Showing posts with label ekiben station lunchbox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ekiben station lunchbox. Show all posts

2/13/2009

Miyajima Ekiben Anago

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Miyajima Stationlunch
Miyamima Ekiben Station lunchbox
宮島駅弁
宮島うえのの穴子飯 Miyajima Ueno no Anagomeshi

Anagomeshi あなごめし
穴子飯弁当

Anago sea eel is a speciality from this area.
Congriscus megastomus, Meeraal, conger eel, salt-water eel
But even this eel is getting less and less in the waters off Miyajima.



It has been sold for many years, now the maker is in the 13th generation!
UENO is the name of the maker, who is now in the 4th generation, Ueno Junichi 上野純一.
When he found the many old wrappers from the time of his grandfather, he decided to make the bento again.

During the war, when there was not enough rice, they served in on bread.
The present Ueno san learned the taste of this bento from his mother. The rice is cooked with a special broth of the simmered anago. There is only a layer of fish on the cooked rice and just a few pieces of vegetables in a corner.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

The bento box is still made from real wood. In this way, the hot rice can loose some of its water through the bottom of the box and gets more tasty.
In the kitchen, there is only room for cooking rice for 20 bento, then a new load must be cooked. 20 minutes is just the time the helpers need to get the rice out of the pot and into the bento boxes, to keep the good taste.



There used to be many trains stopping at the station, but with the event of the Shinkansen, the line is rather quiet and the business quite difficult.

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WASHOKU
Dishes from Hiroshima Prefecture

WASHOKU : Eel dishes (unagi) Japan. Some are kigo

Ehomaki 恵方巻き Sushi Roll (ehoomaki)for Setsubun

Yahata-maki やはたまき (八幡巻き) anago roll
Speciality of Yahata, Kyoto


WKD ... KIGO

kigo for all summer
anago 穴子 (あなご) sea eel, conger eel
..... 海鰻(あなご)
anagotsuri あなご釣(あなごつり)fishing for anago
maanago, ma-anago真穴子(まあなご)
hakarime はかりめ

anagonabe あなご鍋(あなごなべ)hodgepot with anago
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


anago is most often simmered to put on sushi or deep-fried as tempura.

CLICK for more photos
アナゴ寿司 Anago sushi 穴子寿司


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Miyajima station, Hiroshima prefecture
JR西日本・宮島駅 Main Line
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

quote
The island of Itsukushima, in the Seto inland sea, has been a holy place of Shintoism since the earliest times. The first shrine buildings here were probably erected in the 6th century. The present shrine dates from the 12th century and the harmoniously arranged buildings reveal great artistic and technical skill. The shrine plays on the contrasts in colour and form between mountains and sea and illustrates the Japanese concept of scenic beauty, which combines nature and human creativity.
whc.unesco . Itsukushima Shinto Shrine



Miyajima town 宮島  

Itsukushima (厳島) is an island in the Inland Sea of Japan.
It is popularly known as Miyajima (宮島), the Shrine Island.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



The great rice paddle shamoji in Miyajima 宮島しゃもじ
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


The White Horse of the Gods at Miyajima 宮島白馬



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HAIKU



うまい味あなご焼かれて夏の膳
umai aji anago yakarete natsu no zen

delicious taste -
a conger eeal grilled
for a summer lunch


Matsui Shinzoo  松井信三



. Itsukushima Shrine and Kigo 厳島神社


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Related words


eel, unagi, 鰻、うなぎ, Aal KIGO


***** WASHOKU
Ekiben 駅弁 Station Lunch Box


WASHOKU
Regional Japanese Dishes



WASHOKU
Roadside stations (michi no eki 道の駅) Highway Service Areas


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Miyako Ekiben

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Miyako Stationlunch

宮古駅弁

Ichigo bentoo いちご弁当
Lunchbox with uni and awabi, sea urchin eggs and abalone

CLICK for more photos




. . . CLICK here for Photos !


ichigoni, ichigo-ni いちご煮 seafood soup with uni sea urchin eggs and abalone
Originally prepared by the fishermen of Northern Japan directly on the beaches. When uni is placed in boiling water, it takes on a round form like a wild strawberry, hence the name "strawberry stew".

This local food was made into a lunchbox by the chef of the restaurand "Uomoto 魚元" in the town of Miyako, when they were looking for some speciality to serve as ekiben. He uses "Ezo awabi" 蝦夷アワビ a local catch during the abalone fishing season. They keep the abalone in special basins to be able to have them fresh all year round.

For the bento, it is prepared like a soboro, kind of fish powder, to give a colorful background for the abalone pieces and to make it last longer. Four pieces are placed on the soboro, each with the part of the "ears" in the middle to make it look tasty and voluminous. The abalone are especially cut for this layout.

The abalone are simmered in sake and seasalt water for a long time to make them last for a while, as a lunchbox is not eaten right away and must keep in normal temperatures.


UOMOTO 魚元
is a local fish restaurant, serving kappoo ryoori 割烹料理 kappo food

kappoo 割烹 (かっぽう) : 肉を割(さ)いて烹(に)る意から
It is made up of the character "katsu," which means "to cut 割," and "hoo 烹," which means "to boil."
To prepare food. This word is used already in very old records of Japan. It takes time to prepare the food and is similar to kaiseki, but a bit less formal. Also prepared outside of Kyoto.

kappoogi 割烹着 is the name for the usually white apron with sleaves worn by the woman chefs.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Küchenschürze; Schürzenkittel


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WASHOKU
more information about kappoo


WKD ... KIGO
AWABI, abalone, more information


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Miyako Eki station, Iwate prefecture
JR山田線宮古駅 JR Yamada Main Line
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


MIYAKO town 宮古市 

On June 6, 2005, the old Miyako absorbed the town of Tarō and village of Niisato from Shimohei District to form the new city of Miyako, more than doubling the old city's size. As of 2008, the new city has an estimated population of 57,874 and a density of 83.1 persons per km². The total area is 696.82 km².

The city was founded on February 11, 1941. It lies along the coast where the Shimohei River flows into the Pacific Ocean. It is connected to Morioka by an east-west train line and highway and the coastal highway also goes through the town.
The city has a port but much of the shipping traffic is taken by larger cities along the coast.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


CLICK for more photos
Joodogahama, Jodo-ga-hama
The Jodogahama 浄土が浜 Coastline with spectacular cliff formations is close by.

Reference : Jodogahama


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way




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HAIKU




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Related words

***** WASHOKU
Ekiben 駅弁 Station Lunch Box


WASHOKU
Regional Japanese Dishes



WASHOKU
Roadside stations (michi no eki 道の駅) Highway Service Areas


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2/11/2009

Kuji, Oku Kuji Ekiben

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Oku Kuji Stationlunch
OKU KUJI Ekiben Station lunchbox
奥久慈駅弁


Shamo Bento
しゃも弁当 , Chicken Lunchbox


with local shamo chicken


. . . CLICK here for Photos !

The chicken is boiled in a special sauce.
The local ryokan makes this for more than 50 years now.


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WASHOKU
Jidori 地鳥 (じどり ).Local Chicken


WKD ... KIGO
Tori awase 鶏合 (とりあわせ) Ritual Cock Fighting


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Oku Kuji station, IBARAGI prefecture
JR水郡線・常陸大子駅 Suigun Line, Hitachi 大子 Station
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way




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HAIKU




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Related words

***** WASHOKU
Ekiben 駅弁 Station Lunch Box


WASHOKU
Regional Japanese Dishes



WASHOKU
Roadside stations (michi no eki 道の駅) Highway Service Areas


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7/07/2008

Gyuuniku Beef Cows

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Beef (gyuuniku) Rindfleisch, Rind

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Various
***** Category: Humanity


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Explanation

gyuuniku 牛肉 beef, often steak
Japanese beef is often very fat, with marble fat, "like frost" (shimofuri).
There are quite a few regional varieties of cows, some are treated like royalty and classical music is played in the shed to keep them happy.


CLICK for more photos
wagyuu, wagyu 和牛 Japanese beef
from Japanese cattle.

biifu ビーフ beef
roosuto ロースト― roast


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Wagyū (和牛)
refers to several breeds of cattle genetically predisposed to intense marbling and to producing a high percentage of oleaginous unsaturated fat. The meat from wagyū cattle is known worldwide for its marbling characteristics, increased eating quality through a naturally enhanced flavor, tenderness and juiciness, and thus a high market value. Several areas in Japan are famous for the quality of their Wagyu cattle, and ship beef bearing their areas' names. Some examples are Kobe, Mishima and Ōmi beef.

