Tokyo Prefecture
Yanagawa nabe/Dojo jiru

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- Main lore areas
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Asakusa, Taito-ku; Komagata, Taito-ku; Takahashi, Koto-ku
- Main ingredients used
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loach, burdock root, eggs, soy sauce, mirin, green onion
- History/origin/related events
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There are two kinds of "Dojo-jiru". In "Marunabe", a live loach is put whole in boiling sake to make it drunk, and then stewed in an iron pot with a stockpot. Nuki nabe" is a dish in which boned loach, cut open at the back, is stewed with burdock root.
Loach is a river fish characterized by its slimy surface and strong vitality. During the Edo period, when eating meat of animals was prohibited, loach was a familiar food for those who wanted to gain strength, just like carp and eel. Dojyo is written "loach" or "loach," and in old Japanese kana usage, it is written "dojiyau" or "dojiyau. Komagata Dozei" was established in 1801 as the oldest store in Komagata, but it was originally called "Dojiau. However, after the Great Fire of the Bunka Period in 1806, Echigoya Sukeshichi, the shop's founder, decided that four letters would be bad luck, so he changed the name to the three-letter word "dozeyu," which has remained unchanged to this day. The light loach is mixed with a sweet and spicy sauce, and this is the taste that the common people of Edo enjoyed. On the other hand, "Yanagawa nabe" is a dish in which open loach is stewed in Warishita and simmered with egg along with chopped burdock root. There is a theory that the name "Yanagawa" originated from the name of a small restaurant in Nihonbashi or Asakusa Senzoku-mura in Edo (now Tokyo). Because of the egg, the taste is lighter than that of dojo-jiru.
- Opportunities and times of eating habits
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In the Edo period, loach and burdock were both considered to be energizing foods, so they were mainly consumed in summer. Nowadays, loach can be eaten all year round, as there are many restaurants that serve it.
- How to eat
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After removing the mud, let the loach swim in sake to remove the odor, and then rinse it with salt to remove the sliminess. The loach is then simmered in a round pot, a nuki pot, or a Yanagawa pot with different seasonings, then sprinkled with green onions, mitsuba leaves, and topped with sansho (Japanese pepper) if desired.
- Efforts for Preservation and Succession
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In the Asakusa area, there are many long-established stores such as "Komagata Dozeu", "Iidaya", "Iseki", and "Hirai" that continue to preserve and pass on the taste of their respective stores.