# Chate aemono ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Chate aemono

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
The entire prefecture

## Main Ingredients Used
Chate (hayatouri)

## History, Origin, and Related Events
When the hot summer is over and there are signs of autumn approaching, the season for chate arrives. Chaate is a plant of the Cucurbitaceae family that is native to tropical America. It was introduced to Kagoshima Prefecture from overseas in 1907, so it is commonly called “hayatouri.” It is a vine, and one of its characteristics is that it bears many fruits on its vines. It is also called “sennari” because a single plant produces 100 to 200 fruits. It is said that the English name “chayote” was passed down to Kochi Prefecture, and was corrupted to become “chate.” The fruits come in a variety of shapes, including pear, oval, and conical shapes. The colors vary from whitish to greenish.It is easy to grow and is a popular ingredient, especially in mountainous regions. It is rarely cultivated for commercial purposes and is often cultivated for home consumption. Many households grow them in their vegetable gardens or as green curtains for shade. For this reason, it is common for neighbors to share chate among themselves.Chate is often used as an ingredient in everyday home cooking, and chate aemono is especially easy to prepare, so it is easy to add to your daily cooking repertoire.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
Around autumn, chate is sold at cheap prices at supermarkets and direct sales stores in Kochi Prefecture. When it is in season, many households eat chate dishes such as chate aemono.

## How to Eat
If you eat it raw, you can enjoy its crunchy texture. It has a wide range of uses, including aemono, meat stir-fries, and vinegared dishes. New, young fruit can be eaten without peeling. If you want the chate to have a better texture, add a little vinegar when boiling it in water. It goes well with pork, and it is also delicious when cut into slightly thicker pieces and stir-fried with pork or bacon. Taking advantage of the shape of the chate, cut it in half lengthwise, slice it thinly, then make it into a bag shape and add sushi rice with black sesame seeds and pickled ginger to make sushi that looks just like nishikigoi.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)Dishes using chate are still eaten throughout the prefecture. As a local dish, it is included in the school lunch menus of elementary and junior high schools in Kochi Prefecture and is very familiar to young people and children.

## Ingredients
- Chate: 400g
- Vinegar: just a little
- tofu: 1／2
- Roasted sesame seeds: 2 tbsp.
- Sugar: 2 tsp.
- Salt: 1／2 tsp.

## Recipe
1. 1. Drain the tofu.
2. 2. Cut the chate into thin slices and pour boiling water with vinegar over them briefly.
3. 3. Grind the roasted sesame seeds in a mortar, add the drained tofu, grind more, and add the seasonings.
4. 4. Just before eating, squeeze the chate lightly and mix it with the dressing.

## Provider Information
provider : “Tosa’s Dining Tables: Mom’s Taste That We Want to Share” (Tosa Traditional Food Research Group)

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