Gobo

Introduced to Japan from China as a medicine before the tenth century, gobo has over the years gained popularity as a table vegetable. This slender, brown-skinned root vegetable may grow to more than 2 feet in length under ideal soil conditions. Often sold with soil still attached, gobo is unappealing to people who see this vegetable for the first time or know burdock only as a weed. But the cultivated variety, unlike the wild type, is tight-fleshed and sweet-flavored. Gobo is highly praised in Japan for its nutty flavor and pleasant, crunchy texture after brief cooking. In addition, the root is very rich in dietary fiber.