Chubu area (Shizuoka City)

Japanese yam (jinenjyo)

Tororo soup is made by grating yam and mixing it with soup stock and miso paste, and served over barley rice. The yam, also called "yam," is 1.5 meters long and about 3 centimeters in diameter. It grows wild in the mountains and fields of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, and is also cultivated in some places. Wild yam in Shizuoka Prefecture is mainly grown in the Chubu region, but is also harvested in the western and eastern regions.
The history of yam soup dates back to Maruko, the 20th post town on the 53rd leg of the Tokaido Highway, which is now Maruko, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka City. It is said to have been popular among travelers as a stamina-boosting dish. It also appears in the novel "Tokaido Chu Hizakurige" by Jippensha Ikku, the ukiyoe "The Fifty-three Stages of the Tokaido" by Utagawa Hiroshige, and in Matsuo Basho's haiku "Ume-wakana Maruko no yado no tororojiru".

Since the yam harvest season is from mid-October to December, it is often eaten from fall to winter. In some areas, it is eaten on the second day of the New Year to pray for good health throughout the year.

Grate the yam on a grater, and mix well in a mortar and pestle. Then, add a little of the dashi broth, miso, and soy sauce, and grind well to thicken. Serve over rice and sprinkle with nori (seaweed). In some areas, eggs are added when grating the yam in a mortar and pestle, or only soy sauce is added to the broth instead of miso and soy sauce.

Japanese yam is a home-style dish that has been handed down from generation to generation and is also served at restaurants. The Japanese yam is sold at direct sales outlets in Shizuoka City and on the Internet.