Shimotsukare しもつかれ

History and Origins

One of the native dishes representing Tochigi Prefecture. It's one of the smart ones who used leftovers, such as the salt-sharp heads he had eaten on New Year's Eve and the rest of the serving beans he had roasted in season. In the past, when it was the first of February of the old calendar, it was made as a gift to the rice shrine, and there was a prohibition not to make anything else except at that time. When I was a kid, it was the end of the vegetable season and it was difficult to get food. Having and having with the leftovers is not something that is necessarily suitable for a gift to God. So by not making it normally as something "sacrificial" to God, it is thought that he made it rise up to the rice shrine. Foods vary from region to region. It is said that the use of alcohol came about during the middle of the Edo period when a liquor shop began to appear and the wine was flowing.

When It Is Eaten

It was made on the first day of February, and served for the first time. But not only in recent years, but in winter, it's made at home. We're told that "eat seven bottles of food will not make you sick." We're told that "you won't get sick if you eat seven dishes," and we'll start with the diasterases in you, such as the protein from the peas, the calcium from the salt-sharp heads, the sugar from the wine, and so on.

How It Is Eaten

The head of the salt-stained seams often washs well and spills water once, taking out the smell. After boiling the head of the bowl in a pressure pot, add ingredients to a thick pan and boil it for about an hour. When the taste is good, I put in a liquor bowl and prepare it with a flavor. You can use it by boiling the salt from the salt from the salt from the sauerkraut. You can use the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from the salt from It's also good to use soybeans in place of roast beans. If you eat with a hot red meal, the salt and the cold are good for you, and the cold is too cold for you to smell.

Recipe — Serves 5

Ingredients

• Mix: 1 kg daikon radish
• Mix: 150 g carrot
• Mix: 40 g soybeans
• Mix: 1 aburaage (fried tofu pouch)
• Mix: 1 塩鮭の頭 (引き)
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 cups water
• Seasonings: 50 g–75 g sake lees
• Seasonings: soy sauce, to taste
• Seasonings: salt, to taste
• Seasonings: sugar, to taste

Method

1. The head of a salt-silver is washed well, cut to about two centimeters, and spilled with a boil once to smell.
2. I'll put a head, vinegar and water in a pressure pot and boil it in a medium fire for about 20 minutes.) Stop the fire and pull out the pressure with natural cooling.
3. The carrots are dropped under the sieve.
4. The beans are wrapped in a cloth and removed from the skin.
5. Oiling is cooked to the point where it burns so thinly that it will burn, cut it into half the height and then cut it into strips.
6. The wine bowl is small, torn, soaked in boiling water, and made soft.
7. Put all the ingredients in a heavy pot, two, three, four, five, and boil them from a fire to a fire. If you boil it down, it will boil for about an hour.
8. If the taste is soft and soft, you can add wine to it, oil, salt, and taste sugar to make it taste.

More About Shimotsukare

Shimotsukare (しもつかれ) is a local Japanese dish served in the Northern Kantō region of Japan, primarily in Tochigi Prefecture but also in Gunma Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture. The dish is generally served on hatsu-u-no hi (初午の日, literally; first day of horse in the month of February) together with sekihan as an offering to appease the legendary deity, inari. Shimotsukare is usually made by simmering salmon head, vegetables, soybeans, abura-age (あぶらあげ or deep fried tofu skins) and sake kasu (酒粕, literally rice pulp from fermented sake). Common additional ingredients include grated raw radish (oroshi daikon) and carrots. The dish is also known as shimitsukari, shimitsukare or sumitsukare in some areas.

Origin and history

The origins of shimotsukare can be traced back to Edo period (1603–1868) and is thought to be a derivation of su-mutsukari (酢むつかり, literally roasted soy beans in vinegar), a speciality dish which was mentioned in mythological narratives of Uji Shūi Monogatari (宇治拾遺物語) and Kojidan (古事談). The origin of the name "shimotsukare" remains in debate. It is also widely believed that as the dish is mainly served in Tochigi Prefecture, formerly known as Shimotsuke Province (下野国), the name of the dish is thought to be a derivation of the phrase shimotsuke no karei (下野の家例, "traditional customs of the Shimotsuke clan")

Presentation

Various presentations of shimotsukare exists in different areas in Japan. The dish is served either hot or cold. Shimotsukare is normally served with rice but could also be taken without it. In some areas, once the dish is simmered, it will not be re-heated again when served.

As a means of preservation, simmered shimotsukare is kept in frozen grounds during winter and served on top of warm rice to allow it to thaw naturally.

Shimotsukare, together with its distinct flavor, scent and semi-liquid appearance is well received by some locals but not all. It is even nicknamed neko no gero (猫のゲロ, literally "cat's barf") by some Japanese.

Nutrition

Some sayings such as "shimotsukare o nana-ken tabearukuto byoki ni naranai" (しもつかれを7軒食べ歩くと病気にならない literally, eating shimotsukare prepared from seven houses will keep you from getting sick) noted that consuming shimotsukare promotes good health. The dish is also sometimes included in jubako (重箱 or Japanese tier bento bako) and shared amongst neighbours to prevent them from catching cold during winter.

Culture

Shimotsukare is a traditional home cooking and the recipe is passed down from mothers to the next generation. Though each preparation carries the same name of 'shimotsukare', ingredients and method of preparation varies from one household to another. Consequently, it is possible for people living in the same district to stumble upon shimotsukare that is totally different from their own preparation.

Shimotsukare can now be obtained conveniently in supermarkets and is sometimes served during kyushoku in some schools in Tochigi Prefecture.

1. ^ "Shimotsukare／Sumitukare ｜ Our Regional Cuisines : MAFF". www.maff.go.jp. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
2. ^ "Shimotsukare - 【郷土料理ものがたり】". kyoudo-ryouri.com. Retrieved 2025-05-02.

Text adapted from the English Wikipedia article Shimotsukare by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Dish data: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), “Uchi no Kyodo Ryori” (Our Regional Cuisines) database, used under the Public Data License (PDL1.0); translated and adapted from the Japanese original.