Fukushima Aizu

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Fukushima　福島



Fukushima Prefecture (福島県, Fukushima-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Fukushima.

In the 4th century, Fukushima was incorporated into the Yamato Province, Japan's first unified nation.

The Shirakawa Barrier and the Nakoso Barrier were built around the 5th century to protect 'civilized Japan' from the 'barbarians' to the north. Fukushima became a Province of Mutsu after the Taika Reforms were established in 646.

The province of Fukushima was conquered by Prince Subaru in 1293. This region of Japan is also known as Michinoku and Ōshū.
The Fukushima Incident took place in the prefecture after Mishima Michitsune was appointed governor in 1882.

Fukushima is the southernmost prefecture of Tōhoku region, and the closest to Tokyo. It is divided by mountain ranges into three regions called (from west to east) Aizu, Nakadōri, and Hamadōri.

Legend has it that an ogress, Adachigahara, once roamed the plain after whom it was named. The Adachigahara plain lies close to the city of Fukushima.

©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. Aizu matsuri 会津まつり Aizu festival .
and Lord Hoshina Masayuki 保科正之


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Regional Dishes from Fukushima　福島郷土料理



Aizu jidori 会津地鶏 local chicken from Aizu Wakamatsu
They come in many local dishes and in the station lunchbox of
Koriyama 郡山市.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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bandeimochi ばんでい餅 Bandei rice cakes
They are covered with special じゅうねん味噌 junen miso, ten year old miso, and then roasted over a charcoal fire
These mochi are eaten at the rituals at the
. Yama no Shinkoo 山の神講 The Mountain God prayer group .



komugi manjuu 小麦まんじゅう manjuu cakes from wheat flour


konnyaku こんにゃく gelatinous food made from devil's-tongue starch
Konnyaku is grown in Gunma, Tochigi and Fukushima. I
. Konnyaku, konjac, konjak 蒟蒻 Amorphophallus rivieri .



kuriimu pan クリームパン small white bread with cream
from Koriyama 郡山
kuriimu bokkusu クリームボックス toast with cream
- source : tabelog.com/fukushima - Photos


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にしんのさんしょう漬け / にしん山椒漬 nishin no sanshoo tsukemono
herring pickled with Japanese pepper


CLICK for more photos !

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Herring with sansho pepper
Nishin-No-Sansyo-Zuke is one of the representative dish of Aizu.
Gutted, cleaned and dried herring is pickled with leaves of sansho pepper and soy sauce. This particular dish can be tasted only in Aizu. Characteristic of sansho pepper preserve herring longer, peculiar scent and sour taste can remove smell and bitter taste of fish. The soft body of fish preserved in the way taste awesome. This is the best dish along with drinks and as a side dish. Special ceramic serving bowls are produced.
- source : www.tif.ne.jp/lang


. Japanese pepper, "Mountain pepper"(sanshoo 山椒) .

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- and one more speciality with Mountain Pepper

sanshoo-uo no kunsei さんしょううおのくんせい smoked salamander
山椒魚の燻製. サンショウウオの燻製
kuroyaki 黒焼き



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karee 　カレー curry sauce for many dishes

karee chaahan カレーチャーハン fried rice with curry sauce
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karee raamen　カレーラーメン noodle soup with curry sauce
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karee yakisoba カレーやきそば fried noodles with curry sauce

- from Aizu Wakamatsu
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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kurikomochi, kuriko mochi 栗粉餅 mochi with sweet chestnut powder


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kozuyu こづゆ soup for festive situations
tsuyuji つゆじ is another name.
from Aizu Wakamatsu 会津若松

The soup is made with dried scallops (hotategai). Various vegetables and fu gluten are added. Soy sauce and some ricewine give it a special taste.
It is served in wide dishes, often made of red lauquer.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
There is a more simple dish called
zakuzaku ざくざく vegetable soup
where the soup for every day is made from konbu and cheap vegetables like daikon are used.

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KOZUYU (Traditional local soup)
This clear soup is an essential dish served on auspicious occasions, such as at the new year, and at other ceremonial gatherings. Each family has handed down their own recipe to their children and grand children. Basically the soup is made from dried scallop holdfasts, carrots, mushrooms, konnyaku jelly noodles, wheat gluten croutons (mame-fu), seasoned with salt and soy sauce. In addition, it should be served in exclusive bowls, called Teshio-zara, (red lacquer produced in Aizu-Wakamatsu). Long ago, it is a custom to bring great dish served in other houses to your own house and have them with family. Common practice is to have as much of the soup as you like.
- source : www.tif.ne.jp/lang/en

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nikusushi, niku sushi 肉寿司 meat sushi
from Aizu Wakamatsu, with ginger
horsemeat 馬肉 is used.

肉寿司三種盛 - 赤身、中落ち、稲荷。


source :　sibumi.blog103.fc2.com


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Shirakawa 白河


ramen with soy sauce flavor

Residents point to the local variety of ramen noodle soup as the town's main claim to fame.





Shirakawa Daruma Ramen 白河だるまラーメン
Noodle soup "Daruma"


Daruma sake　だるま酒　Ricewine in a bottle looking like a Daruma
from Shirakawa
http://www.senkoma-shuzou.co.jp/
Shirakawa Daruma Ricewine ”白河だるま酒”




Museum : Shirakawa Daruma Dolls 白川だるま


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soba 蕎麦 buckwheat noodles
Buchweizennudeln
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Fukushima Soba Kaidoo
福島蕎麦街道
Soba Road of Fukushima


Negi-soba (Takato-soba)
Soba with green onion　高遠そば
Taste the history of Aizu.
You can try Negi-soba (soba originated in Takato) at Ouch-Juku in Shimogo-Machi, a town in Fukushima Prefecture's Aizu region. Long ago, when Prince Masayuki Hoshina returned to Aizu from Nagano Prefecture, a retainer from Nagano's Takato clan came with him.
The retainer introduced people in Aizu to eating soba with grated daikon radish when they saw him eating it. The practice spread throughout the Aizu area, becoming known as "Takato-soba."
Some time later, the owner of the Misawaya restaurant at Ouchi-Juku came up with the idea of eating Takato-soba with a green onion in place of chopsticks and use it as a spice. These days, it is a popular local comfront food in Ouchi-Juku. When traveling through Fukushima, this unique local dish should be tried at least once.

