季節(きせつ)の食べ物(たべもの)

日本には四季があり、それぞれの季節(きせつ)に美味しい食べ物(たべもの)があります。これを「旬(しゅん)の食材(しょくざい)」と言います。旬の食(た)材は、その季節に一番栄養があり、味も最高(たか)です。

例えば、春にはタケノコや山菜、夏にはトマトやスイカ、秋にはサンマやキノコ、冬には白菜や大根などが有名です。スーパーに行くと、その時期に一番安い野菜や果物が並んでいるので、すぐに旬(しゅん)のものがわかります。

旬のものを食べることは、季節(きせつ)を感じるだけでなく、健康を保つためにも大切なことです。皆さんも、スーパーで買い物をする時に、少しだけ「今は何が旬(しゅん)かな」と考(かんが)えてみてはどうでしょうか。

Translation

Japan has four seasons, and there is delicious food in each season. This is called 'seasonal ingredients' (shun no shokuzai). Seasonal ingredients have the most nutrition in that season, and the taste is also the best. For example, bamboo shoots and wild plants in spring, tomatoes and watermelon in summer, saury and mushrooms in autumn, and Chinese cabbage and daikon radish in winter are famous. When you go to the supermarket, the cheapest vegetables and fruits for that time are lined up, so you can immediately tell what is in season. Eating seasonal food is important not only for feeling the season but also for maintaining your health. Why don't you try thinking, 'What is in season now?' a little bit when you go shopping at the supermarket?