Shimotsukare しもつかれ

History and Origins

The "Creep" is a local dish that reaches the western part of the country where the rest of New Year's served beans and root vegetables are boiled in wine. It's a dish that takes care of the leftovers from New Year's, and contains the wisdom of previous generations who are good for winter nutrition and preservation. In some areas it's also called "Knitting." The "Current" is also made up of parts of Tochigi Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture and Chiba Prefecture. History is very old, and there are stories about its origin. There's also the theory of being called "Arm" by Tochigi Prefecture as a family example, and of being called "Sniffed" from the way you make it. It's a great dish made in a large pot. It tastes delicious. It has a home-wide taste. So I was told that the extra "possessed" would be distributed to the neighborhood and that eating seven "possibly" wouldn't make you sick.

When It Is Eaten

It's said on the first day of February, it's a dish that is well served and used to be hated to get around other than this day. We put the "Created One" made on our first day, and we will present it to the rice cook along with the "Red Food." Then there was the practice of praying for fire precautions and home safety. The salmon's head was supposed to drive away the bad stuff, and because of its meaning, "he was eaten as a product."

How It Is Eaten

I'm going to boil it with a piece of oil and a piece of oil cut into pieces, with the head of the peas and the cherry, and with the head of the saxophone, and with the wine and the juice. Since urushi has a poor heat flow on the material because of bamboo and is lower than the common root, you can feel a strong sense of food when you eat a vegetable without producing extra water. If you don't have a salmon head, you can cut a chicken. There are different ways to eat, and there are places to eat. There are also places where we enjoy having a hot hot hot dog with a frozen dog.

Recipe — Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 daikon radish
• 1 salmon
• 1 carrot
• 1 cups soybeans
• 1 aburaage (fried tofu pouch)
• 1/4 packets sake lees
• 1 cups dashi stock
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

Method

1. Greata, carrots are cut down and oil is cut short. When you take down a large root, it becomes too soft on regular down payment, so use a lot of stammers.
2. Put in a bowl with one and a skin on it with a piece of roasted beans and bones, with the head cut easily, with a piece of ground wine, soup and soy sauce, and boil until it is cooked with a weak flame.

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.