Yatabe negi is a green onion variety originating from Japan's Yatabe village in Fukui Prefecture. They are characterized by a unique shape – the soft white part of the green onion is bent to look like a fishhook as a result of being replanted twice.
The flesh is soft, and the light-colored leaves are edible, with each green onion dividing into two or three stems during growth. The seeds used for the production of these green onions can only come from Yatabe village. They're sowed in September and harvested after October the following year, which makes Yatabe negi's growing period longer than that of other varieties, about 13 months or sometimes even more.
The first replantation is carried out in April, and the second one in mid-August or early September. The unique fishhook shape gives these green onions their sweetness and stickiness because the part that's buried in the ground is softened by the method of planting them at an angle.
It is believed that Yatabe negi dates back to the early Meiji Era.