The wagyū cattle's genetic predisposition yields a beef that contains a higher percentage of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids[1] than typical beef. The increased marbling also improves the ratio of monounsaturated fats to saturated fats.

Wagyū were initially introduced to Japan as a beast of burden to help cultivate rice. By order of the Shogun, the cowherd in Japan was closed and eating meat from any four legged animal was prohibited from 1635 to 1838. Because of Japan's rugged terrain and isolated areas, different breeding and feeding techniques were used such as massaging or adding beer or sake to their feeding regimen.

It is suggested that this was done to aid in digestion and induce hunger during humid seasons but appears to have no effect on the meat's flavor. Massaging may have been to prevent muscle cramping on small farms in Japan in which the animals did not have sufficient room to use their muscles.

There are five major breeds of wagyū (wa means "Japanese" and gyū means "cow"): Japanese Black, Japanese Brown, Japanese Polled, Japanese Shorthorn, and Kumamoto Reds. Japanese breed names include: Tajima, Tottori, Shimane, Kochi and Kumamoto. Kumamoto Prefecture is famous for their red wagyū cattle. The more famous black variety has their origins in Kobe.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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sukiyaki is one of the most favorite beef dishes.

source : www.daiei.co.jp


sukiyaki, suki-yaki 鋤焼 (すきやき) "food prepared on a spade"
gyuunabe 牛鍋(ぎゅうなべ)、with beef
uosuki 魚すき(うおすき)、with fish
okisuki 沖すき(おきすき)、with seafood
torisuki 鶏すき(とりすき)、with chicken or pheasant
udonsuki 饂飩すき(うどんすき) with udon
kigo for winter


Sukiyaki (Japanese: 鋤焼 or more commonly すき焼き; スキヤキ) is a Japanese dish in the nabemono (Japanese steamboat) style.

often prepared with warishita すき焼きわりした soy sauce and dashi mix
Warishita and Soy Sauce

It consists of meat (usually thinly sliced beef) as the secular, raw part of the meal (namakusa), and a lot of vegetarian ingredients like firm tofu, konnyaku and vegetables, slowly cooked or simmered at the table, alongside vegetables and other ingredients of the sacred aspect of a meal (shoojin), in a shallow iron pot in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin (warishita). Before being eaten, the ingredients are usually dipped in a small bowl of raw, beaten eggs.

In the 1890s when Japan was opened to foreigners, new cooking styles were also introduced. Cows, milk, meat, and egg became widely used, and sukiyaki was the most popular way to serve them. The first sukiyaki restaurant, Isekuma, opened in Yokohama in 1862.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

In Kanto, the warishita is put in the pot first, them meat and vegetables are added. In Kansai, only lard is used for the first frying of meat, which is eaten dipped in a raw egg to make it a bit cool. Then warishita is poored in the pot, other ingredients, vegetables and tofu are added with more meat and all is let to stew for a moment.

In Kyoto, the oldest restaurant, Mishima Tei 三嶋亭, had a story to tell about the beginning of the restaurant there.
The founder, a samurai from Kyoto, Mishima Kanekichi and his love Tei made it to Nagasaki to get married and there studied the new ways of eating meat, which was not common in Buddhist Japan. Then they went back to Kyoto and established their restaurant in 1873. The present owner is the 5th generation and keeps up the high standard for meet dishes.

They serve sukiyaki in a hexagonal pan. First some white sugar is placed on the black pan and then one piece of beef for each guest. While it grills on the sugar it makes a delicious sound. This first bite is pure beef, so the guest can enjoy the taste of the carefully choosen marbled meat.
Then the other ingredients are added, warishita poored over it and all is cooked in the usual way.
. . . CLICK here for Photos of Mishima Tei Restaurant !


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CLICK for more photos
shabushabu しゃぶしゃぶ  shabu shabu


Shabu-shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ, also spelled syabu-syabu) is a Japanese variant of hot pot. The dish is related to sukiyaki in style, where both use thinly sliced meat and vegetables, and usually served with dipping sauces. However, it is starkly different in taste as it more closely resembles its predecessor, the Chinese hot pot; shabu-shabu is more savory and less sweet than sukiyaki. It is considered a winter dish but is eaten year-round.
The dish is traditionally made with thinly sliced beef, though modern preparations sometimes use pork, crab, chicken, duck, or lobster. Most often, tender ribeye steak is used, but less tender cuts such as top sirloin are also common. A more expensive meat, such as Wagyu, may also be used for its enhanced flavor and texture.

Shabu-shabu is usually served with tofu and vegetables, including hakusai, chrysanthemum leaves, nori (edible seaweed), onions, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and enokitake mushrooms. In some places, Udon, Mochi and/or harusame noodles may also be served.

Shabu-shabu was introduced in Japan in the 20th century with the opening of a Shabu-shabu restaurant "Suehiro"[1] in Osaka. The name of Shabu-shabu was named when Suehiro served it. After that, Suehiro registered the name of shabu-shabu as a trademark in 1955. The cuisine rapidly spread through Asia and is now a popular dish in Western countries as well. Together with sukiyaki, shabu-shabu is a common dish in tourist hot-spots, especially in Tokyo, but also in local Japanese neighborhoods (colloquially called "Little Tokyos") in countries such as the United States.
Its origins are traced back to the Chinese hot pot known as "shuan yang rou". Shabu-shabu is most similar to the original Chinese version when compared to other Japanese steamboat dishes (nabemono) such as sukiyaki.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


rei shabushabu, reishabu れいしゃぶ / 冷しゃぶ cold shabushabu
a delicacy in summer. Often served on salad leaves.
often pork meat is also used.
rei-shabu
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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ume beef, Osaka Ume beef 大阪ウメビーフ "plum beef"
From the farm of Harano Shooji
He feeds his 50 cows pickled umeboshi every day, about 1 kg. The cattle does not get any antibiotics, and they seem to like the umebosh. It keeps the cows happy (with an alcohol content of about 12 percent) and free of stress.
The plums come from Choya Umesho in Habikino, Osaka.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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wagyuu tsukudani 和牛佃煮 sweetly simmered Japanese beef
prepared in some areas of Japan, often an expensive present for travellers.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



yaki-niku, yakiniku 焼き肉 (やきにく, 焼肉) grilled slices of meat
Korean-style barbecued beef is quite popular too.
Many restaurants specialize in this kind of food for a group of people to enjoy whilst socializing.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. WKD
binchootan 備長炭 Binchotan. special charcoal from Wakayama

used for grilling food


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gyuudon 牛丼 (ぎゅうどん) bowl of rice with beef
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
mega gyuudon メガ牛丼 expecially large portion



nikujaga 肉じゃが "meat and potatoes"
from Kure city, Hiroshima

The town of Kure is one of the originagors of this dish, together with Maizuru.
Toogoo Heihachiro of the Marine is said to have introduced this dish to the mariners after eating it in Europe.
In Kure, they do not use water but may queen potatoes, beef, shirataki noodles and onions.
If you add also carrots and green peas, it is no longer nikujaga from Kure city.

The city of Kure is also lately trying to introduce the Marine gourmet, kaigun gurume 海軍グルメ, giving some dishes the names of the ships which were most famous for this dish.



Unweit von Hiroshima liegt die Hafenstadt Kure, ein wichtiger Stützpunkt der japanischen Kriegsmarine. Der Admiral Toogoo Heihachiroo (1847-1934) lernte bei seinen Fahrten in Europa ein Gericht kennen, das er seinen Soldaten auf dem Schiff unterwegs zu Essen gab und das von Kure aus ganz Japan eroberte – die inzwischen so beliebte Hausmannskost „Kartoffeln mit Fleisch“ (nikujaga).
In Kure werden dazu nur Kartoffeln der Sorte May Queen, Rindfleischscheiben, Shirataki-Konnyaku-Fadennudeln und Zwiebeln zusammen ohne Wasser eingekocht. In anderen Gegenden kommen nach Geschmack noch Möhren und Erbsen dazu.
Die Stadt Kure bemüht sich mit diesem und anderen Gerichten, die auf Schiffen der Kriegsmarine gegessen werden, einen „Marine-Gourmet“ (kaigun gurume) populär zu machen und viele Restaurants in Kure servieren inzwischen diese Gerichte für die Touristen.

