Devil’s tongue. Elephant’s foot. Demon yam. Overseas, the plant goes by names that might make you shudder.

In older Japanese usage, the name of the food made from that plant was sometimes written in kanji in a curious way, using characters for their sounds rather than their meanings.

An old phonetic rendering approximated “ko-ni-ya-ku,” even though the characters themselves had little to do with the thing they named.

But you know it well: “konnyaku,” that gray, gelatinous staple of the Japanese kitchen. It is also known as konjac. 

And today, May 29, is officially Konnyaku Day, based on a Japanese numerical pun that makes five-two-nine (go-ni-ku) sound, with a little imagination, like “konnyaku.” Close enough, perhaps.

Order “oden”—a Japanese hot pot of simmered fish cakes, daikon, eggs and other ingredients in a light soy-based broth—at an “izakaya”........

© The Asahi Shimbun