Yamagata Prefecture
Kukitachihoshi no nimono
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- Main lore areas
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Yonezawa City (Okitama area and Murayama area)
- Main ingredients used
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dried kukitatsuboshi, carrots, beans, konnyaku thread, deep-fried tofu, soy sauce, sugar
- History/origin/related events
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Kukitachi-nimono" is a local dish using "kukitachi", a cruciferous vegetable. Kukitachi has a strong vitality, and its side branches grow after the core is picked, so it can be harvested one after another.
Dried kukitachi are made by boiling the kukitachi caught in spring and drying them in the sun for four to five days. The secret to making tasty dried kukitachi-hairi is to give it a slight rub when drying it. In the old days, it was stored in an Ami-bag and stored as food during the winter when leafy vegetables were scarce, and it is still eaten today as a delicious food.
Some vegetables called kukitachi have different leaf shapes, but they all belong to the Brassicaceae family and are called by the same name. Any type of leaves can be used to make dried kukitachi.
- Opportunities and times of eating habits
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It is usually eaten in winter, but the harvest of kukitachi itself is done in spring. At direct sales stands, kukitachi and dried kukitachi are sold.
A long time ago, it was customary for farmers to make dried kukitachi for the winter after the kukitachi harvest was finished. Even today, it is not uncommon to find people growing kukitachi in their vegetable gardens.
- How to eat
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Put dried kukitachi in a pot with plenty of water and heat, then bring to a boil, turn off the heat, and let soak overnight. Add sesame oil at the end to enhance the flavor.
Basically, it is eaten as a side dish with rice. There is no particular rule for ingredients to be simmered together, and it can be combined with seasonal vegetables.
In many cases, dried or dried foods are cooked together with beaten soybeans. Soybeans are wrapped in a wet dish towel, slightly moistened, and then crushed one by one with a wooden hammer. It is often used to cook kukitachiboshi and hyodoshi because the flavor of the soybeans is soaked up by simmering them together.
- Efforts for Preservation and Succession
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Elementary schools in the Okitama area include "kukitachi-hayaboshi no nimono" in their school lunch menu.
Dried kukitachi-shi is sold at supermarkets and direct sales stores.