Aizu - Home town of soba
Tasty hand-made soba and warm hospitality...
A great treat for the people of Aizu, soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles made in Aizu) has its own unique cultural history. Because the buckwheat is harvested after its ripens, Aizu soba boasts a delicate balance of flavor and fragrance. The native species which have been cultivated in Aizu for generations are especially delicious and yield bountiful harvests. It is from those crops that the famous "Shinano Ichi-go" ("Shinano No.1") soba originated. Recently, cultivation has begun in earnest of a new kind of buckwheat called "Aizu no Kaori ("the flavor of Aizu") . It has been registered as a type of soba unique to Fukushima Prefecture. This new soba is chewy and sweet, and possesses a beautiful aroma. We recommend trying and comparing both the traditional and the new.
- source : www.tif.ne.jp/lang

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wappa meshi　わっぱ飯
(Seasonal rice in special "Mage-Wappa containers)
"Mage-Wappa" is a kind of container which was used as a lunch box by the woodcutters of Hinoemata Village for over 600 years. "Wappa Meshi" contains a variety of dishes made with seasonal vegetables local to the mountains of Aizu.
- source : www.tif.ne.jp/lang


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yubeshi ゆべし / 柚餅子 sweet made from a yuzu citron.
yuzu is stuffed with mochigome, miso, soy sauce, sugar and nuts, simmered.
かんの屋のゆべし（福島県）Kannoya
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Daikokuya's Kurumi Yubeshi
Kaden Yubeshi

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- - - - - Popular Sweets and Food of Fukushima

Daikokuya's Kurumi Yubeshi
Ecusson Pie
Kaden Yubeshi
Kumata Bun
Kuu-ben - bento with Tamakawa village's specialty vegetable, Kushinnsai.
Mamadoll
Shibori tomato juice - Using a technique called "Shibori," the tomatoes are grown without being watered, causing their own natural sweetness to come out.
Usukawa Manjuu

Japanese Sake (rice wine) made in Fukushima

Sukagawa City is the hometown of Tsuburaya Eiji, creator of Ultraman.

With photos here :
- source : www.fks-ab.co.jp/guide


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


. Koma 駒 horse folk toys from Fukushima


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HAIKU



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Related words

***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes


March 11, 2011
. Japan - after the BIG earthquake - 　　

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Sweets from Tohoku

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Sweets from Tohoku, Northern Japan

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation


Sendai .. .. .. .. .. Dagashi 駄菓子　
Traditional Cheap Sweets

会津若松市本家長門屋さんの｢だるま飴｣
Daruma-Ame sweets
Aizu Wakamatsu, Nagatoya


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ame yobare, ameyobare 飴よばれ

There is nothing better on a cold winter day than to sit with your neighbours, taste some sweet ame and some tsukemono vegetables and chat. Especially in the Aizu area, this is a common treat in winter.

Made only with mochigome rice and sprouts from wheat this AME has a natural malt sugar sweetness 麦芽糖. It takes the housewife two or three days to simmer the ingredients slowly to a thick sweet broth and neighbours take pride in showing their skill at making it. So it is also a socializing event. Because it takes time to stir and simmer, the housewifes can not make it during the busy summer months.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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gomasuri dango ごますりだんご / ごま摺り団子
dumplings with black sesame paste
From Iwate.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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komugi manjuu 小麦まんじゅう manjuu cakes from wheat flour
a typical steamed manju. They are full of red bean paste.
From Fukushima.



They originate from the hot spring 高湯温泉名物 Takayu Onsen and are sold one a piece.
- source : blogs.yahoo.co.jp/fukushima_iizakajuraku

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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koorimochi 凍もち frozen mochi
The leaves of mountain goboo and sometimes other leaves are used after the first night when they have frozen. They are mixed with mochigome rice. They are formed and hung outside in the cold to freeze further and dry. They are full of minerals and quite healthy. They have a green color.
They has been prepared first during the great famine of Tenmei in 1782, when farmers were starving.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



kujira mochi くじら餅 "whale mochi cakes"
named so because they look like whale meat. Made from mochigome and uruchimai rice, sugar and some soy sauce. They are made from a different mixture in every family and people are proud to share their taste. They keep long 久しく良く持つ, and these characters can be read 久持良 KU JI RA, like the name of the whale fish.
Prepared for the Boy's Festival, May 5.
From Yamagata prefecture in the Mogami area.
© PHOTO :　xxx



kurikomochi 栗粉餅 mochi with sweet chestnut powder
Fukushima prefecture.
The mixture is carefully pressed and strained.
The sweetness is all natural.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !




matsukawa mochi 松皮餅（まつかわもち）"mochi from pine bark"
Speciality from Akita, Chookai and Yajima regions.
秋田県由利本荘市鳥海、矢島地域
The cork part of the bark of akamatsu pines is peeled off and cooked until soft. This mass is then mixed with mochigome.
Made with a wish for long life like the pine, prepared for festivals and celebrations.
One of the three colored mochi for the Doll Festival in this area:
三色の菱餅（白餅、蓬餅、松皮餅)
This has been prepared first during the great famine of Tenmei in 1782, when farmers were starving.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !




Monzen Kuroame 門前黒飴 Black sweets
From Tome town.
a hand made black sugar candy. The recipe has been handed down from generation to generation, and reminds us of what our grandmothers used to make.
Miyagi prefecture




Nanbu senbei, Nambu senbei, Nambu Sembei
南部せんべい
waffles from Morioka




ocha mochi お茶もち "tea mochi" rice dumplings
made from rice flour, round dumplings are flattened and put on skewers. They used to be called uchiwa mochi (handfan mochi), the pronounciation changed then to ujamochi うじゃもち ... ocha mochi.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
and
uchiwamochi, uchiwa mochi うちわもち (うちわ餅)
dumplings made of buckwheat flour, shaped like an uchiwa handfan, put on skewers,
see ocha mochi
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



sasadango 笹団子 "Bamboo-grass dumpling"
Dumplings from mochigome and yomogi mugwort, with a lot of sweet bean paste
From Niigata and Fukushima. They are wrapped in the leaves of sasa bamboo grass.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !




shitogi mochi しとぎもち
from Aomori, in the Tsugaru peninsula they where prepared for festivals with the wish for a bountiful harvest. They were offered to the gods on the god shelf (kamidana) and after this taken down and fried in the pan.
Prepared from mochigome, water and anko sweet bean paste.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !




Shirakami Man, Shirakami Manju 白神まん, 白神まんじゅう
sweet buns from the Shirakami Mountain area
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Taihaku Ame 太白飴 "big white sweet"
Taihaku Ame is a traditional local candy made from wheat and glutinous rice. No artificial sweeteners are added . It is very nutritious.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Tsuruko manjuu 鶴子まんじゅう "baby crane manju"
from Hachinohe town. Named after a dream about a crane to bring good luck.
A shop on the way to the important shrine Kushibiki Hachimangu 櫛引八幡宮 (founded in 1191) to venerate the protector deities of the Nanbu domaine.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Yubeshi 柚辺志（ゆべし）sweet cake
Yubeshi is a traditional Japanese sweet cake, from rice flour and walnuts.It is not too sweet and typically served with green tea. Toyosato speciality, Miyagi prefecture.
.. . . CLICK here for Photos !




zundamochi, zunda mochi ずんだ餅 rice cakes with edamame beans
jindamochi じんだ餅
10 different kind of mochi from the local Miyagi rice are used for various dishes.

.. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Yamagata is also famous for these "zundanmochi　ずんだん餅".




Food from Tohoku, click here:



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Süßigkeiten aus Tohoku

Die Winter in Tohoku sind kalt und schneereich, aber dadurch haben die Hausfrauen endlich Zeit für etwas Süße. Mehr als drei Tage dauert es, bis der Mochi-Klebreis zusammen mit den selbst gezogenen Weizenkeimsprossen ständig gerührt und zusammengesimmert ist. Nun ist es soweit, die Nachbarinnen kommen zum Probieren, denn diese „Einladung zum gemeinsamen Essen von Malzzucker-Sirup“ (ame yobare 飴呼ばれ) ist ein soziales Ereignis. Der Sirup wird in Reisschalen gegossen, mit etwas Puderzucker bestreut und als Kontrastgeschmack kommt noch etwas eingelegtes Gemüse auf den Tisch – das ist alles, der Rest ist das Gespräch, Plaudern unter Freundinnen, Klatsch aus dem Dorf als scharfe Würze.

Wenn der Schnee nicht rechzeitig schmolz, kam es oft im Frühjahr zu Nahrungsmittelknappheit, wenn die Vorräte aufgezehrt waren (shunkyuu　春窮 ). Not macht erfinderisch, besonders die Hungersnot, und so gehen einige Zubereitungsarten zurück auf die Große Hungersnot von Tenmei im Jahre 1782.

Für die „Kiefernrinde-Reiskuchen“ (matsukawa mochi) wurde in einigen Regionen Akitas die Korkschicht unter der Rinde der japanischen Rotkiefer mühsam abgekratzt und einige Tage weich gekocht. Diese Masse diente zur Verlängerung des gestampften Klebreises für die Reiskuchen. Die Rotkiefer, ein Symbol des langen Lebens, war ein glückverheißender Baum und so wurden diese Reiskuchen auch bei Festen gereicht, zum neuen Jahr und besonders beim Puppenfest am dritten März, wo sie ein Bestandteil der „dreifarbigen Fest-Reiskuchen“ (hishimochi) dieser Gegend sind.

Nach dem ersten Frost wurden die Blätter vieler Bäume gesammelt und mit Blättern von Gemüse, z. B. Gobo fein zerrieben. Der Brei wird wiederum dem Klebreis beigemischt und daraus Reiskuchen geformt. Diese mineralhaltigen haltbaren Nahrungsmittel hingen bis zum Frühjahr unter den Hausgiebeln, dem natürlichen Kühlschrank der Bergregionen.
Auch Esskastanien werden zu Puder gestampft und dem Klebreis für Reiskuchen untergemischt (kurikomochi).

Beifuß wächst überall wie Unkraut. Die Blätter werden getrocknet, kleingestampft und dem Klebreis untergemischt. Von Hand läßt sich diese Masse einfach in kleine Kugeln formen, die mit Blättern von Bambusgras (sasa 笹) umwickelt werden. Schon sind die „Bambusgras-Bällchen“ (sasa dango　笹団子) fertig. Sie sind in Niigata und Fukushima besonders beliebt.

„Zunda“ sind gekochte, geriebene grüne Edamame-Bohnen. Die Masse wird auf weiße Mochi-Reiskuchen geschmiert und als ein farbenprächtiger Imbiss gereicht.

Billiges Konfekt aus Sendai (Sendai dagashi)
Hervorgegangen aus dem einfachen Malzzucker-Sirup der Hausfrauen ohne weitere Süßstoffe begannen in der Edo-Zeit die Zuckerbäcker von Sendai, auf dieser Basis allerlei billiges Konfekt herzustellen. Bald hatten sie mehr als 100 verschiedene Süßigkeiten zusammengestellt, von einfachen runden Bonbons bis zu Mini-Zöpfchen, Zuckerhasen und Plätzchen aus Reisresten. Ihre besten Kunden waren die Kinder der Nachbarschaft, aber der Name „Dagashi“ verbindet sich heute mit vielen Kleinigkeiten, Süßigkeiten und Spielzeug, das die Kinder von ihrem kargen Taschengeld kaufen können; die Erwachsenen verbinden damit nostalgische Erinnerungen an die eigene Jugend. Oft gewinnen die Kinder auch noch mit einem Extra-Los eine weiter Kleinigkeit, alles bunt eingewickelt und appetitanregend. Der Dagashiya-Laden war der wichtigste Versammlungsort nach der Schule.

„Kranich-Manju“ (ｔsuruko manju) aus der Stadt Hachinohe sind eng verbunden mit dem großen Schrein Kushibiki Hachimangu aus dem 11.Jhd. Der erste Laden, der diese Manju herstellte, war Maneido an der hinteren Zugangsstraße zum Schrein. Der Ladenbesitzer machte sich Sorgen wegen seiner ungünstige Lage am Hinterausgang und bat den Gott im Schrein um seine Hilfe. Im Traum wurde er alsbald einem Kranich gewahr und schon war der Gedanke zu einem weißen Manju geboren. Brauner Rohrzucker und Reis aus der Gegend geben diesem Manju seinen unverwechselbaren Geschmack. Die Füllung besteht aus getrocknetem süßen Bohnenmus, daher ist der Manju recht hart zum Beißen, aber auf Wunsch der Kunden stellt Maneido auch Versionen mit weichem Bohnenmus her.

Klößchen mit Sesampaste (gomasuri dango) aus Iwate sind kontrastreich, außen schneeweiß, innen kohlschwarz. Die geriebene Paste aus schwarzen Sesamkörnern wird noch angesüßt und bildet auch einen geschmacklichen Kontrast zu dem neutralen Klebreis-Klößchen. „Gomasuri“, das kann aber auch „Schmeichelei“ bedeuten!


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU



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Related words

shunkyuu 春窮 (しゅんきゅう)
food scarcity in spring (kigo)
Famine 飢饉 kikin



WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes


***** WAGASHI ... Sweets SAIJIKI


March 11, 2011
. Japan - after the BIG earthquake - 　　

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KANTO sweets

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Sweets from the Kanto region

In the Kanto area we have some traditional sweets from the Edo period, like grilled dumplings, the taiyaki and ningyooyaki, but we also have some of the earliest sweets with Western influence, coming via the opening of the Port of Yokohama.
In the year 2009, this port celebrated 150 years of operation.
Reference : 150 years of Yokohama

Cheese cake, Baumkuchen rolls and other types of Western cakes and chocolates are only some to name.



. . . CLICK here for Photos of Tokyo Sweets !




Cake Shops in Tokyo


Gunma prefecture is a great producer of wheat and many sweets are made with wheat flour.


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Tokyo Sweets Guide


東京スイーツガイド

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gokaboo ごかぼう【五家宝／五荷棒】rice flour sweet sticks
Kumagaya, Saitama
Mochigome rice flour is mixed with sugar and mizuame, then pressed into poles.
Since the middle of the Edo period.






