Iya area of Miyoshi City and all over the prefecture

Buckwheat rice

In the past, the Iya region of Tokushima was surrounded by mountains, and the climate was considered difficult for rice to grow. It is said that when the Heike clan came to the Iya region after losing the Genpei War, they grew buckwheat seeds, which were a good substitute for rice and had a short growing season, and began to produce buckwheat noodles. Soba-mai Zosui (buckwheat rice porridge) is a local dish born from this soba culture. Normally, buckwheat is made by grinding buckwheat seeds into flour, but in soba-mai zosui, buckwheat seeds are boiled in salted water, shelled, and dried. The buckwheat seeds are then boiled in salted water, peeled, and dried. Buckwheat is high in protein, minerals, and dietary fiber, and has high nutritional value on its own. Zosui, or rice porridge made with buckwheat and plenty of vegetables and meat, is a well-balanced dish that is still popular among the people of the prefecture today.

It is said that the Heike people who came to Iya made and ate this buckwheat rice porridge on New Year's Day. Vegetables and wild vegetables were the most common ingredients, but it is also said that wild birds were sometimes added and eaten as a feast. The culture of eating buckwheat without turning it into flour is rare, but it is a familiar way of eating buckwheat in Tokushima. In Tokushima Prefecture, buckwheat is readily available at supermarkets.

When soba rice is boiled, it swells and becomes more than four times the size of buckwheat. Since this buckwheat rice is the staple of the zosui, prepare plenty of it. Chicken, konnyaku, carrots, dried shiitake mushrooms, and other ingredients are cooked in a separate broth, seasoned with soy sauce and other seasonings, and then added to the boiled soba rice to complete the dish. Other ingredients such as daikon radish and chikuwa are also used, as well as dried shiitake mushrooms, chicken bones, kelp, dried bonito flakes, and various other ingredients for the broth.

In Tokushima, a pamphlet "Tokushima's Local Dishes" was produced to summarize the local dishes in the prefecture. The pamphlet introduces the origins, recipes, nutritional value, etc. of local dishes, including buckwheat rice porridge. In recent years, freeze-dried buckwheat rice porridge products have become available, making it easier to enjoy.