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hikiniku ひき肉 minced meat, Hackfleisch
It is produced into

meat balls ミートボール
CLICK here for PHOTOS !

hamburgers ハンバーグ
CLICK here for PHOTOS !

and German steak dishes ジャーマンステーキ (jaaman suteeki)
CLICK here for PHOTOS !

With different sauces these dishes can be varied as mother likes it.


Later on not only beef was used for minced meat, but also pork, chicken and others.



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Regional Beef
This LIST is not complete. Let me know your information.


akaushi, aka-ushi あかうし "red cows"
from Mount Aso, Kyushu, also Tosa and other regions.
At Mt. Aso, they make Aso hayashi raisu 阿蘇ハヤシライス hashee rice with this beef

akaushi burger from Aso
阿蘇あかうしバーガー Aso Akaushi Hamburger 赤牛ハンバーガー


Akaushi cattle is richly marbled with fat and produces a very tender, flavorful expensive variety of steak which is used in Kobe restaurants.
The largest purebred group of the Wagyu breed of Akaushi cattle outside Japan is located in Harwood, Texas, owned by HeartBrand Beef.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Hidakagyuu 日高牛 beef from Hidaka
Hokkaido


Iki gyuu 壱岐牛 beef from Iki Island, Nagasaki pref.
CLICK here for PHOTOS !


Ishigaki gyuu 石垣牛 beef from Ishigaki, Okinawa



Matsuzaka gyuu 松阪牛 beef from Matsuzaka
Mie prefecture
. . . CLICK here for Photos of the most expensive beef filet !
Ami-yaki, amiyaki 網焼き grilled on a net
Grilled beef from Matsuzaka beef is a speciality of Mie prefecture



Mishima Ushi, Mishima gyuu 見島牛 beef from Mishima Island
Yamaguchi prefecture
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
On this small island, most elderly farmers still have some of these cows and some oxen. They take a longer time to grow for food, but are kept like members of the family in the barn. About 20 cows are brought to slauter to the mainland every year.



Mokkori gyuu もっこり牛
brand of beef produced in Minamikata town, Hokkaido
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Oki no shima 隠岐の島 Island group of Oki no shima

On the island 知夫里島 they have a long tradition of keeping cows, more than 800 years. The cows are strong and can swim through the sea to the next island, they are called "the sea-crossing, swimming cows" of Okinoshima.
Nowadays, the whole island is used as common grazing land for the calfs and cows. In winter, when the island becmes barren, the cows have to swim to nearby Shimazu island 島津島.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
The famous ekiben lunch from Matsue uses this beef.
. WASHOKU
Regional Dishes from Shimane prefecture






Oomi gyuu 近江牛 beef from Omi
Shiga prefecture
. . . Oomi Beef in the Edo period Ii Naosuke and Mito no Nariaki



Sagagyuu 佐賀牛 beef from Saga



Shinshuu wagyuu 信州和牛 beef from Shinshu province, Matsumoto
beef from Nagano Prefecture, also called "Shinshu premium beef."
It comes from cattle with black hair kuroge-wagyu (黒毛和牛).
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Shiraoigyuu 白老牛 beef from Shiraoi
Hokkaido. rather dark brown to black cows.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Tajimagyuu 但馬牛 beef from Tajima Hyogo prefecture
Tajima cattle (但馬牛, Tajima-ushi or Tajima-gyu) is one of the types of black Wagyu cattle in Japan. Many tajima cattle are born in Hyōgo Prefecture and raised as stock for famous beef such as Kobe beef and Matsuzaka beef.
Tajima cattle has been fed from old times in Tajima Province. In the Shoku Nihongi, it is written that “The Tajima-ushi is fit to cultivate the fields, to carry burdens and to eat.” In ancient times, people ate tajima-ushi in their own houses.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !



Takamorigyuu 高森牛 beef from Takamori
Yamaguchi
CLICK here for PHOTOS !
http://www.takamori-beef.com/





Yonezawa gyuu 米沢牛 beef from Yonezawa



BEEF in the Washoku Database


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quote
U.K. 'wagyu' cross-breed an affordable favorite
By WILLIAM HOLLINGWORTH , Japan Times 2009

LONDON
"Wagyu" beef has long been the preserve of Britain's exclusive restaurants and London's high-end stores, like Harrods.
However, the average bloke in the street will soon be able to have a taste of the prized wagyu thanks to a major supermarket chain that wants to bring luxury foods to everyone.

ASDA, part of the Wal-Mart group, has just started breeding cross Holstein-wagyu cattle for its supermarkets and hopes to start selling the product in early 2011.

Although not pure wagyu meat, which retails for as much as $170 per kg, the meat will have many of the characteristics of wagyu (which literally means Japanese cattle) that make it so appetizing to gourmets.

With wagyu, the fat is more evenly distributed than in other meats and it has a highly marbled appearance. The fine strands of unsaturated fat in the meat melt when it is cooked, giving it a greater depth of flavor than other kinds of beef.

Because the store is producing its own wagyu and does not have to import anything, the store is confident it can keep costs down and reduce the price to the consumer.

"wagyu beef is the best in the world, but until now it has been the preserve of the extremely well to do. We want to make it affordable for the average man in the street," said Pearce Hughes, the company's agricultural development manager.

ASDA took semen from two pedigree black wagyu bulls in Britain. Breeders in southern Scotland then inseminated a Holstein cow and a few months later their efforts paid off with the birth of the first wagyu-cross, which they have named Inochi, which means life in Japanese.
The bulls used in the breeding process are the result of implanting Australian full-blood wagyu embryos into cows in Europe. The bulls' genes are linked to the Kedeka and Fujiyoshi lines.

Following the successful birth, farmers will now inseminate further Holstein cows on a Yorkshire farm and the plan is to produce 2,500 wagyu-Holsteins a year, providing 750 tons of meat.

But Hughes adds, "wagyu-cross-Holstein is deemed as the ultimate cross in Japan because the two breeds lay down marbling in exactly the same way, producing top quality meat superior to wagyu-cross-Angus or Red Devon. It has been known for wagyu-Holstein beef to match the eating quality of purebred wagyu in taste trials."

The meat will be less fatty than pure wagyu, but bosses at ASDA believe this will appeal to health-conscious Britons.

Pure wagyu have been bred in Wales on a small scale since 2000. Farmer David Wynne Finch imported some embryos of mixed black wagyu and implanted them into some standard cross-bred beef cows. He has a herd of around 30 wagyu.

The wagyu breed has only been exported out of Japan on three occasions.

While the breed is considered indigenous to Japan, DNA testing has shown it was influenced by European breeds brought about through cross-breeding in the early 1900s.
In Japan, it is claimed that farmers massage their wagyu cows to ensure the fat is evenly distributed. They are also fed grain and given beer to stimulate appetite.
source : Japan Times, October 2009


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Worldwide use

Rindfleisch
Steak, Rinderbraten

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Things found on the way



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HAIKU and SENRYU


すき焼きへ世話をする箸食べる箸 
sukiyaki e sewa suru hashi taberu hashi

chopsticks
for the sukiyaki pot
for eating


Sagara Wataru 相良渉


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ステーキの皿の人参いつも北  
suteeki no sara ni ninjin itsumo kita

a plate with steak
and the carrots always
facing north


Moriya Akitoshi 守屋明俊
Reference



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すき焼きの母へ残った葱豆腐 
sukiyaki no haha e nokotta negi toofu

left over for mother
from the sukiyaki pot ...
leek and tofu


Makido 牧戸俊翠


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Related words

***** WASHOKU : INGREDIENTS

. WASHOKU
Milk and Milk Products



WASHOKU : NIKU ... MEAT  

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5/19/2008

Shizuoka Prefecture

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Shizuoka Prefecture


Shizuoka Prefecture (静岡県,Shizuoka-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.

The prefecture was previously divided into Tōtōmi Province, Suruga Province and Izu Province. The most noted history of the prefecture is that it was once home to the first Tokugawa Shogun.

The region was held by Tokugawa Ieyasu until he conquered the lands of the Hōjō clan in the Kantō region and gave his lands to the stewardship of Oda Nobunaga. After becoming shogun Tokugawa took the land back for his family, particularly putting the area around modern-day Shizuoka city under direct shogunal supervision.

It once again became the residence of the Tokugawa family after 1868, with the creation of Shizuoka han.

Shizuoka Prefecture is an elongated region following the coast of the Pacific Ocean at the Suruga Bay. In the west, the prefecture extends deep into the Japan Alps, while farther east it becomes a narrower coast bounded on the north by Mount Fuji, until it comes to the Izu Peninsula, a popular resort area pointing south into the Pacific

© More in the WIKIPEDIA !