. Fukutaro Engi Mochi 福太郎縁起餅 .
Mishima Shrine, Shizuoka



heraheradango, herahera dango へらへらだんご / へらへら団子
Kanagawa, Sashima 佐島 in Yokosuka
Prepared from wheat flour and jooshinko rice flour to make balls, then flatten them. The outside is covered with red bean paste.
Made for the Boat Festisval in July of this part of the city.
It is not made for sale and not known much outside of Sashima.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
a kind of ankoromochi あんころ餅. They look similar to akafukumochi 赤福餅 (speciality of Mie prefecture).
In Atami hot spring, Shizuoka, they prepare another kind of herahera mochi with a sauce of sesame flavor.




iga manjuu いが饅頭 / 毬饅頭 / いがまんじゅう special rice cakes
Northern parts of Saitama. iga manjū
IGA is the name for the burr or skin of a chestnut that covers the nut.
Here it signifies an anko-filled steamed bun wrapped in red bean rice (sekihan). The red color is hopet to ward off illness in children.
Saitama is a great producer of wheat flour. It is said to be the best wheat of Japan, grown on the slopes where rice can not be grown.
Igamanju are made for festivals.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
"Stachelhülle-Manju"



Kamakura sweets
Daibutsu manjuu 大仏まんじゅう / 大仏饅頭
... Sweets from the Big Buddha, Kamakura
Hachimangu kawara senbei 鶴岡八幡宮 瓦せんべい
... Senbei with Hachimangu shrine imprint
Kamakura hato saburee ハトサブレー
... sable bisquits in the shape of doves
Butterkeks in Form einer Taube (Vogel vom Schrein Hachimangu)



kankoyaki かんこ焼き grilled dumplings
Kanagawa, Sagamihara, Tsukui Town 津久井町
. . . CLICK here for Photos of the food!
mountain vegetables and mushrooms are stuffet into the manju. It is not really sweet, but eaten as oyatsu snack.
The name comes from a big drum used for Gagaku, kakko 羯鼓（かっこ）, which is similar in form.
. . . CLICK here for Photos of the drum !



Kuzu-mochi 葛餅 arrowroot mochi
Kanagawa, at Kawasaki Daishi Temple
川崎大師名物「久寿餅」
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Minamoto Kitchoan 源 吉兆庵 Seasonal Sweets and Daruma sweets, Kamakura



misopan みそパン bread with miso paste
Numada Town, Gunma 群馬県沼田市
Miso paste is put into freshly baked french bread
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


momo serii, momoserii 桃ゼリー peach jelly
Kanagawa.
Since 1931 Kanagawa produces even more peaches than the famous Okayama prefecture.



ningyooyaki 人形焼 figure waffles
They come from the Ningyocho-District of Edo. 人形町通り



nogonboomochi, nogonboo mochi のごんぼうもち
nogonboo is another name for oyamabokuchi オヤマボクチ ( 雄山火口)
Synurus pungens, a kind of smelly mountain thistle.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
It is a kind of sansai, harvested in spring in the Eastern Chichibu area. It is prepared like yomogi mochi. Prepared in spring and then frozen it can be eaten all year long. The mochi look quite dark in color.



sakemanjuu, sakamanjuu 酒まんじゅう"manju with sake"

Kanagawa, Sagamihara. Sake-manju
made from fermenting kooji and cold rice, then add wheat flour. Filled with sweet bean paste.
They are made a bit different in each family.
They have a saying for the girls in Sagamihara: If you can not spin your own silk and prepare sake manju, you can not get married.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
They are also made in other areas, for example Fukuoka.



taiyaki 　鯛焼き sea bream waffles



tansan manjuu 炭酸まんじゅう "carbonated manju cakes"
Gunma prefecture, Saitama prefecture
Gunma is a great producer of wheat and these cakes filled with sweet bean paste are made in every home to serve to visitors.
They are baked with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda, juutansan sooda じゅうたんさんソーダ【重炭酸ソーダ】.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Backpulver-Manju



tochimochi 栃もち, とち餅 mochi from horse chestnuts
Saitama
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
They are prepared for the New Year celebrations in Saitama. The nuts are very bitter and need special preparation to get rid of the bitterness. Mochigome sticky rice is pounded with the horse chestnuts.
It is said to ward off brain hemmorage in the elderly.
Also made in Tottori.



yakimanjuu, yaki manju 焼きまんじゅう grilled manju
Gunma
For the cold winter Daruma marked, for blossom viewing or other outings, you always feel the smell of grilled manju.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Some of them are filled with miso paste
miso yakimanjuu 味噌焼きまんじゅう
The manju are on a stick and some sweetened miso paste is spread over them.
It used to be a regional snack (oyatsu) in Gunma. Wheat powder was blended with cloudy sake (nigorizake) to make it ferment. Now they are sold at roadside stalls (yatai) during festivals.




yubeshi 柚辺志（ゆべし）yuzu and walnut jelly
Kanten jelly is dissolved and soy sauce, sugar and mirin added. An egg and juice from squeezed ginger is added and all let to harden in a square pot.
yubeshi 柚餅子 dumpling with yuzu
first prepared for the warlord Takeda Shingen.
Black sugar is melted, the skin of yuzu citrons and walnuts are mixed with kyooriki 強力粉 flower.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
There are different ways to prepare it in various regions of Japan. Most important is brown sugar, waltnuts and the peel of yuzu.
Also from Toyama.


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Things found on the way

Daruma Sweets

Famous Daruma Sablee from
Kawasaki Daishi Temple


川崎大師名物 元祖ダルマサブレー





川崎大師名物のせき止め飴
sekidome ame, cough drops from Kawasaki Daishi
cut in a special way, ame kiri 飴切り


Dorayaki, Cakes with beanpaste filling
from Temple Jindai-Ji


Sweets with DARUMA



. ame-kiri no oto ni umoruru hatsu Daishi
the sound of cutting sweets,
just deafening -
First Daishi Ceremony
with a photo


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tansan senbei 炭酸センベイ
Hyogo prefecture
Prepared with the bubbeling carbonated water from Arima hot spring.

. Arima Hot Spring .
Arima Tosen Shrine 有馬 湯泉神社



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HAIKU and SENRYU



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Related words

WASHOKU
Various types of MOCHI 　


***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

***** WAGASHI ... Sweets SAIJIKI

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Miyagi Prefecture

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Miyagi and Sendai


Miyagi Prefecture (宮城県, Miyagi-ken is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region on Honshū island. The capital is Sendai.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. . . CLICK here for Photos !


. Sendai Shiroo 仙台四郎 / 仙臺四郎 Sendai Shiro
Haga Shiroo 芳賀四郎 Haga Shiro . (1855 - 1902)
A legendary man good for business !

