Miyazaki Prefecture
Nishime

These images of local cuisine may not be downloaded.
-
Image Source : Miyazaki Prefecture Dietary Improvement Promotion Council
- Main lore areas
-
All over Miyazaki Prefecture
- Main ingredients used
-
Shiitake mushrooms, taro, bamboo shoots, konnyaku, deep-fried tofu, dried radish, kombu (kelp)
- History/origin/related events
-
The name "nishime" comes from the way it is cooked, which is to simmer it slowly so that no liquid remains. Although it is now a side dish, it was originally an essential dish for celebrations, weddings, and funerals. It is laid on the third layer of the New Year's osechi (New Year's Day meal), and is served at the kagura dedication held throughout the night in Takachiho Town.
In Takachiho Town, it is served as a side dish during the nightly Kagura (Shinto music and dancing) ceremonies.
In addition, each region has its own unique ingredients. For example, the ingredients used to make dashi soup stock include jidori chicken, iriko (dried sardines), dried horse mackerel, salted sardines, kelp, shiitake mushrooms, wild boar, wild birds, seafood from the sea and the mountains, and many others. The ingredients are also unique to each region: dried bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms in the northern part of the prefecture, chicken in the central part, and dried whole sardines in Nishimera Village.
- Opportunities and times of eating habits
-
Although it is a common part of everyday meals, it is also an essential dish for special occasions such as celebrations. In New Year's osechi ryori, each ingredient has its own meaning, and because the ingredients are boiled together, the dish is meant to express the wish that the family will be close and prosperous for a long time to come.
- How to eat
-
Slowly simmer shiitake mushrooms, taro, bamboo shoots, konnyaku, burdock root, royal fern, etc. with seasonings (soy sauce, mirin, sugar) for a long time so that there is no residual liquid. The residual heat allows the flavors to soak in even more.
Each region and each family has its own unique flavor, and seasonal vegetables are also added to make it a delicious dish that is loved by people as a taste of their hometown.
- Efforts for Preservation and Succession
-
(Outline of the people who have passed on the taste, preservation groups, use of SNS, modern efforts such as commercialization, etc.)
The taste of each family is valued and passed down from family to family. The common version is widely sold at supermarkets and other delicatessen counters.