Mount Fuji 富士山 Fujisan Fujiyama


Temple Shuzen-Ji 修善寺 with onsen hot spring
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


A personal BLOG
source : Shizuoka Gourmet


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Local Dishes from Shizuoka 静岡郷土料理

. . . CLICK here for Photos !



asa raamen 朝ラーメン ramen for breakfast
In Fujieda town 藤枝.
The people from the nearby port of Yaizu 焼津市 and the tea pickers used to get up early for work. So the noodle shops followed suit with a soup based on soysauce flavor with little fat. Some now even serve a set of one bowl of hot soup and one bowl of cold soup. The shops start as early as 5 in the morning and close for lunch.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !




ashitaba no goma ae あした葉の胡麻和え ashitaba leaves with sesame dressing
Ashitaba-Pflanze. Angelica keiskei


awabi no odoriyaki あわびの踊り焼 "dancing awabi"
awabi grilled alive


ayu no kanroni 鮎の甘露煮
sweetly simmered ayu fish, especially with eggs

ayu no senbei 鮎のせんべい
deep-fried pieces of ayu fish


Benten Nabe 弁天鍋
"Seafood Hodgepodge from Benten Island", with miso soup and iseebi lobster, crabs and special abalones,
From Matsuzaki.
tokobushi 床伏、 Japanese abalone、Sulculus diversicolor aquatilis



Heda no shio 戸田の塩 Salt from Heda, Izu peninsula


Hamamtasu gyooza, Hamamatsu gyoza 浜松餃子
There are a lot of boiled moyashi soybean sprouts in the middle of the gyoza dish. Served with hot chili oil, raayuu ラー油
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


いのしし鍋・きじ鍋 inoshishi nabe, kiji nabe
hodgepodge with wild boar or pheasant


iruka no misoni いるかの味噌煮
iruka dolphin meat in small pieces


iseebi no sugatazukuri 伊勢海老の姿造り
Lobster sashimi served on the living animal


iwashi no kezuribushi 蒲原いわし削りぶし
shredded dried sardines
From Kanbara town かんばら【蒲原】
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
The dried sardines are once more dipped in a special flavored mix and dried again before shredding in special maschines. They can be used for dashi broth and many other dishes.
They are a speciality of the town and are put on many dishes, even on curry (which is also cooked with loads of these shreds, when there is not enough meat.
Kanbara iwashi karee 蒲原いわしカレー curry with sardines


Kaguyahime chazuke 富士かぐや姫茶漬け bowl of rice with tea
Fuji Town 富士市


kibinago no sashimi きびなごの刺身
sashimi from small sardines. from Matsuzaki Town. They live in the cliffs from December to April and can be caught, before they take off to Kagoshima.


kuromai mochi 黒米餅 mochi made from "black rice"
from Shuzen-Ji Hot Spring 修善寺温泉
They are eaten with soy sauce.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
There is also a kind of ricewine from this special Shuzenji black rice: Kuromai Yondai Shikomi Seishu


magochazuke まご茶づけ, Magocha
MAGOCHA ... from Chiba


mugitoro 麦とろ creamy wheat and jam sauce for topping


Numazu Station Ekiben lunchbox
Minato Ajizushi 港あじ鮨mackerel sushi with extra wasabi


oden おでん Oden
quote
Shizuoka oden is a variation of oden, a stew-like Japanese food consisting of fish paste cakes, boiled eggs, daikon, potatoes, kelp rolls, konnyaku, and other ingredients that are first boiled then kept simmering in a broth until consumption.
Shizuoka oden differs from other types of oden in two ways: the preparation of the broth and the way every ingredient is skewered on a stick. The broth is made with beef sinew (instead of the dried skipjack flakes used in other types of oden) and seasoned with strong soy sauce. Because the simmering broth is only replenished rather than discarded, it takes on a very deep, brown-black color; but this process of adding new broth to old is what gives Shizuoka oden the distinctive flavor that many people find so delicious.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

- - - - - Shizuoka Oden - 5 details
black hanpen 黒はんぺん
black broth 黒いスープ
stuck on some special kushi串
sprinkeld with aonori 青海苔 and dashikona だし粉
often served at a store for dagashi sweets 駄菓子屋.


There is a food street near the station of Shizuoka,
Oden is the "soul food" of the people here.
Oden Yokocho 静岡 おでん横丁

. Oden, O-Den hodgepodge おでん 御田 .



omoro オモロ with vinegar-miso or boiled in soy sauce or with curry sauce.
same as tebichi in Okinawa: tonsoku 豚足(とんそく)



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sakuraboo さくら棒 "cherry blossom stick"
Sakurabo.
Made from FU wheat gluten and food coloring, a sweet. It also comes in different colors (flavors), like green powder tea. Some are as long as 60 centimeters.
CLICK here for PHOTOS !


sakura-ebi no kakiage 桜えびのかき揚げ
Kakiage-Tempura from sakura shrimp
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Made from fresh shrimp and leafs of leek, cut finely.
geschnitzeltes Tempura mit Sakura-Garnelen
Dishes with Sakura-ebi 桜えび料理


sakura gohan さくらご飯 "cherry blossom rice"
rice cooked with soy sauce and sake only, no other ingredients.
CLICK here for PHOTOS !
From the Western Parts of Shizuoka. Today it is eaten at homes and schools and kids like this simple dish.
Probably it started much earlier, when the fishermen and farmers offered for the Ebisu deity not only their catch and farm products, but a bowl of this simple rice.


sakura ha mochi さくら葉餅
Mochi wrapped in cherry leaves
From the town of Matsuzaki 松崎町, since Showa 6.


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shirasu tatami しらすタタミ
small white fish dried "like a tatami mat"


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Shizuoka cha 静岡茶 tea from Shizuoka
The growing of tea started at the early Meiji-Period, when the statesman Katsu Kaishu (1823-1899) had to take care of the livelihood of the vasalls from the last Tokugawa shogun. He suggested they come to Shizuoka, where the Shogun Yoshinobu had taken up residence in exile, and start planting tea, since green tea was in demand with the many foreigners coming to Japan via Yokohama. The retainers came to Makinohara 牧之原台地 to start the tea plantages.
- - - Count Katsu Kaishū 勝海舟

. Katsu Kaishu in Akasaka Tamachi, Tokyo .

Reference ... Tea from Shizuoka





Shizuoka koora 静岡コーラ Cola from Shizuoka (with green tea)

The Kimura Drinks Co.,Ltd. have been producing a variety of drinks since their foundation in 1947. A local business that is still stationed in the Shizuoka Prefecture (between Nagoya and Tokyo), they have survived and thrived by not competing with the big boys like Asahi and Kirin, but but by producing small quantities of locally made drinks.
- snip - Although the drink draws in the tourists, Kimura Drink is not resting in its quest to make the most unique drinks available. Besides Shizuoka Cola, you can buy Shizuoka, Strawberry and Fuji Cider (as in lemonade, not fermented apples).
- - source axio mmagazine -


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suppon ryoori スッポン料理
Speciality of Hamamatsu. 70% of Japanese suppon is farmed here.
suppon turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis


takaashigani taka-ashi kani たかあしがに (高足蟹)
crabs with long legs. Japanese Spider Crab.
Macrocheira kaempferi . giant spider crab
fished in the deap sea off Heda, Izu peninsula, in Suruga Bay.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
„Japanische Spinnen-Krabbe“.


torobotchi, torobocchi とろぼっち fish
fished in the deap sea off Heda, Izu peninsula.
shinkaigyo 深海魚 fish from the deep sea, more than 200 meters desp
also called
aome eso アオメエソ 青眼狗母魚
The body is long and round, about 15 cm. Big eyes, which reflect the sunlight, so it is also called "sparkling eyes" (mehikari メヒカリ). His white meat is used for sashimi, kara-age and shioyaki fried with salt.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


tororojiru とろろ汁 soup with grated tororo yam
At the station Mariko 丸子の宿 (鞠子) of the old Tokaido. For example from 梅若菜丸子の宿
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


unagi no kabayaki うなぎの蒲焼き broiled eel
aquafarming has started here since the Meiji restauration around lake Hamanako 浜名湖.



