Hokkaido Prefecture
Butadon (pork bowl)

- Main lore areas
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Tokachi region
- Main ingredients used
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Pork, rice, green onions
- History/origin/related events
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Pork farming began in the Tokachi region around the end of the Meiji period (around 1910), and pork has been a popular food in the region since then. Obihiro City in the Tokachi region, where the pig farming industry used to thrive, is said to be the birthplace of "Butadon (pork bowl)". Thick slices of pork dipped in a sauce seasoned with sugar and soy sauce and topped with rice, called “Butadon”, is a specialty of Obihiro City. The origin of "Butadon" is said to be when a restaurant in Obihiro City made a bowl of rice topped with charcoal-grilled pork and broiled eel-like sauce in the early Showa period (around 1930). The owner of the restaurant decided to serve stamina food after watching farmers and laborers work hard and sweat. Initially, he wanted to use eels as an ingredient, but eels were expensive and hard to get. So he turned his attention to pork. In those days, the pig farming industry was thriving in the Tokachi region, and pork was readily available and close at hand. This is how Obihiro's "Butadon" was born, and it is now famous all over Japan.
- Opportunities and times of eating habits
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It is also served as a local home-style dish, and is enjoyed by people of all ages throughout the year. It is also widely served at restaurants in the Tokachi region.
- How to eat
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Mainly use pork loin or belly. After frying the pork, it is dipped in a sauce made of sugar and soy sauce. Most of the toppings are white onions, but green peas and other vegetables may also be added. It is a very simple dish with no extra ingredients other than yakumi (condiments).
Grilled over a charcoal fire, it is even more savory.
- Efforts for Preservation and Succession
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Food manufacturers have developed "pork bowl sauce" products, which are sold at supermarkets. In recent years, it has attracted attention as a local gourmet and local cuisine, and is often featured in gourmet magazines and guidebooks. As a result, customers visit not only Hokkaido but also from all over the country.
A food manufacturer in Hokkaido has designated February 10 as "Buta-don no Hi" (registered with the Japan Anniversary Association), from the combination of the words "2 (buta)" and "10 (don)," and is promoting it as a day to taste and enjoy Tokachi's "buta-don" (pork bowl).