Hakata area

small round rice cakes, yellowtail fillets, shiitake mushrooms, taro, carrots, katsuona (leaf vegetables), radish

Katsuona, an essential ingredient in Hakata Zoni, is a vegetable that has been used in Hakata since ancient times and is a kind of the takana vegetable.It is said to have gotten its name from the flavor of dried bonito flakes in its stems. It is dark green in color, and its thick-walled leaves are shriveled. Yellowtail is a fish that changes its name according to its size, from yazu to inada, hamachi, and finally yellowtail, and is used in dishes for festive occasions. One of them is that in Hakata, there was a custom to bring one large yellowtail to the bride's hometown at the end of the year, saying "Yome-san bururi ga good" (the bride's bururi is good). It is said that this led to its use as an ingredient in New Year's osechi (New Year's dishes) and zoni. And "Hakata Zoni" is a unique way of cooking, in which the ingredients are prepared one by one on bamboo skewers, just like oden.
In fact, the history of Fukuoka is deeply related to the background of the creation of this cooking style. Fukuoka has long been known as a town of Hakata merchants, and the existence of "Goryon-san" supported these merchants. Goryon-san is derived from the honorific title "Goryonin" for the wife of a nobleman, and the ladies of Hakata merchants are called "Goryon-san. Merchant families, busy with many visitors and business, could not afford to take the time to prepare zoni. So they came up with the idea of skewering the ingredients one by one in advance. Then all that is left to do is to remove the ingredients from the skewers, place them in bowls, and pour the dashi broth over them. This is an idea from the busy Goryon-san.

On the first day of the New Year, this zoni was served when the toso was passed around, with herring roe, toothpicks, and black soybeans on the table. Although it seems to be less common nowadays, it was common in the past for merchants who had many visitors to their homes to pre-boil the ingredients for zoni, cut them into bite-size pieces, skewer them, and serve them in bowls at the time of eating. In addition to respecting the formalities of the dish as a celebratory dish, they also entertained guests on short notice by preparing the dish quickly.

Hakata Zoni features yellowtail in a broth made from grilled flying fish. The mochi used for it is of the round type, and a variety of additional ingredients are used, such as katsuona, fish paste, taro, carrots, daikon radish, shiitake mushrooms, and many others. The ingredients vary slightly from household to household, but only katsuona is absolutely necessary. The rice cake and the other ingredients are boiled in two separate pots, and they are then all mixed into a bowl of dashi broth that has been heated in advance.

It is still eaten in the Hakata area. Hakata Zoni," which is rich in ingredients and elegant, is popular nationwide and is also sold by mail order. It is also sold by mail order. Restaurants serve it as a special zoni.