わさび漬け wasbizuke, wasabi pickles
spring kigo


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Related words

***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

***** . Folk Toys from Shizuoka .
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5/14/2008

Niigata Echigo

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Niigata prefecture



Niigata Prefecture (新潟県, Niigata-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located on Honshū island on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name Niigata literally means "New Lagoon".
Niigata prefecture was originally divided into Echigo Province and Sado Province until the Meiji Restoration. During the Sengoku period it was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin.

The major industry in Niigata is agriculture. Rice is the principal product, with Niigata ranking 2nd (after Hokkaidō) among the prefectures for total rice output. The area around Uonuma is especially known for its Koshihikari variety of rice, which is widely thought of as the highest quality rice in Japan.

Rice-related industries are also very important to the local economy. Niigata prefecture is known throughout Japan for its quality sake, senbei, mochi, and arare. In sake production, Niigata is third in the country after Gunma and Kyoto prefectures.

The prefecture is famous as the original home of the ornamental carp known as koi, and the best-quality koi are still considered to come from the farms of Niigata.


Niigata is known for the following regional specialities:

Uonuma koshihikari rice: considered the best quality rice in Japan.
Shoyu (soy-sauce) and Yofu (western-style) katsudon.
Shoyu sekihan.
Sasa-dango, sasadango (mochi balls filled with red bean paste, seasoned with mugwort and wrapped in bamboo leaves).
Po-po-yaki (steamed bread flavored with brown sugar).
"Tsubame-Sanjo ramen" (ramen made using thick udon-style noodles).
Kirazu (dishes using okara).
Kakinomoto (edible chrysanthemums).

Kanzuri (a special seasoning from Myōkō (Myookoo, Myoko) made by leaving chili pepper exposed on snow, then adding flour, salt and yuzu).
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


Tenchijin (天地人)
is the 48th NHK Taiga drama for 2009! NHK大河ドラマ
The life of Naoe Kanetsugu 
直江兼続(なおえ かねつぐ 1560 - 1619)
Kanetsugu in Yamagata


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Niigata Dishes 新潟郷土料理


abura-age 油あげ deepfried tofu pouches
Tochio aburage あぶらげ (aburaage is called "aburage" in Tochio 栃尾), where there is even an "aburage matsuri" festival あぶらげまつり.
They are made with 100 % Niigaga soybeans. With leek and ginger, they are a delicacy.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


anbo あんぼ balls from rice and vegetables
rice flour and finely chopped vegetables of the season, sansai and soy beans are kneaded with them. A food for the cold winter morning breakfast.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Ambo


ayu no ishiyaki 鮎の石焼 ayu fish fried on hot stones
You collect stones by the riverside and heat them up for 2 hours. Thes the innards of the fish and miso paste are fried on the stone. It is just a little bitter in taste.


boodara no nitsuke ぼうだらの煮付け simmered dried cod
boodara 棒鱈 "stick tara" is tara cut in three pieces and dried.
It is simmered with sugar and soy sauce for half a day to get the bones soft.
boodara is a kigo for spring.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Stockfisch
tara たら【鱈】codfish, haddock


botamochi ぼたもち rice cakes covered with sween bean paste
... see mochi


dengaku 田楽 food on skewers, with misopaste
Dengaku dance and food with amazing details
Usually firm tofu and eggplants on skewers, grilled with miso paste. Also satoimo potatoes, fish and other vegetables are grilled like this.




donbikoni, donbiko-ni, どんびこ煮 donbiko-ni cooked heart of salmon
speciality of Murakami area.
Cooked in sweet sauce. Precious food since there is only one heart in each fish caught.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


egoneri (igoneri) えごねり(イゴネリ)seaweed
The seaweed "egogusa エゴ草" from the wild sea of the Nihonkai is full of minerals.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
. The Azumi clan 安曇族  and ego /igo dishes .


Fucha ryori, fucha ryoori 普茶料理 Chinese monk quisine


gajini がじに cooked innards of salmon
from Murakami area. Cooked in a hodgepodge with vegetables and spicy sauce.


gibasani, gibasa-ni ぎばさ煮 boiled gibasa seaweed
also called akamoku あかもく or nagamo ナガモ "long seaweed"
It grows in shallow sea water and grows to seven meters long.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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CLICK for more photos hegisoba, hegi soba へぎそば buckwheat noodles
from Ochiya town 小千谷そば
Buckwheat flour is mixed with the seaweed funori 布海苔(ふのり), hitting the dough in a special way. (nori 糊 glue). The noodles are quite firm.
hegi 片木 is a thin wooden board hegi ita 剥板, that was used like a shingle for a roof.
They are served in small portions arranged like shingles, "swinging the hand once" 一手振り.
They are almost like zarusoba.



hime takenoko 姫たけのこ / 姫竹の子 small thin bamboo shoots
They are put in miso soup or boiled as a sidedish.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


ibushi daikon いぶし大根 smoked radish
small radishes are smoked for about one week. Then it is cut and pickled in rice bran miso
(iburi gakko is from Akita)


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kachidokimeshi (かちどき飯)"rice to win the battle"
This was given to the warriours before sending them to battle, to encourage them, by their lord, Uesugi Kenshin 謙信公.
It includes kezurimono in auspicious five colors けずりもの, sengoku war sashimi 戦国さしみ, aburiyaki grilled meat 炙り焼き, nuka misoni boiled in miso 糠味噌煮, kurumi hitashi walnuts 胡桃浸し, kuromai black rice (brown rice) 黒米(玄米), atsumejiru soup 集め汁 koo no mono pickles 香の物, mizugashi mixed fruit 水菓子.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



kaguramiso, kagura nanban miso 神楽南蛮味噌
CLICK for more pepper photos kagurananban (kagura namban) is a kind of bell pepper. It has its name because it is full of bulbs like the mask for a kagura dance. In the village 新潟県中頚城郡中郷村 it is called buta koshoo, ぶたこしょう pepper for pigs.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


kanzuri かんずり chili paste
fermented chili paste with yuzu citron and salt, kept in the snow and matured for 3 years. Sauce for nabemono
from the high areas of Echigo
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


kensayaki, kensa-yaki けんさ焼き "rice grilled on a sword tip"
When Uesugi Kenshin fought his many wars around 1550, he had his soldiers put onigiri on the top of the sword and grill them slightly before eating. It was his way to show resprct to the rice-growing farmers of his province.
Now it is eaten for the New Year and harvest festivals.
A bit of miso paste can be put on the grilled rice.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



kiku no hana no sunomono 菊の花の酢の物
vinegared chrysanthemum flowers
Speciality of Niigata and other areas of Tohoku in Northern Japan. Eaten in autumn.


kinpira キンピラ simmered root vegetables
Kinpira (Japanese: 金平) is a Japanese cooking style that can be summarised as a technique of "sauté and simmer". It is commonly used to cook root vegetables such as carrot, burdock and lotus root, seaweeds such as arame and hijiki and other foods including tofu and namafu (生麸) (wheat gluten).
The dish features the use of soy sauce and mirin, as well as often slivered chili peppers.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

In Niigata, kinpira is put into rice flour dumplings, kinpira dango キンピラ団子, (considered a sweet or oyatsu for the three o'clock snack)
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

kinpira soba キンピラ蕎麦 where the kinpira is put into the dipping sauce and then eaten with the buckwheat noodles.



kiriai きりあい daikon pickled in miso
daikon radish boiled, cut very small and mixed with miso. Some yuzu citron, black sesame and sugar is added. It can be put on rice just like this.
shiso-iri kiriai しそ入りきりあい with perilla leaves
from Iwaya Onsen 岩室温泉
Iwa is a postal town at the "Northern Route" hokkoku kaidoo 北国街道.
another speciality of Iwaya is
suika misozuke すいか味噌漬 watermelon pickled in miso
Iwaya onsen manjuu 岩室温泉饅頭
Iwaya senbei 岩室せんべい
. . . CLICK here for Photos of the hot spring!



