Niimi City

wheat flour, myoga leaves

The first day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, after rice planting was completed and the end of the rainy season was approaching, was a day when farmers everywhere took a break from work. This day also marks the border between the end of a bad year and the beginning of a new year, and various events are held on this day. During this period, farmers used to make "Kenbikiyaki," which is wrapped in myoga leaves and grilled. According to legend, eating this food would relieve the tendon muscles in the shoulders after a hard day's work and keep one from losing weight during the summer. Freshly harvested wheat was ground into flour to make yakimochi (baked rice cakes), or filled with sweet bean paste made from soramame, which were then laid out on a boroku and baked slowly. In the past, myoga leaves were planted in the gardens of many homes and were easily available at this time of year. This combination skillfully makes use of the bounty of nature available at that time of the year.

The first day of the sixth lunar month was called "Lokkassitje" or "Lokkachitje," and was used by farmers everywhere as a time to take a day off from work and for farmer's wives to return to their hometowns to "remove mud. This day also marked the border between the end of a bad year and the beginning of a new year, and events such as "Hyakumanben" and "Amako-oi" were held to seal insects in the rice fields and pray for a good harvest, and "Kenbikiyaki" was made and eaten.

Add boiling water to flour and knead. Spread out the kneaded flour a little and wrap the rolled bean paste inside to make it look like a dumpling. Wrap the dumpling with myoga leaves and heat in a frying pan until both sides are browned. It can also be made by mixing flour with white bean flour and eggs.

It is sold at events and at JA's direct sales outlets, and has been well received as a nostalgic taste.