Chiba Prefecture

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Chiba Prefecture 千葉県

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

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Explanation



Chiba Prefecture (千葉県, Chiba-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.

Most of Chiba lies on the hilly Boso Peninsula　(Boosoo Hantoo 房総半島), a rice farming region。The Kuroshio Current flows near Chiba, which keep it relatively warm in winter and cooler in summer than neighbouring Tokyo.

The prefecture boasts Japan's second-highest agricultural output: among all the prefectures, only Hokkaidō produces more agricultural products, and Chiba leads Hokkaidō in vegetable production. Seaweed is harvested in large quantities from Tokyo Bay.
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Narita san and the famous Shinshoji Temple
Reference Narita-San Temple


Narita Airport


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Dishes from Chiba　千葉の郷土料理


aji no tataki アジのたたき chopped horse mackerel
a kind of nameroo, but with vinegar in summer
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geschnetzelte Rossmakrele



bakagai ryoori バカ貝料理 dishes with bakagai shells
They contain a lot of protein and are healthy, they do not fatten the human being.
Eaten as sashimi, tempura, deep fried, with vinegar and more.
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Trogmuschel, Mactra chinensis



datemaki sushi 伊達巻鮨 sushi surrounded by a large datemaki egg
from the town of Choshi 千葉県銚子市 / 銚子　伊達巻
The sweetened egg is prepared without any ground fish. Datemaki is usually only eaten for the New Year, but in Choshi, the fishermen started to eat it when coming back hungry from the fishing expedition.
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imo yookan, imo yokan　芋ようかん yookan jelly from sweet potatoes
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Ishii shokuhin miito booru 石井食品
Ishii no miito booru イシイのミートボール
meat balls from Ishii
They come in many different flavors, used for bento and are loved by kids.
Ishii company makes a lot of different preparations for easy use in bento boxes.
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iwashi ryoori いわし料理 dishes with sardines
sardines are fishes in the waters off Chiba all year round. They are best eaten fresh, because they do not keep well. iwashi basically means yowashi, not easy to keep.
maiwashi 真いわし Sardinops melanostictus (Sardine)
katakuchi iwashi かたくちいわし Engraulis japonica. (Sardelle)
urume iwashi うるめいわし Etrumeus teres (Heringsart)
Most are fished of Chooshi 銚子 along Kujukurihama 九十九里浜 and in this area there are more than 100 ways to eat iwashi.

iwashidango no tsumire jiru 鰯団子のつみれ汁 soup with sardine balls

iwashi no goma-ae イワシのごま漬 sardines with sesame dressing
made from fresh katakuchi iwashi with vinegar, sesame, ginger and chillies
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***** Iwashi 鰯 (いわし) sardines KIGO List and FOOD



iwashi and herring, kigo for late spring


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katsuomeshi かつおめし rice with bonito
used to be eaten on the fishing boats. Fresh fished fish is cut into pieces and simmered together with rice and soy sauce. For flavor, leek and nori are added.
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kawahagi かわはぎ filefish;
a leatherfish; Stephanolepis cirrhifer





Katsuura tantanmen 勝浦タンタンメン
Tantanmen noodle soup from Katsuura town
made only with rayu hot pepper oil.
Started by a noodle shop who wanted to make real one and could not get the proper ingredients.




magocha, magochazuke まご茶, まご茶漬け "rice for the grand children"
On board, the fishermen cut fresh bonito, makerels and other fish into small pieces, mixed them with cooked rice, added some leek and poored hot green tea over the mix. It was so good they talked about "giving it to the grandchildren" back home.



nameroo なめろう ・ さんが nameroo, sanga, kind of chopped fish
tartar from aji horse mackerel with miso and a shiso leaf
aji no tataki is very similar.
naermoo (namero) can come with a raw egg on top.
This food was prepared on boat by the fishermen and they did not use soy sauce, because that would spill on the boat. Miso was better for that purpose.
Chopped ginger, leek and sometimes an apple can be added to the mix.
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sometimes also served with chopped meat in izakaya in Tokyo.

sangayaki, sanga さんが焼き is a kind of nameroo mix, in the form of a hamburger and fried. Is is then wrapped into one big shiso leaf.
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mizu namasu 水なます kind of nameroo with more miso paste. After chopping the ingredients finely, they are put in a bowl with ice water. A kind of cold miso soup in summer.
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nanohana 菜の花、菜花なのはな　Rape blossom dishes (na no hana)
kigo for late spring