CLICK for more photos koshihikari コシヒカリthe most famous brand of rice
Rice, kome, types of rice

koshihikari matsuril コシヒカリまつり
rice festival
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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Kubiki no oshizushi くびきの押し寿司 station lunch
from Naoetsu Station 直江津駅 and JR越後湯沢駅
ekiben from Kubiki area 頸城地方(くびきちほう)
Three different flavors in three layers. With local koshihikari rice.
CLICK here for PHOTOS !



miruku yookan ミルクようかん milk desert
made from milk, sugar and kanten jelly. It comes in a container like yoghurt. Taken out it looks like a white piece of tofu. Cut into pieces, eaten with fruit.




mojio
藻塩 salt with seaweed
from Sado Island 佐渡
Salt of Japan



nasu no abura itame なすの油炒め fried eggplant
There are many different types of eggplants in Niigata. round eggplants 丸なす, long eggplants 長なす, eggplants "like brushes" 鉛筆なす、and 十全なす、水なす、漬けなす、巾着なす ...
Most of them are also prepared for tsukemono pickles.


nina 煮菜 "simmered leaves"
from leafy vegetables like Nozawana 野沢菜 and taina タイ菜
Simmered with beans and abura-age tofu pouches.
..... ni namasu 煮なます simmered daikon
grated daikon radish with crushed beand simmered with sugar and vinegar.


nodoguro のどぐろ / のど黒 "black neck" fish
expensive fatty white fish
CLICK here for PHOTOS !


noppejiru のっぺ汁 Vegetable broth with mixed ingredients
noppe stew, Noppe-Eintopf


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okoshigata おこし型 colored sweet dumplings
Sado beanpaste cakes
filled with anko sweet bean paste. They are very colorful, pink, green and yellow. They come in various auspicious forms, flowers or animals, made to stand up on decoration shelves, for example the Doll festival, the Boy's festival or O-Bon for the ancestors.
Sado Island
. . . CLICK here for Photos 佐渡のおこし型 !



okowadango おこわだんご balls
with okowa rice outside and sween anko inside
from Washima village 和島村


sankaku chimaki 三角ちまき rice wrapped in triangular form
prepared by lokal farmewifes for the husband to take to the field work.
Now it is mostly eaten as a sweet snack with kinako soybean flower.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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sasadango 笹団子 (ささだんご) dumplings


sasazushi 笹寿司 Sushi served on sasa leaves
Sasa japonica. During the battles at Kawanakajima, there were no vessels to serve the food in. So the soldiers took these leaves, which are abundant, and placed their food on them.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Kawanakajima no tatakai 川中島の戦い
were fought in the Sengoku Period of Japan between Takeda Shingen of Kai Province and Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo Province in the plain of Kawanakajima, in the north of Shinano Province. The location is in the southern part of the present-day city of Nagano.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Shagiri manjuu しゃぎり 饅頭 Murakami village



shake no sakebitashi 鮭の酒びたし salmon in rice wine
from the Murakami area 村上地方
Salmon pieces dried hard in the cold wind of the Sea of Japan were defrozen by putting them in a bit of hot rice wine and mirin.
salmon pickled in Japanese wine, marinated in Sake
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



shinsetsujiru miyuki jiru 深雪汁 "deep snow soup"
soup made of rabbit meat ウサギ肉. With pieces of radish, carrots, satoimo potatoes, shimeji mushrooms, konnyaku and burdock, it is full of nurishment on a cold winter day.



suketo no okijiru スケトウの沖汁 / スケトの沖汁
halibutt soup on the boat
prepared by fishermen on the boat. On the fishing trip to Sado island they caught sukettodara すけとうだら(介党鱈) and cut it into bite-size in a pot with miso soup or salt water.
Alaska pollack, Theragra chalcogramma
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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CLICK for more photos Takahashi ame 高橋あめ made with millet
from Echigo, the store Takahashiya makes them in the 14th generation
桜花くびきの里 hana saku biki no sato
“粟の古代飴”awa no kodai ame, millet sweets in the old style
They were the appointed sweet makers of the Lord. 御用菓子師
高橋孫左衛門商店 Takahashi Magozaemon Ameya 高橋あめや
上越市南本町3-7-2

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tori no karaage (kara-age) 鳥のから揚げ deep fried chicken
They serve a half chicken with one wing and one leg, all covered in curry powder and then deep fried for about 10 minutes. It is quite a volumous portion.
CLICK here for PHOTOS !



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tsuttoko つっとこ New Year Food
packed in straw and hung in the cool space between the kitchen and outside.
About 14 different ingredients from the local fields are packed in a straw bag for each member of the family. A mikan was a special treat, so was a boiled egg. Home-made konnyaku was also put in the package.
Toge Shuraku, Matsudai Area 峠集落(松代エリア)(Tooge Shuuraku)
They also use wild rabbit for the zoni New Year soup in Toge.
yama-usagi ozooni 山ウサギお雑煮



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umazurahagi, umazura hagi ウマズラハギ "hagi with the face of a horse"
Thamnaconus modestus
Local people call it UMAZURA, horse face.
fish with a hard skin, which can be easily wrappef off. Eaten as Sashimi, with the liver in soysauce to dip.
CLICK here for PHOTOS !




Uonuma mochi 魚沼餅 mochi with rice from Uonuma town
Koganemochi 小金餅
This is the best rice in Japan to prepare mochi.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



wappa-han, wappameshi ワッパ飯
cooked rice and seafood are steamed in a bamboo basket

wappa-ni, wappani わっぱ煮 boiled in a wappa basket by placing hot stones into the broth of fish and vegetables
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



yukiguni maitake 雪国まいたけ
Sheep’s Head, Hen of the Woods
Grifola frondosa
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
This is a special brand from Niigata. It even has a corporation in America to sell these mushrooms.
Maitake mushrooms KIGO
vinegar from yukiguni maitake 雪国まいたけ絞り黒酢
maitake tempura まいたけ天ぷら
Reference : fresh Kosher maitake mushrooms




zenmai abura itame ぜんまい油炒め fern fried with oil
Osmunda japonica, Taubenfarn
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
see: sansai, mountain vegetables


zooni 雑煮 New Year Soup
prepared with salmon and chicken meat and plenty of local vegetables.
Mochi are also put into the soup. They say it is the best zooni of all Japan!


zuiki no sunomono ずいきの酢の物 cooked stem from yam
from the yam potato yatsugashira 八つ頭
Zuiki from Wakayama
芋茎(ずいき) Zuiki Taro and the 随喜 Zuiki Vegetable Festival



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



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HAIKU



麦秋や子を負ながらいはし売
mugi aki ya ko o oi-nagara iwashiuri

ripened barley--
with a child on her back
the sardine vendor


Kobayashi Issa

In a prescript for this haiku, Issa writes,
"Feeling pity for a woman from Echigo on a business journey."
Echigo is one of the old provinces of Japan, today's Niigata Prefecture. Mugi is a generic term that refers to several grains: wheat, barley, oats, and rye. Shinji Ogawa explains that the phrase "barley's autumn" (mugi no aki) refers, in fact, to the summer season. The name derives from the fact that ripened barley "is comparable to the sight of a rice field in autumn." The grain is ready for harvest, but the baby bundled on his or her mother's back is just starting life.

Not mentioned in the haiku, but implied, are the field workers to whom the mother is selling her sardines for their lunch break. The haiku presents a scene teeming with life: the field of golden grain, the hungry harvesters, the mother, the child.
Tr. and Comment : David Lanoue

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Makoto Ueda mentions in his book,
Dew on the Grass: The Life and Poetry of Kobayashi Issa,
that there is an earlier version of this poem in Issa's Eighth Diary:

iwashi mese mese to ya naku ko oinagara

"Sardines! Sardines!"
she calls, with a baby
crying on her back



Ueda points out, however, that this "poem is deficient as a hokku since it lacks a season word. The revised version [which Issa included in The Year of My Life] corrects that deficiency, creating a sense not only of the season but of the surrounding landscape."


Larry Bole, Translating Haiku Fourm



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Related words

***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

. Folk Toys from Niigata .

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5/13/2008

Okayama ... and Momotaro

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
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OKAYAMA

Momotaro Hodgepodge (momotaroo nabe)

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


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Explanation

Momotaro (Momotaroo ももたろう, 桃太郎 )
the Peach Boy
is the hero of Okayama city. The main street is even called "Momotaro Road", momotaroo doori 桃太郎通り and an annual festival is held in his honor.
Der Pfirsischjunge

Momotaro from Okayama
Clay Bell from Okayama


. Momotaro 桃太郎 and Yanagita Kunio 柳田國男 .
The Folktale Discussion
MOMOTARŌ NO TANJŌ (THE BIRTH OF PEACH BOY, 1933)

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The city of Okayama has now "invented" a hodgepodge named after this famous hero 桃太郎鍋.
CLICK for more photos It started off with a big pot serving visitors of a festival in 2006.
The hodgepodge includes ass the heroes of the story. Momotaro himself is represented by kibi dango, kibidango 黍団子 millet dumplings. The red demon is represented by mochi with red rice, whereas the green demon has yomogi mugwort mochi. The local momotaro jidori 桃太郎地鶏 chicken is used for the soup. Only local vegetables are used. They are cut into the heroes of the story, carrots are cut in little monkey shapes, the white dog is formed from radish. Yellow nira leek of Okayama is also added in great quantity to represent the tail of the pheasant.
It is quite fun to pick them all out of the pot when done. So the family has something to talk about when eating together.

