Tottori Prefecture
Daisen okowa

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- Main lore areas
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Western region
- Main ingredients used
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glutinous rice, yaki-chikuwa, chicken, carrots, burdock root, dried shiitake mushrooms
- History/origin/related events
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Daisen Okowa" is a local dish of the western area, made with ingredients from the foot of Mt. It is said to have originated in the old days when monks and soldiers would cook rice with mountain birds and grasses to pray for victory when going to battlefields, and has since been passed down through generations as a feast for festivals and celebrations. In the Meiji period (1868-1912), it was served at the spring and fall cow and horse fairs held at Bakuroza in Daisenji Temple, and was also a popular lunch for people making pilgrimages to Mt. It is said that the name "Daisen Okowa" came from the name of a place at the foot of Mt. Daisen, a national park, after the Meiji period (1868-1912), and that it used to be called "Aseri Okowa," perhaps derived from the name of the former Aseri County.
In 1986, "Daisen Okowa" was selected as one of the rice balls by the Food Agency (Hometown Rice Ball Selection Committee).
- Opportunities and times of eating habits
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Every year, at the annual festivals of the local deity and other festivals, households would make this home-style dish and bring it as a souvenir to guests. It is believed that the original Daisenji okowa, a vegetarian dish served to those who trained in Daisen, spread to households and became Daisen okowa.
- How to eat
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Glutinous rice is mixed with shiitake mushrooms, burdock root, chestnuts, konnyaku, fried tofu, etc., seasoned with broth, soy sauce, sugar, etc., and cooked. Ingredients used vary from household to household, and there seems to be no set formula, but in some areas, wild vegetables and chikuwa are added.
- Efforts for Preservation and Succession
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The dish has become a local specialty and is sold as an ekiben (boxed meal) at JR Yonago Station.