A Japanese mother living in Australia has found a much-loved street snack at Aldi, a discovery that has drawn attention to the traditional foods linked with longevity.
Hannah, a Japanese expat, was delighted to spot a pack of red-skinned sweet potatoes at her local Aldi in Brisbane. The potatoes cost between $5.49 and $6.99 per kilogram.
Often described as a superfood, this variety has red skin and creamy yellow flesh, setting it apart from the orange sweet potatoes commonly sold in Australia.
‘This is the sweet potato I grew up eating in Japan. We call it yaki-imo. It is naturally sweet, so you do not need to add sugar,’ Hannah said in an Instagram post.
‘In Australia, you usually see orange sweet potatoes, but did you know you can buy Japanese-style sweet potatoes at Aldi? This is the type we eat in Japan.’
‘My favourite way to enjoy yaki-imo is baked in the oven, and they are incredibly easy to prepare. Just wash them, wrap them in foil and bake at 160°C for 90 minutes.’
‘They are delicious, so you have to give them a try.’
Sweet potatoes have long featured in the Japanese diet, particularly in Okinawa, a Blue Zone known for its unusually high number of people who live to an advanced age.
A Japanese mother in Australia has found a popular yaki-imo-style snack at Aldi, a food associated with the traditional diet of Okinawa
American National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner has highlighted sweet potatoes as a key part of the Okinawan diet
Dan Buettner, an American National Geographic Fellow, has frequently pointed to sweet potatoes as an important part of the eating habits found in Okinawa, one of the world’s recognised longevity hotspots.
The 66-year-old bestselling author has spent decades examining communities with exceptionally long life expectancies. In his view, reaching 100 is less about expensive supplements or punishing exercise routines than the everyday foods people eat.
‘Sweet potatoes are eaten by the longest-lived people in the history of the world in Okinawa. Around 70 per cent of their calories came from sweet potatoes,’ he said.
‘They are nutrition bombs, packed with complex carbohydrates and fibre, and they contain some protein. They also help regulate blood sugar.’
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Buettner has also described the root vegetable as an excellent source of beta carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A.
‘Eating a large sweet potato can provide more than 100 per cent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A,’ Dan said.
‘Vitamin A is important for healthy vision and skin. Adding sweet potatoes to your diet can support eye health as part of an overall balanced eating pattern.’
Japanese expat Hannah was thrilled to find red sweet potatoes at her local Aldi store in Brisbane
The discovery surprised many shoppers, while others recalled eating the warm street snack during time spent in Japan and South Korea.
‘I used to live in Tokyo, and my three-year-old and I would pick up yaki-imo after the supermarket run. We ate them while putting the shopping away, and she still loves them now that we are back in Australia,’ one person wrote.
‘I have eaten hot sweet potatoes on the streets of Seoul during winter. You buy them from small carts, where they are cooked in special ovens. Delicious,’ another commented.
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For many Aldi customers, the Japanese-style potatoes have quickly become a favourite supermarket find.
‘I love these sweet potatoes. I actually prefer them to the orange varieties, but I rarely see them in grocery stores,’ one shopper said.
Okinawa is also known for distinctive sweet potato varieties, including the iconic purple beni-imo.
Its vivid purple flesh is generally sweeter than that of other varieties and is commonly used in tarts, ice cream and baked desserts.