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rakkasei 落花生 らっかせい　peanuts
Peanuts came to Japan about 1706, via China and were called "Beans from Nanking" (nankinmame 南京豆). The types grown nowadays are different and have been introduced during the Meiji period. The poor soil around Yashimata is suitable for these beans.
The town of Yachimata 八街市 is famous for its peanuts growing. They even produce a liquor with peanuts, rakkasei no shoochu 八街産落花生焼酎.
After the war, peanut butter was a dish for children. It was prepared with recipes of the American Thornton (Japanese spellng Sonton).
Sonton Peanut Butter Factory, Jesse Blackburn

落花生焼酎 ぼっち

rakkasei miso 落花生味噌 peanuts mixed with miso
eaten like this or as ochazuke over rice.

mizuni rakkasei 水煮落花生 boiled peanuts
yude rakkasei ゆで落花生 boiled peanuts

kabocha no piinatsu age かぼちゃのピーナッツ揚げ fried with pumpkin
karamayoneezu カラシマヨネーズ with mayonnaise
karee mame カレー豆 peanuts with curry flavor
macha piinatsu 抹茶ピーナッツ with green powder tea flavor
piinatsu ame ピーナッツあめ sweets with peanuts
rakkasei iri yakiniku no tare 落花生入り焼肉たれ sauce for grilled meat with peanuts


peanuts, rakkasei 落花生 (らっかせい)
kigo for late autumn


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senbei せんべい crackers from Narita
成田山の厚焼きせんべい atsuyaki senbei, thick senbei
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Shimofusa renkon レンコン　lotus roots

shiokara kookoo 塩辛こうこう radish pickles with salt and pacific saury, pressed for one week


Shooyu 醤油　(しょうゆ) Soy Sauce
Sojasauce


shungiku 春菊 (しゅんぎく ) Spring chrysanthemum


Takabe Senbei 高家煎餅
from Takabe Shrine, with a Knife Ceremony
高家（たかべ）神社



Takomai 多古米 (たこまい) special rice brand
from Tako Village 多古町
Rather sticky when cooked.



teppoozuke てっぽう漬 "gun pickles"
Cucumber bored end-to-end, filled with some green pepper and rolled in the beefsteak plant leaf (shiso), then pickled in soy sauce and sweet sake (mirin) and other seasonings. Each store along the road to Narita Temple has their own specialties some using burdock (goboo) as a filling for these pickled vegetables.
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tsukudani 佃煮：成田 boiled perserves from Narita
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It was first made about 1899. The goby fish (goro)and shrimp from Lake Imba are boiled in sweet soy sauce. also "sweet simmered" (kanro-ni) of small fish and preparations of "grilled sparrow kebab" (suzume-yaki" すずめ焼 suzumeyaki) are popular.



ukiukidango, ukiuki dango うきうきだんご / ウキウキ団子
"dumplings swimming buyoantly"
From Kuji town, Chiba 久慈




unagi 成田うなぎ eel from Narita
From Lake Imba.
There is even an eel festival 成田うなぎ祭り, where eel is sold quite cheaply.





yookan 羊羹 sweet bean paste jelly from Narita
Originally as a vegetarian dish for buddist monks.
Flavored with peanuts, green powder tea, cherry blossoms and others.


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


CHA NO KO and MAGOCHA

During the Edo period there were venders on the street to sell "cha no ko mochi" for the light breakfast. This was how the word of Ocha no ko used to be used, however, the actual meaning of Ocha no ko is being told as "like a child who follows the tea".
The expression of tea does not only signify a tea for drinking but also tea for eating as tea porridge. Cha no ko not necessary means for the snack for the tea, it also means light meaks, In fact, on the( mountain area) of upper Tenryu river, the light meals to eat for the breakfast is called "Cha no ko", but it does not come with tea.

By the way, there is the food called "Mago cha" which is eaten by fisherman in Izu. To make Mago cha, put fresh raw bonito on the top of the rice, and pour the hot tea from on the top. Some people say since this food is exceptionally delicious, if you are too slow in motion (mago mago suru in Japanese), someone else come and eat them up, and that's meal is called "Mago cha". However, Kunio Yanagida believes Mago cha (grandchild tea) means a "grandson of tea".

"Ocha no ko saisai" - That's piece of cake
If you heard the expression of "ocha no ko saisai" you may picture someone's face of full confidence. This expression has same meaning of "that's piece of cake" in English, and origined from the beat phrase of the songs "non no ko saisai". However what is the mean of Ocha no ko (child of tea)? The word of "ocha no ko" started to be used from long time ago in Japan. There was a famous court noble called Tokitsugu Yamashina during Sengoku period, and he often mentioned in his diary that when he stayed at the house of Yoshimoto Imamoto in Sumpu (old name of Shizuoka city), he often had drink with his close monk and had Ocha no ko as horsd'oeuvre.
source : www.o-cha.net / Yoichiro Nakamura
World Green Tea Association


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Related words

***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

***** . Folk Toys from Chiba .

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