From Job’s tears to chrysanthemum greens: 6 ancient ingredients making a comeback in Asian kitchens

Across Asian cuisines, a quiet revival is taking shape. Ingredients once considered “rustic” or “regional” are returning to everyday cooking as practical sources of flavour and texture. These ancient ingredients, long established yet recently overlooked, adapt easily to modern recipes, holding their own in soups, stir-fries and desserts. They carry the weight of tradition without pretence, adding depth and history to the plate. Here are a few examples now finding their way back into contemporary kitchens.

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Chrysanthemum greens (shungiku / ssukgat)

Bitter-sweet greens bring floral depth to modern Asian cooking (Photo: AI-generated)

Chrysanthemum greens—also known as shungiku in Japanese cuisine or ssukgat in Korea—are leafy greens with a slightly bitter, herbal profile and light floral note. They have been used for generations in East Asian hot pots and soups. Recently, cooks beyond traditional regions are rediscovering them, appreciating their texture, flavour and adaptability. They illustrate a key point: ancient ingredients need not be difficult or exotic to integrate.

If you’ve grown tired of spinach or kale, chrysanthemum greens provide an alternative. In the context of ancient ingredients making a comeback, they are a useful entry point: familiar yet underused, local markets often carry them and they reflect the movement toward integrating less obvious greens.

Job’s tears (coix seed / hato mugi)

An ancient grain revived for its chew and subtle flavour (Photo: AI-generated)

Another ingredient coming back into view is Job’s tears, also called coix seed or hato mugi in Japanese. Indigenous to parts of Southeast Asia, this pseudo-grain has been cultivated for millennia. What makes it interesting for modern kitchens is its chewy texture, mild flavour and versatility: you can use it in place of rice, in soups or in salads.

Its revival owes partly to health-food channels but also to more adventurous cooks who value its texture. Ultimately, if you are building a pantry with ancient ingredients, Job’s tears adds dimension because it offers something structurally different from usual staples.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

A classic umami enhancer is finding new respect in kitchens (Photo: AI-generated)

Though perhaps better known than the others, MSG is worth including in any discussion of ancient ingredients making a comeback. The chemical compound was first isolated in Japan in the early 1900s by Kikunae Ikeda from kombu seaweed. It fell out of favour in many Western kitchens, but in recent years has seen a revival of interest among chefs and home cooks who recognise its value for umami depth.

Today, its presence underscores how even small ingredients can have a large impact. When considering ancient ingredients, this one signals that revival need not always be about exotic produce; sometimes it is about re-examining the fundamentals of flavour and seasoning.

Dried tangerine peel (chen pi)

Aged citrus peel adds a quiet complexity to soups and teas (Photo: AI-generated)

In Chinese cooking, the dried peel of tangerines (often aged) has been used for generations, lending citrusy-bitter notes and complexity to soups, braises and teas. As more cooks reach beyond the usual herb-and-spice sets, this ingredient is returning into circulation. It provides a useful example of how ancient ingredients need not be headline items—they may be seasoning enhancers rather than showpieces.

In today’s kitchens, one might infuse a piece of dried tangerine peel into slow-cooked legumes, grain bowls or even desserts, thereby connecting tradition and technique. Its modest comeback illustrates an important point: ancient ingredients are not only those that appear flashy but also those that quietly deepen flavour.

Black vinegar

Rich, earthy acidity from centuries-old fermentation traditions (Photo: AI-generated)

Aged vinegars from regions such as Sichuan and Shanxi in China carry deep, mellow acidity and complexity, often produced in clay pots over long maturation. In contemporary cooking, these are moving from speciality bottles into serious pantry staples for sauces, dressings, marinades or finishing touches. When exploring ancient ingredients making a comeback, black vinegar serves as a reminder that condiments with long heritage can shift into new roles.

Cardamom and other pre-colonial spices

An old spice rediscovered for its warmth and aromatic depth (Photo: AI-generated)

While cardamom has long been part of South Asian cuisine, its documented use in India more than 4,000 years ago secures its place among the world’s oldest spices and within the category of ancient ingredients. In modern kitchens, cooks are revisiting its nutty, aromatic and resinous notes beyond the usual curries and sweets. It now features in contemporary spice blends, fusion dishes and inventive desserts, reflecting a broader curiosity about historic flavours in current cooking.

To refresh your pantry, try adding a few ancient ingredients at a time. These time-tested staples aren’t about novelty but about adding different textures and flavours to familiar dishes. Start small: mix Job’s tears with rice or toss chrysanthemum greens into a stir-fry. As you cook with them more often, they’ll feel less like curiosities and more like everyday options. The return of ancient ingredients isn’t about nostalgia—it’s about expanding what’s possible in modern cooking.

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