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The main story of
Momotaro and Momotaro Dolls and Amulets

. Momotaroo 桃太郎 Momotaro the Peach Boy .

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Momotaro Festival in Okayama
"桃太郎祭り" Momotaro Matsuri

source :  www.pref.okayama.jp

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

One of the attraction is the dance "uraja うらじゃ", where people paint the faces in all colors and wear fancyful costumes. Groups of many villages take part and often there is a competition for the best costumes and dancing.
My own village Ohaga also has a dance groupe of this kind.

. . . CLICK here for URAJA Photos !



桃太郎祭りずし弁当 Sushi for the Momotaro Festival
. . . CLICK here for Photos !





. Shrine Kibitsu Jinja 吉備津神社 .


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The story of Momotaro may be related to the old believes of the onmyodo 陰陽道 Yin-Yang Worldview. The direction of bad influence, kimon, is in the ushi-tora (bull tiger) direction. So one of the demons Momotaro is fighting has horns and the other wears a tiger skin.

And the Monkey, Dog and Pheasant are animals in the zodiac, in the opposite heavenly direction from the kimon 鬼門 .


The peach itself is seen as an auspicious symbol.
In the shrine Abe Jinja 安部神社 at the kimon related to the imperial palace in Kyoto is a metal peach, where people come to touch it to ward off evil 厄除けの桃 even today.
. . . CLICK here for Photos ! 


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Momotarō (桃太郎)
CLICK for more photos is a popular hero from Japanese folklore. His name literally means Peach Tarō; as Tarō is a common Japanese boy's name, it is often translated as Peach Boy. Momotarō is also the title of various books, films, and other works that portray the tale of this hero.

The popular Children's song about Momotarō titled Momotarō-san no Uta (Momotarō's Song) was first published in 1911. One version of it is included below with romanization and translation.

Momotarō-san no uta (Momotarō's Song)
桃太郎さんの歌


Momotarō-san, momotarō-san (Momotarō, Momotarō)
桃太郎さん、桃太郎さん

Okoshi ni tsuketa kibidango (Those millet dumplings on your waist)
お腰につけたきびだんご

Hitotsu watashi ni kudasai na? (Won't you give me one?)
一つ私に下さいな!

Agemashou, agemashou (I'll give you one, I'll give you one)
あげましょう、あげましょう

Ima kara oni no seibatsu ni (From now, on a quest to conquer the ogres)
今から鬼の征伐に

Tsuite kuru nara agemashou (If you come with me, I'll give one to you)
ついてくるならあげましょう
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !




4月に行われていた岡山桃太郎まつり
おかやま桃太郎まつり - Wikipedia -


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Momotaroo tomato 桃太郎トマト
Momotaroo tomato serii 桃太郎トマトセリー
Jelly from Momotaro Tomatoes
Momotaroo goorudo 桃太郎ゴールド Momotaro Gold Tomatoes
The skin is rather thin.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
These tomatoes are a special kind of "sugar tomatoes シュガートマト" with a high sugar content.



Momotaro tomato amanatto トマト甘納豆
Sweet tomatos with a sugar coating


Momotaro grapes 桃太郎ぶどう momotaroo budoo
are big and green and very sweet. They have no kernels and the skin can be eaten too.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Momotaro and Daruma ... 桃太郎とだるま


23x35cm
Painted with the wish to recover from illness.
source :  www.eisai.co.jp/museum

One of the "smallpox paintings" . hoosoo-e 疱瘡絵 .


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CLICK for original LINK

Showa 33 in Shimonoseki
source : www.darmax.co.jp


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Chawanmushi served in a Daruma bowl
together with a Momotaro Sushi



桃太郎寿司でだるまの ハンニバル茶碗蒸し
source :  blog.nan-can.com

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Bichu, Kurashiki Anko Meguri Stamp Ralley, October 2009
備中・倉敷あんこめぐり スタンプラリー



WASHOKU -Sweets from Okayama


Kurashiki Tenryo Sushi Matsuri / Okayama no Matsuri Sushi
and other festivals in Kurashiki


Bii Kyuu Gurume B級グルメ Grade B Gourmet, Okayama prefecture


Grade B Gourmet Meeting in Tsuyama
おかやまB級グルメフェスタin津山
B Kyu Gurume .. Festa in Tsuyama
March 20 / 21, 2010 in Tsuyama town


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Other dishes from Okayama

amidaikon あみだいこん
amiebi (ami-ebi) shrimp, radish and ginger are cooked with soy sauce, rice wine and sugar. A dish to bring autumn to the region of the Inland sea.
. . . CLICK here for Photos of ami-ebi あみえび!


aounagi, ao-unagi アオウナギ, アオ鰻 blue eel from Bizen Kojima Bay


arasuka アラスカ, arasuka mame アラスカ豆 Alaska green peas
arasuka gohan アラスカご飯 cooked rice with green peas.


barazushi ばらずし バラ寿司)Gemischtes Sushi
In Okayama wird ein reichbestücktes Sushi in einem Teller angerichtet. Auf den Sushi-Reis kommen verschiedene Auflagen, es ist eine Art, die auch „chirashizushi“ genannt wird. Der Segen des Meeres und der Segen der Berge leuchtet in bunten Farben auf dem weißen Reis. Der Regionalfürst von Bizen und Okayama, Ikeda Mitsumasa (1609-1682), erließ damals einen Sparbefehl, nach dem für eine Mahlzeit nur „eine Suppe und ein weitere Speise“ serviert werden durften. Seine schlauen Untertanen umgingen diesen Befehl, indem sie auf einem großen Teller Reis allerlei Fischstücke, Garnelen und andere Meeresfrüchte sowie viele Gemüsesorten der jeweiligen Saison anhäuften. Dieses farbenprächtige Sushi hat sich bis heute erhalten und darf bei keiner Feier oder Festlichkeit fehlen, es wird daher auch „Festtags-Sushi“ (matsurizushi) genannt.


bengara karee ベンガラカレー Bengara Curry from Fukiya Village


dodomese どどめせ sushi rice with mixed ingredients
a kind of takikomi gohan with vinegar, to make a sushi. The beginning of the chirashizushi of Okayama. Already prepared in the Kamakura period. At that time, there was a stop-over for ships from Bizen to Fukuoka, where the takasebune ships used this kind of mixed rice as obento. The original word was doburoku meshi どぶろくめし (doburoku is cloudy white sake rice wine). It is also the origin of Bizen barazushi 備前ばらずし.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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CLICK for more photos

FAGI FOODS ファジフーズ
Fagiano Okayama ファジアーノ岡山


icecream from Hiruzen milk
onigiri with mentaiko
Fagi Chicken KATSU Burger ファジチキン勝バーガー
Fagi crepe
Chahan bento チャーハン弁当 fried rice bento
pon juice ポンジュース orange juice

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Fagiano Okayama Football Club is a football club from Okayama, Okayama, Japan. Fagiano currently play in the J. League Division 2, the second-tier professional football league in the country. Fagiano in Italian means "pheasant", and it's a reference to the pheasant that was a companion of local legend character Momotarō. Their mascot Fagi-kun is based on the specific species native to Japan, the Green Pheasant.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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funameshi フナ飯 rice with funa fish


gonboo baagaa ゴンボーバーガー,牛蒡バーガー, ごんぼうバーガー” hamburger with gobo
Ibara town 井原
The town grows a lot of the variety Meiji goboo (gonbo in the local dialect) and puts this vegetable in many dishes. It is also sold as a "station lunch" ekiben.
明治ごんぼうバーガー
CLICK here for PHOTOS !



hime toogarashi 姫とうがらし roter Pfeffer aus Okutsu
hime togarashi, red hot chili peppers
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
It is sold in various preparations, dried, as powder or in hot oil salad dressing. Even Konnyaku is flavored with red chili (konnyaku hime).


