# Oyogoshi ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Oyogoshi

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
The whole prefecture

## Main Ingredients Used
Tofu, vegetables

## History, Origin, and Related Events
About 230 years ago on February 19th, a fire broke out in the Ifuku village in Saga Prefecture that destroyed most of the village. There is a legend that the residents of the time boiled, seasoned, and ate the wild plants left over from the fire, then joined together to rebuild the village. Since then, a village festival called "Oyogoshi Matsuri" is held on February 19th to commemorate the village predecessors who had suffered from the disaster. The "Oyogoshi" is always served an essential dish in honor of the seasoned vegetables that were eaten back in the day. "Oyogoshi" means "Aemono" (dressed ingredients) in women's language, and it refers to vegetables seasoned in a white dressing. Tofu is typically used, but in the past every household grew their own vegetables, and so those vegetables were often used. Thus, instead of using tofu, which was not always available, taro was often used instead because it was available in every household. Nowadays, each household passes down their own unique recipe, with variations in vegetables and seasonings. For example, the taro can be mashed smoothly or some larger chunks might be kept to create textural variation. Pumpkin might also be used instead.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
Aemono made with seasonal vegetables is beloved as home-cooking and as an every day dish in Saga Prefecture. It is also an essential dish for the "Oyogoshi Festival" held in February in Ifuku village.

## How to Eat
Boil and mash the taro. Boil the spinach, squeeze out the excess water, then cut into bite-size pieces. Add carrot, burdock root, and shiitake mushroom to dashi broth and simmer with sugar, soy sauce, and mirin. Mix the mashed taro with sugar, mirin, miso, and sesame seeds, then add the other ingredients after draining thoroughly. Sesame seeds, sugar, and miso can be used, but the seasonings vary by household. The trick is to thoroughly remove the moisture from the vegetables and allow them to cool sufficiently, and also to evaporate the moisture from the taro by shaking it in the pot over low heat after draining.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)In addition to being a common home-cooked dish, it can also be enjoyed at restaurants in the prefecture.

## Ingredients
- Spinach: 1 bunch, 200g
- Firm tofu: 1 (200-300g)
- Sugar: 1 tbsp.
- Miso: 1 tbsp.
- Sesame seeds: 1 tbsp.
- Bonito dashi broth: 100cc

## Recipe
1. 1. Wash the spinach thoroughly under running water, then drain in a colander. Boil for 15 to 30 seconds in plenty of boiling water until tender. Soak the spinach on bonito dashi broth for 1 minute, then wrap in a paper towel, squeeze out the water, and cut into bite-size pieces.
2. 2. Wrap the firm tofu in a paper towel and weigh it down for about 10 minutes, then drain.
3. 3. Toast the sesame seeds for about 1 minute until fragrant, then grind in a mortar. Add the sugar and miso and continue to grind for about 1 minute.
4. 4. Add the tofu from step 2 to the paste in step 3, and mix in the mortar using the pestle.
5. 5. Combine the ingredients from step 1 and step 4.

## Provider Information
provider : "Nishikyushu University Saga Cooking & Confectionery Vocational School Tanaka"

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