it in shochu form– your options might be a more challenging to locate. Hozan makes a honkaku genshu shochu made with 100% Beniazuma imo. It’s pricey but outstanding. It would be my main recommendation for those studying the corners of the imo shochu world.
Shochu made with Beniazuma
Kanji / Keywords
Imo 芋 Imo shochu 芋焼酎
Beniazuma 紅東 紅あずま ベニアズマ