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Hiruzen Yakisoba 蒜山焼そば fried noodles from Hiruzen
Flavored with miso sauce.
This has become more popular with the B-Kyu Gurmet movement, and even one prizes.
It is an old dish, keeping the tradition of the region. In winter, when snow covered the exit passes fro the highlands, farmers had to make do whith what they could preserve. So each family used some kind of miso pickles and a home-made miso-sauce mix for a "family flavor".
The chicken for this dish come from old hens, which have done their duty laying eggs. It was suggested to use young chicken with softer meat, but that is not the tradition of Hiruzen farmers, so the old ways were revived in this popular noodle dish.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Hiruzen okowa 蒜山(ひるぜん)おこわ Mochi-Klebreis mit roten Bohnen
und anderem Gemuese aus dem Hiruzen Hochland
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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horumon udon ホルモンうどん udon noodles with innards
hormon udon
In the town of Tsuyama 津山市 this is quite popular as one of the B-kyu B 級グルメ second class gourmet foods. It even won third grading in the All Japan B-Kyu events in 2009. It was served at our village sports festival this autumn, look at the delicious photo above!
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

ホルモンのうどん振舞う運動会

they even serve
hormon udon noodles -
villge sports festival


Gabi Greve, October 2009


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inoshishi raamen いのししラーメン with wild boar meat
from Niimi town, Okayama 新見市岡山県



kakioko, kaki oko カキオコ omelette with oysters
kaki okonomiyaki ... kakioko was coined in 2008 for promoting the village.
About 10 to 15 oysters per portion are put in a kind of okonomiyaki pizza style omelette with a lot of cut cabbage.
It is also called "Hinase yaki" 日生焼き
from Hinase fishing port 日生地区, near Bizen
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



kako no jabujabu 水夫のじゃぶじゃぶ sailor's jabu-jabu
Ushimado 牛窓




karee, furuutsu karee フルーツカレー curry with local fruit
like peaches, persimmons, pione grapes, Momotaro tomatoes and even innards of pork (horumon karee)
Click on the photo to start your walk through our local specialities.



Kasaoka raamen 笠岡ラーメン Kasaoka ramen noodle soup
made only with chicken meat (chikin chaashuu) and chicken soup, since more than 50 years.
After the war, Kasaoka town was surrounded by chicken farms.
CLICK here for PHOTOS !



kenbiki-yaki, kenbikiyaki ケンビキ焼き, けんびき焼き
Kenbiki, kembiki in local dialect means "to be tired".
In the local dialect, the first of June, rokugatsu ichinichi, rokugatsu hitohi was pronounced rokkahidee ロッカッヒテエー was one whole day in June when the farmers did the planting of rice seedlings. All villagers would stop their other work and be out in the fields, also called shiromidi シロミテ, white day.
On this day, the kenyiki-yaki, prepared in a hooroku ホウロク earthen pan wrapped in leaves of myoga ginger was offered to the local deities (ujigami 氏神様、内神様) and later eaten by the whole family.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Recipe see below.


kibimochi, kibi mochi きび餅 mochi with millet
Often mochikibi もちきび flour is used to make it.
They were a substitute for poor farmers who could not afford to use mochigome rice in olden times.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Kokerazushi こけら寿司 / 柿寿司 / こけら鮨 layered sushi
from Hiruzen. kokera sushi


kurobuta from Nagi, Sakushuu 作州 black pork meat
Sakushuu kurobuta sushi with sushirice and black beans
yellow nira from Nagi



kusagina kakemeshi くさぎなかけめし
rice with kusagina leaves
From Kibi Chuo Town, Kibi Kogen highlands 吉備高原
kusagina are the leaves from a tree of the verbena officinalis family (kumatsuzura クマツヅラ科), which grows about 3 meters in hight. The leaves are big and eggshaped and have a strong smell. The leaves are dried and eaten as hozonshoku by the hunters of the mountainous area. They are rich in vitamin C and Calcium.
It is now also prepared as a school lunch and sold in packs online.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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mamakari, sappa ままかり(さっぱ) Sardinella zunasi
. . . . . mamakarizushi ままかりずし sushi with mamakari fish


mogai 藻貝 / もがい も貝 small clams
Boiled as tsukudani, put on the bento lunchbox or in miso soup.


mokuzugani 藻屑蟹 / モクズガニ Japanese mitten crab
from Kumenan, along the river Asahigawa 久米南, 旭川


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otsukakegohan, o-tsu kakegohan お汁かけごはん
rice with miso sauce
A bowl of local rice is doused with a bowl of miso sauce. A few pickled vegetables as a side dish make a simple farmer's meal.
Kumen Town, Michi no Eki 道の駅久米の里
source : Sanyo Shinbun, December 2009


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- new instant ramen soups インスタント ラーメン

gomamiso raamen ごまみそラーメン with sesame seeds and miso paste

momotaroo dango raamen 桃太郎団子ラーメン with chicken meatballs

satoyama raamen 岡山里山ラーメン "Village noodle soup" with mushrooms and all kinds of vegetables

setouchi kaki raamen 瀬戸内カキラーメン from Setuichi, with oysters


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sabazushi サバずし / 鯖ずし
Speciality in Northern Okayama prefecture, especially prepared for the autumn festival. The salted fish was brought from Tottori during the Edo period and the farmers could only afford to buy it just after the harvest.
In my village, the farmers wifes offer their handmade sabazushi to friends and family.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Sakushuu kuro 作州黒 Black beans from Sakushu province
Sakushu is an old name of some northern parts of Okayama prefecture
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


sawara no kookozushi サワラのこうこずし


shirasagi komugi しらさぎ小麦 "white heron" type of wheat
good for making udon noodles.
CLICK here for PHOTOS !



tai no hamayaki 鯛の浜焼き
sakuradai no hamayaki 櫻鯛の浜焼き
from Kasaoka Town
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



. WASHOKU
Tamagokake gohan TKG 卵かけご飯 boiled rice with raw egg
 
Misaki Cho, 美咲町. made from tanada mai, rice from the terraced rice fields of Ohaga Nishi 大垪和西.
Ohaga, home of Gabi Greve



. Tsuchinoko ツチノコ or 槌の子 hammerspawn
legendary reptile souvenir food, Akaiwa and Yoshii



Tsuyama, B Kyu Gurume .. Festa おかやまB級グルメフェスタin 津山
March 20/21, 2010



Urajima renkon 連島レンコン lotus roots from Urajima town
連島町(つらじまちょう). Kurashiki 倉敷市
They are quite delicious when eaten raw. Harvested from late autumn onward.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
They are also trying to make shochu (renkon shooshuu レンコン焼酎) liquor with this roots.


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. Oishii o-hanashi Okayama
おいしいおはなし 岡山 .

Literature and Food Event from February to March 2012

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- source : kyoudo-ryouri.com/en.. okayama .. -
Bukkake Udon
Hawasabi Sushi
Iidako boiled with soy sauce
Jaku Tempura
Manzen Kabura
Shino Udon
Takomeshi
Ujo Golden Sushi


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


Kintaro, the Golden Boy
Daruma Museum


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HAIKU


kibi, millet and
millet dumplings 黍団子(きびだんご) kibi dango
kigo for mid-autumn

ume saku ya inu ni matagaru momotarô

plum blossoms --
riding a dog
the Peach Boy



老が世に桃太郎も出よ捨瓢
oi ga yo ni momotaroo mo deyo sute fukube

to an old man's world
Peach Boy, come out!
hollow gourd


Kobayashi Issa

In Issa's journal this is the first haiku of Eighth Month, 1816. Earlier that year, the last haiku of Second Month began with the same first two phrases, but ended with "peach blossoms" (momo no hana). Though the kanji for "gourd" is today read as hisago, Issa read it as fukube. Shinji Ogawa notes that a hollowed fukube could be used as a container or bottle.
In this haiku, "the gourd becomes a magic lamp or a bottle where a Genie comes out, in this case, Peach Boy." He adds, "There is a Japanese phrase, hyootan kara koma which means 'a horse from a gourd' or 'an unexpected thing happened'."
Tr. David Lanoue


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Kurashiki  倉敷  is famous for its canals and willow trees. There is a group of elders who go around town with masks and large fans and tap people on the head for good luck.
They walk around as representatives for their friends who are bedridden and can not go out.



suinkyo, su-inkyo 素隠居 (すいんきょ)persons in retirement
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

. Suinkyo Matsuri - Festival at Achi Shrine 阿智神社 .


. Toys and Talismans from Japan .



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Related words

Momotaro Food / my photos

***** WASHOKU : Local chicken (jidori)

Shoodoshima 小豆島 Shodoshima
Kagawa prefecture, but close to Okayama


***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes


***** . Momotaroo 桃太郎 Momotaro the Peach Boy Dolls .

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[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
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