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Specialities from Miyagi 宮城郷土料理





aburafu 油麩 fried gluten croutons
aburafu-iri nishime 油麩入り煮しめ with fat-fu あぶらふ(油麩）
fryed gluten in vegetable oil. Speciality from Tome town
It is prepared from wheat gluten powder, water is squeezed out carefully.
The dough (mottsu もっつ) is cut with a special knife (ohsigiri 押し切り) with two handles and then kneaded again to squeeze out the water.
Then it is rolled to a long strip and put into a large square box full of oil. Four ladies are busy turning the pieces round and round. They have to be elongated to the proper lenght and then one cut is made with a special knife. After that, they get bigger and a second cut is made whilst turning them. One shop produceds 700 sticks per day, they almost look like french bread.
One dish is a bowl of rice
aburafu don 油麩丼, where the fu is cut and prepared almost like a piece of chicken meat, and an egg on top of it.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
frittierter FU (Weizen-Gluten)


azara あざら "ara" (rough fish meat) mixed with vegetables, from Kesenuma


dotenabe 土手鍋 pot with oysters and miso "as an embankment" around the rim of the pot.



gyuu 牛 oxen and cows
gyuumotsu hatto 牛肚 (ぎゅうもつ はっと)
from the Ishikoshi area, consisting of cooked cow intestines with Japanese flour dumplings in soy broth.

gyuutan 牛タン ox tongue
Sendai gyuutan 仙台牛タン from Sendai
This dish started after WWII in Showa 23 (1948) in a shop named Daisuke 太助. Its owner Sano Keishiroo 佐野啓四郎 served it to his friends.
Ochsenzunge



Hakuchozuke (local pickles)


hattojiru はっと汁 speciel hatto soup


hesodaikon, heso daikon へそ大根 "radish with a navel"
from 宮城県伊具郡丸森町筆甫（ひっぽ）地区
Igu Gun Marumori village
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Daikon is cut in rounds, boiled for a moment, then skewed on a bamboo stick and let to dry in the cold winter air for about 1 month. It becomes a delicious brown candy color. It is usually prepared in December and January and can be eaten in February. When the bamboo sticks are pulled out, it looks as if the round piece has a "navel" in the middle.


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hoya and hoya dishes 海鞘; 老海鼠 sea pinapple
Sea pineapple (Halocynthia roretzi)
hoya nimono ホヤ雑煮 boiled
hoya no su no mono ホヤの酢の物 with vinegar dressing.
hoya is a very primitive animal. lonley planet says it tastes like ""rubber dipped in ammonia".
Hoya is found mostly along the beaches of Miyagi and Iwate.
Ascidiacea (commonly known as the ascidians or sea squirts) is a class in the Tunicata subphylum of sac-like marine filter feeders.
bakurai ばくらい "water bomb" 爆雷 is the original meaning.
a mix of hoya and salted konowata 海鼠腸. Best eaten is very small bits and washed down with a very dry sake.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !
Seescheide

"Wasserbombe", Mischung aus Hoya und Konowata. Sehr salzig.


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ika ninjin いか人参 squid and carrots


imoni いもに、芋煮 boiling sweet potatoes
usually by the riverside in an outing with many people.
Sendai-Miso is used for the soup and many vegetables are used too.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


inago no tsukudani イナゴの佃煮 sweetly simmered grashoppers

inohana gohan イノハナご飯 rice with wild mushrooms


kakimeshi カキめし rice with oysters

karamen からめん cold reimen noodles with spicy broth, which is finally soaked up in a portion of rice


manboo no sumiso マンボウの酢味噌 ocean sunfish in vinegar miso dressing
Mondfisch; Mola mola

matsuba jiru 松葉汁 soup with chopped leaves of radish and sanma fish

mekabu zuke メカブ漬け wakame seaweed pickles

Mokkori Wagyu
brand of beef produced in Minamikata town
Mokkori Nira Sembei (rice cracker)
made from rice flour mixed with chopped leeks, and it goes well with beer.


Mokusakueki もくさくえき（木酢液）
Mokusakueki is a liquid made by cooling smoke from charcoal kilns. It is used for making soaps, face creams, and various other products. Some people put several drops of Mokusakueki into their bath tubs.
Mokusakueki is said to contribute to healthy, radiant looking skin. It also helps to enrich soil.


Monzen Kuroame Black sweets
a hand made black sugar candy. The recipe has been handed down from generation to generation, and reminds us of what our grandmothers used to make.

Nakada Rice

Nirakko no Gyoza にらっこ Chinese dumpling
Minamikata is famous for nira leek. They grow 250 tons of leeks a year.
Local people add chopped leeks to their gyoza dumplings.


Numano Shiki (Japanese sake)

oborojiru おぼろ汁 miso soup with oboro dofu tofu

okuzukake おくずかけ dashi soup with vegetables
with additional ankake sauce

sasa kamaboko 笹かまぼこ料理 kamaboko with sasa bamboo grass
eaten raw with wasabi shoyu. or put in soup with noodles and vegetables.
sasa maki 笹まき

Shiitake Mushroom, Maitake Mushroom


Shiroishi uumen, umen 白石温麺 dried "warm" noodles from Shiroishi town
It has a history of more than 400 years.
A pious son wanted to prepare some light food for his ill father. A wandering monk showed him how to make these noodes. They are only made from salted water and komugiko flower. His father ate these noodles and soon became better. The lord of Shiroishi heared of the story and gave the noodles the name "warm noodles" because of the warm feeling we get from hearing the story of the thoughtful caring son.


Warm noodles and kokeshi wooden dolls, the local specialities
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Toyoma Miso (soybean paste) and Shoyu (soy sauce)

Taihaku Ame 太白飴 "big white sweet"
Taihaku Ame is a traditional local candy made from wheat and glutinous rice. No artificial sweeteners are added . It is very nutritious. . . . CLICK here for Photos !


Yubeshi 柚辺志（ゆべし）sweet cake
Yubeshi is a traditional Japanese sweet cake, from rice flour and walnuts.
It is not too sweet and typically served with green tea. Toyosato speciality.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


zundamochi ずんだ餅 rice cakes with edamame beans.
jindamochi じんだ餅
10 different kind of mochi from the local Miyagi rice are used for various dishes.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

Kesennuma (気仙沼市; -shi) is a city located in the extreme northeast of Miyagi Prefecture. It wraps around the western part of Kesennuma Bay, and also includes the island of Ōshima. Its coastline forms the southern boundary of the Rias Coastline National Park, which stretches north all the way to Aomori Prefecture.

The city borders Hirota Bay, Kesennuma Bay, and the Pacific Ocean to the east and Motoyoshi, Miyagi to the south. Iwate Prefecture makes up the remainder of its borders, with Murone Village to the west, and Rikuzen-Takata City to the north.

