Myoga is the edible flower bud of Japanese ginger, a hardy relative of common ginger grown for its shoots rather than its rhizome. Pushed up from the soil at the base of the plant in late summer, the plump, pointed bud is layered like a small crimson-and-cream torch of overlapping fleshy scales, crisp and juicy inside. Almost always eaten raw and finely sliced, it is a prized Japanese aromatic vegetable — bracingly fragrant, gingery and green, with a clean bitter edge — scattered over cold noodles, sashimi, miso soup and summer salads as a cooling seasonal garnish.