They say the Northern District was ringed by farms and groves of trees long ago. Raspberries grew in this castle district where the king and queen were said to spend their leisure time. But why raspberries? In 1832, the Shuri government published a book called the “Gyōzen-honzō” which stated that raspberries had proven health benefits for women trying to bear children.
The Gyōzen-honzō catalogued the different types, nutritional properties, benefits and consumption taboos of the approximately 300 plants and herbs served at the king’s own dining table. Bitter melons, as well as other ingredients that appear in this book, remain popular in Okinawa to this day.
Tsūkan Tokashiki, a doctor who studied abroad in China twice and learned the cutting edge of medicine at the time, penned the original collection. His studies were extensive, and included internal medicine, surgery, ophthalmology, and many more. After returning to Japan, he instructed royal doctors, midwives, and other medical professionals. Gyōzen-honzō is the result of his many years of study and research.
In Okinawan culture, it is believed that “food is medicine.” This belief stems from the mentality that health and longevity come from a balance between medicine and maintaining a healthy diet. It can be said that the Gyōzen-honzō, which centers itself on that belief, set the foundations for the Okinawan conceptions about food.