The highest point in Kesennuma is 711.9 m high, on the border with Motoyoshi, while the lowest point is at sea level.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Tooth Coastline
Kesennuma is a naturally favorable harbor marked by waters that are calm due to the presence of Oshima Island at the mouth of the harbor. Visitors can soak up powerful sights at Rikuchu Coast National Park, a place of scenic beauty characterized by a deeply indented coastline imbued with the natural beauty of the four seasons.

Slow Food Declaration
Kesennuma, a leading fishing town in Japan, is famous for landing tuna, bonito, and Pacific saury and for producing the largest catches of shark fin in the world. As the first city in Japan to adopt a slow food declaration, Kesennuma is committed to promoting a unique and attractive community sustained by local foods.
Shark 鮫 (さめ) same Haifisch in Kesenuma

Toyoma (Tome town, Miyagi)
Experience the Joys of School Dining
Visitors can enjoy consuming school meals served in a century-old school building. Sample a typical school meal from the 1950s, which would have included a bread roll and curry stew. (Reservations required.)
School-provided lunches are lunch meals provided to all elementary-school students in Japan according to a standard menu that is very much a traditional feature of school life in this country.

source : 　www.jnto.go.jp



Shark fin menu during the "Shark Fin Week", each December.


. Shark (same 鮫) .

. fukahire purin ふかひれプリン vanilla pudding with sharks fins
from Kesennuma


Kesennuma was badly damaged by the earthquake on March 11, 2011


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Der Fischmarkt von Kesennuma

Die „Schwarze Strömung“ (kuroshio) bestimmt die Anwesenheit der Fische vor den Küsten Japans im Pazifischen Ozean. Sie hat eine tiefblaue Farbe und bringt warmes Wasser aus den Gebieten um Taiwan zu den kalten Polarregionen. Sie ermöglicht sogar das Wachstum von Korallenriffen in Japan, den nördlichsten Riffen der Welt. Ein Teil der Strömung zweigt ins Japanische Meer ab und wird hier nach einer Insel die „Tsushima-Strömung“ genannt. Mit der „Schwarzen Strömung“ schwimmen viel Fischarten im Sommer nach Norden und ziehen im Herbst und Winter wieder zurück; „Fische bringen die Jahreszeiten nach Japan“ sagt ein alter Spruch.

Der „erste Bonito“ der Saison kündigte in Edo den Sommer an und viele reiche Bürger liessen sich den ersten Bissen der Saison viel kosten. Bei seinem Zug nach Norden bis vor die Küste Hokkaidos heißt der Fisch „aufwärts schwimmender Bonito“. Im Herbst bei seiner Rückreise wird er „zurückkehrender Bonito“ genannt; er ist nun besonder fett und wohlschmeckend.

Kesennuma ist ein Fischereihafen im Norden der Präfektur Miyagi an der Bucht von Kesennuma.
Der Fischmarkt hat den größte Umsatz Japans an frischem Bonito, Schwertfisch und Haifisch. Weiterhin werden hier Thunfisch, Makrelenhechte und Seezungen gehandelt.
Ende Dezember findet eine „Woche der Haifischflossen“ statt, bei der besondere Menüs mit dieser Delikatesse angeboten werden.

Haifischflossensuppe ist ein fester Bestandteil der chinesischen Küche. In Kesennuma werden auch andere Gerichte davon zubereitet: Ramen-Nudelsuppe, Sushi und Kochen bei Erhaltung der Form (sugata ni).

Der Makrelenhecht bringt den Herbst nach Kesennuma. Er schmeckt am besten auf Holzkohlen gegrillt mit etwas Salz. Aber auch als Sashimi oder gekocht mit Soyasauce wird er hier verzehrt.

Die lokalen Austern schmecken am besten im Winter. Durch die Sedimente von den nahen Wäldern, die viele Flüße in die Bucht bringen, sind sie besonders mineralhaltig. Sie schmecken in jeder Form gut, roh oder gekocht, im Eintopf oder frittiert.

Schwertfische werden auf eine ganz besodere Art gefangen: Vom Vordeck des Bootes aus wirft der Fischer eine Lanze nach dem Fisch und betäubt ihn dann mit einem elektrischen Schlag. Danach kann der bewegungslose Fisch einfach ins Boot gehievt werden.

Eine besondere Spezialität dieses Küstenbereiches bis hinauf nach Iwate sind die Seescheiden, auch „Ananas des Meeres“ genannt. Sie werden mit Essig angemacht, haben aber einen stark ammoniakhaltigen Geschmack und eine gummiartige Konsistenz, sie sind im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes „Geschmacksache“.

Kesennuma bemüht sich um eine nachhaltige Landwirtschaft und hat eine Deklaration zur „Slowfood-Bewegung“ herausgegeben.


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HAIKU



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Related words

***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes


March 11, 2011
. Japan - after the BIG earthquake - 　　


. Folk Toys from Miyagi .

. Folk Toys from Kesennuma 　気仙沼　.

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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
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Kumamoto

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Kumamoto Prefecture (熊本県,Kumamoto-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.

Historically the area was called Higo 肥後　province and was renamed to Kumamoto prefecture during the Meiji Restoration as part of the abolition of the feudal system. The current Japanese orthography for Kumamoto literally means "bear root/origin", or "origin of the bear".

Mt. Aso, Aso san　阿蘇山 (1592 m), an extensive active volcano, is in the east of Kumamoto Prefecture. This volcano is located at the center of the Aso caldera, the most famous caldera in Japan.

Kato Kiyomasa, a contemporary of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was made daimyo of half of the (old) administrative region of Higo in 1588.

Amakusa
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. WASHOKU
The Ariake Sea (有明海, Ariake-kai, Ariakekai) 　



WKD　：　Frost Shrine (Shimo Jinja 霜神社)
Aso Shrine (阿蘇神社 Aso-jinja)


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A lot of horse meat is eaten in Kumamoto.
WASHOKU
Horse meat, baniku ばにく/ 馬肉 , sakuraniku 桜肉

sakuranattoo, sakura nattoo　桜納豆 finely cut raw horse meat with natto, an egg and some mustard

basashi　馬刺し sashimi of horse meat

umashabu 馬しゃぶ Shabushabu with horse meat
CLICK here for PHOTOS !


warishita わりした broth at the end of a sukiyaki is eaten with kishimen noodles.
see: soysauce


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Kareigawa Ekiben Station Lunchbox
嘉例川駅

百年の旅物語　かれい川 Kareigawa
only with local vegetables.
gane ガネ local name for kakiage, tempura of vegetables
It is prepared with sliced sticks of sweet potatoes, carrots and nira leek takes about 3 hours to prepare!
A pair of mother and daughter prepare only 30 packs for each sunday, and is always sold out immediately. The station house is an old wooden building.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Higo yasai 肥後野菜 vegetables from Higo


hitomoji ひともじ hitomoji leek
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Kasuga boobura 春日ぼうぶら kind of gourd
boobura ぼうぶら【南瓜】 (bobura) is the way they are called in West-Japan. From the Portugese abobora.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Kumamoto ingen 熊本いんげん　ingen beans

Kumamoto Kyoona　熊本京菜 kyona leafy

Kumamoto naga ninjin 　長人参 long carrots

Kumamoto nasu 熊本なす eggplants

Kumamoto negi　熊本ねぎ leek


Temple Suizenji is place name in the Kumamoto town area. During the Edo period, the Daimyo Hosokawa Tadatoshi 細川忠利 had build a temple in the area, which was later rebuild elsewhere and thea area became a large park, Joojuu en 成趣園 or Suizenji Kooen 水前寺公園.
. Hosokawa Tadatoshi 細川忠利 (1586 – 1641) .


Suizenji moyashi 水前寺もやし been sprouts from Suizenji
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Suizenjina, suizenji na 水前寺菜 "leafy vegetables from Temple Suizenji"
One leaf side is green and the other violet.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Suizenjinori, suizenji nori 水前寺のり seaweed

Suizenjiseri, suizenji seri　水前寺せり dropwort


. WASHOKU
Dentoo yasai 伝統野菜 Traditional Vegetables from Japan 　
Dento Yasai


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More Dishes from Kumamoto　熊本の郷土料理
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Amakusa daioo 天草大王 "king of Amakusa"
a local chicken brand
The meat is also used for a "chicken shabu shabu"
. . . CLICK here　for Photos !



chikuwa sarada ちくわサラダ chikuwa filled with potato salad
ポテトサラダ
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


furikake gohan no tomo ご飯の供 "friend of the cooked rice"
CLICK here for PHOTOS !
Kumamoto was one of the first places to develop furikake, toppings to sprinkle on rice. They also sprinkle it on other dishes like natto and salads.
A new one to sprinkle on "rice with a raw egg" (tamagokake gohan 卵かけご飯) is developed, where you put the raw egg on the rice and the topping all around and do not use soy sauce any more.




hamaguri ryoori ハマグリ料理　/ 蛤料理
dishes with hamaguri clams



Higo dried taro root, higo zuiki 肥後ずいき



The dried root of a taro is bundled together, looking almost like a male symbol.
It has been used by the ladies as such ...

随喜 zuiki, great pleasure, shedding tears of joy

This root is longer than the normal taro roots, and maybe started being introduced after the first Europeans came to the area. Some say, the cucumber for an European lady, the zuiki for a Japanese geisha!


芋茎（ずいき） Zuiki Taro and the 随喜 Zuiki Vegetable Festival
also spelled
suiki すいき.

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ikinaridago, ikinari dago いきなりだご
the local pronounciation of
ikinari dango いきなり団子 "all of a sudden dumplings"
. . . CLICK here　for Photos !




kaki 牡蠣　カキ / 熊本カキ　Kumamoto oysters,
There is a local variety of oysters, that is now revived to produce a regional speciality since Autumn of 2009.
From 1949 to 1958 these oysters had been exported to the West Coast of America and grown there.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Reference : Kumamoto Oysters



karashi renkon 辛子れんこん lotus root with mustard paste



kidako きだこ moray eel
Gymnothorax kidako
local dialect for the utsubo うつぼ, taken from the latin name of the animal.
The fish has a very large mouth with strong teeth and can bite the fishermen.
It has a very thick skin and many small bones. But through special preparation, it is now sold packed with a miso paste to make a hodgepodge, kidakonabe きだこ（うつぼ）鍋 with a lot of collagen.
From Amakusa.
CLICK here for PHOTOS !



kumaebi, kuma-ebi くまえび / 隈海老 / クマ海老
Green tiger prawn
from Kumamoto, also called aka-ashi ebi 赤あし
Penaeus semisulcatus
They are caught in special boats in the Yatsushirokai 八代海.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Also in the Seto Inland Sea

. Utasebune 打瀬船
boats for catching shrimp


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raisuyaki ライス焼き "fried rice", rice on o-konomiyaki
ご飯入りお好み焼き
with special toppings of miso paste with mayonaise, shrimp, meat and anything you like ... even with curry taste.
It was "invented" by a housewife who told her husband to mix mayonaise with miso (things all kids like) and prepare a simpel fast food for dinner . . . more than 30 years ago, still a favorite of the region.
The restaurant now prepares more than 400 meals a day, many for home delivery.


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shooyu suiitsu 醤油スイーツ sweets made with soy sauce
suiitsu shooyu スイーツ醤油 soy sauce for sweets



suika スイカ watermelon
Kumamoto is one of the great producing areas. Before the war, a variety with a thick outer skin were produced. After eating the red fruit, the housewife cuts the thick skin off and puts the leftovers, cut to bite size, in a bolw, mix it with salt and let it stay for a day.
suika no asazuke スイカを漬物.
Even now, with varieties of a much thinner outer skin, this pickle is loved in Kumamoto.



Takamori Dengaku 高森田楽
From Aso, Takamori village 阿蘇高森田楽の里



Tsuetate purin 杖立プリン pudding from Tsuetate
from Tsuetate Onsen hot spring 杖立温泉 , 小国町
This small town is also known for its koinobori carp streamers over the small river in town and its many very narrow alleys with hot spring ryokan lodgings.
CLICK here for PHOTOS !



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yubeshi ゆべし yuzu dumplings
with ?miso, rice and lots of yuzu or citron fruit juice, sometimes with walnuts
yubesi

Princess Atsuhime liked this very much. When she travelled by land to Edo, she also found yubeshi in the postal station of Yakage in Okayama 岡山県矢掛町 and ordered more than 500 packs of it to share with others.

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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

miru　ミル miru seaweed
Codium fragile.
Green sea fingers, Dead man's fingers, felty fingers, felt-alga, Green sponge, Green fleece
This siphonous alga is dark green in color. It appears as a fuzzy patch of tubular fingers. These formations hang down from rocks during low tide.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

It has a special finger form which later became the pattern of a local white and blue pottery,

Takahama yaki 高浜焼
from Amakusa　天草

It is part of the tradtion of
Amakusa Toojiki 天草陶磁器 ceramics

First established in 1762 by Ueda Dengoemon 上田伝五右衛門.





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HAIKU



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***** WASHOKU : Regional Dishes
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Gunma prefecture

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Gunma Prefecture




Gunma Prefecture (群馬県, Gunma-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the northwest corner of the Kantō region on Honshū island. Its capital is Maebashi.

In the past, Gunma was joined with Tochigi Prefecture and called Kenu Province. This was later divided into Kami-kenu (Upper Kenu, Gunma) and Shimo-kenu (Lower Kenu, Tochigi). The area is sometimes referred to as Jomo (上毛, Jōmō). For most of Japanese history, Gunma was known as the province of Kozuke.

The first modern silk factories were built with Italian and French assistance at Annaka in the 1870s.

One of only eight landlocked prefectures in Japan.

Because Gunma is situated in inland Japan, the difference in temperature in the summer compared to the winter is large, and there is less precipitation. This is because of the kara-kaze, a strong, dry wind which occurs in the winter when the snow falls on the coasts of Niigata. The wind carrying clouds with snow bang into the Echigo Mountain Range, and it also snows there, although the high peaks do not let the wind go past them. For this reason, the wind changes into the kara-kaze.

More traditional industries include sericulture of silk and agriculture. Gunma's major agricultural products include cabbages and konnyaku (konjacs). Gunma produces 90% of Japan's konjacs, and two-thirds of the farms in the village of Tsumagoi are cabbage farms.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


Tsumagoi village 嬬恋村
close to Mount Asama, has vulcanic soil and grows cabbages and runner beans (saya ingen mame さや豆)
Lit. "Loving the wife" has a platform where you stand with your wife and call out loudely that you love her.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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The village of Shimonita is famous for its leek (Welsh onions) and konnyaku.
Shimonita is located in the basin by Mt. Myogi.

Shimonita negi 下仁田葱（しもにたねぎ）and other LEEK
shimonitanegi kurokke 下仁田ねぎコロッケ


Shimonita Konnyaku (paste made from the arum root)
Konnyaku plant and food (Amorphophallus konjac) . Elephant jam


shimikonnyaku, shimi-konnyaku 凍みこんにゃく
frozen Konnyaku
A brick-like piece is put into a wooden cuter and cut into 42 slices. These are dried on the fields, for one month, watered every day and frozen at night. It becomes a thin slice of whitish substance.
Frozen Konnyaku food (Amorphophallus konjac)


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More dishes from Gunma 群馬郷土料理


anpinmochi あんぴんもち mochi with red bean paste
the local version of daifuku mochi.
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himokawaudon, himokawa udon ひもかわうどん broad udon noodles
from Kiryu town 桐生市
Sometimes up to 10 cm wide, like a flat sheet.
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himokawa ひもかわ【紐革】 this type of flat udon originates in Nagoya from the river Imokawa 芋川, the name of the noodles later became pronounced HIMOKAWA. In Nagoya they are eaten with a miso soup.




hanaingen no nimame 花インゲンの煮豆 simmered beans
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kaburajiru 鏑汁 turnip soup

kamameshi 釜めし rice cooked in a metal pot
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kaminarijuu かみなり重
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kansooimo, kansoo imo 乾燥芋（さつま芋の切干）
dried satsuma sweet potatoes

kenchinjiru けんちん汁 vegetable soup
also common in other prefectures

konnyaku ryoori コンニャク料理 dishes with konnyaku
from Shimonita village
see above.


koshinejiru こしね汁 KO-SHI-NE soup
with KOnnyaku, SHIitake and NEgi leek.
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maitake mushrooms from Gunma
with a Takasaki Daruma Mark


maitake gohan 舞茸ご飯 rice with maitake mushrooms
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MISO
Handmade miso is still popular in the area.
misomanjuu, miso manjuu 味噌饅頭 manju with sweet miso and pieces of eggplants and sesame flavor.
misopan みそパン bread with miso paste


Mizuzawa udon 水沢うどん noodles from Mizuzawa
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mogura daikon もぐら大根 "mole radish"
a specially karai spicy radish from Numata 沼田地区
It is added to dishes of soba buckwheat noodles or ramen nodles.


. mogura-uchi 土龍打 ( もぐらうち) "hitting the moles" .




neginuta ねぎぬた
leek with maguro and ika
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noppejiru のっぺい汁 vegetable soup


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Okirikomi, okkirikomi おきりこみ, おっきりこみ
udon noodle soup with vegetables
Makes body and soul warm on a hot winter day and tasts "like mothers". It is handed down from mother in law to daughter in law as a family taste. The dough is kneaded with mother's hands and not stepped on as with other udon dough. It is also used immediately after preparing just the amount for one meal. The broad noodles are therefore rather soft and are thrown into the soup (komi) immediately after cutting (kiri). They give a special toromi thickness to the broth, which is usually of homemade miso paste, another speciality of many villages. Gunma has long been an area to grow wheat, which is called "local flower, jigona 地粉.
Vegetables come from the local community, the housewifes share their daily harvest of radish, carrots and the king of leek from Shimonita town, Shimonitanegi 下仁田葱（しもにたねぎ).


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Shimonita, see above.


suiton, dangojiru すいとん（だんご汁）soup with dumplings
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sumitsukare すみつかれ
on the first day of the ox in February. Prepared with the beans left over from setsubun.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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takuan たくあん. 沢庵 pickled radish
The daikon of this area in the plain of Mount Haruna is especially full of juice and suited best for takuan making.The dry wind coming down from Mount Haruna (karakara kaze) is needed to produce these delicious takuan pickles. About 1000 daikon per picker is pulled out of the earth, a backbreaking job, and bound together two of them and hanged on long poles to dry for about two weeks. Half in the shadow is best for this. Many farming families had to stop planting radish because the young people are not there to help any more.
After two weeks the radish gets all limp and is easy to bend into containers for pickling. Various spices are added, for example chili peppers or the skin of shibugaki bitter persimmons. This is the secret of each mother who does her own pickles.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Other growing areas for takuan daikon are Nagano and Tochigi.

Radish (daikon) Pickled radish,
a KIGO for all winter


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tamago manjuu 卵饅頭　たまごまんじゅう bun with boiled egg
a sweet manjuu dough wrapped around a boiled egg, which is soaked in soy sauce for a while. This gives a rather appealing flavor.
Fujioka town 藤岡市 Naritaya shop 成田屋さんの たまご饅頭
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yakimanjuu 焼きまんじゅう grilled manjuu

yakimonchi, oyaki やきもち（おやき）
see Nagano.

Yakimochi Fudoo Son 焼き餅不動尊in Gunma



yooguruto ヨーグルト yoghurt


yubeshi ゆべし. 柚餅子 dumpling with yuzu
first prepared for the warlord Takeda Shingen.
Black sugar is melted, the skin of yuzu citrons and walnuts are mixed with kyooriki 強力粉 flower
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

Gunma has a traditional card game called
Jomo Karuta (上毛かるた) (joomoo karuta)

There is even a karuta with Daruma san. The famous Daruma temple Shorinzan　少林山 is located in Gunma prefecture.


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HAIKU


浅間から分かれて来るや小夕立　　　　
Kobayashi Issa 一茶

上州の風ひりひりと野良の梅　　　　
Takashi たかし


桑の実や忠治の墓へ駅３分　　
kuwa ni mi ya Chuuji no haka e eki sanpun　　
楽可 　　

八木節や樽を真中に踊りの輪　　　　　
楽可


榛名富士映る湖畔にキャンプ張り　
Harunafuji utsuru kohan ni kyanpu hari　　　
章


葛咲くや嬬恋村の字いくつ　　　　　　
波郷

source : 　上州俳句茶屋


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Related words



***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

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