Japan - The World's Largest Consumer of Seaweed The Common People's Dessert Simple-yet-Intriguing Appeal

Simple-yet-Intriguing Appeal

Tengusa and water—the sum total of tokoroten’s ingredients; making it is equally simple: just boil and let the resulting broth cool. Achieving tokoroten’s unique texture, however, requires genuine skill and long experience. The aroma and gelatinous properties of tengusa vary depending on the waters—both locality and conditions—from which it is collected, and most tokoroten manufacturers combine different types of tengusa and use a number of methods to create their own unique flavor. Hideo Kurihara, president of Kurihara Shoten, a tokoroten manufacturer of more than 130 years’ standing, says: “To make really tasty tokoroten, the first thing you need is good ingredients; the second, good manufacturing methods. Because tokoroten is made from all-natural ingredients, the qualities of the ingredients differ slightly from day to day, so if you don’t keep that in mind and prepare it with care, the tokoroten will end up too firm or too spongy.” Kurihara Shoten’s tokoroten is made from tengusa from Izu-Inatori, known for its fine balance of gelatinousness and firmness, and naturally pure water from the crystal-clear Kakita River. The tengusa is boiled for six hours under constant supervision. It is a hot, physically taxing task, relying to a great extent on seasoned intuition and sense of touch—something one would never guess from the cool, refreshing result. With the spread of the Western diet in post-World War II Japan, the popularity of tokoroten and other traditional foods went into long-term decline; but recent years have seen them stage a comeback as their health-promoting benefits became known and public awareness of lifestyle diseases and other diet-related issues has grown. More and more consumers are particular about the ingredients of the food they eat, and since Kurihara Shoten began selling its wares over the Internet three years ago, sales have grown 300% annually; the business now ships an incredible 30,000 portions of tokoroten in peak months. “Because supermarket tokoroten is mass-produced, it doesn’t have the unique tokoroten elasticity,” explains Kurihara. “That’s why a lot of people have developed a dislike for it. I get a lot of email saying the sender only discovered the true flavor of tokoroten for the first time after trying our product.” Internet sales at Kurihara Shoten are handled by Yasuhiro Kurihara, who says the ready availability of good food throughout the country has led to tokoroten—that most traditional of foods, known and loved for some 1,300 years—enjoying something of a renaissance.       1.A bundle of tengusa. Variation in color and taste result from differences in preparation methods, which include soaking and sun-drying.   2.The tengusa is lightly rinsed before use to remove a certain harshness of taste. It is then boiled in a large vat. About 15kg of tengusa is prepared at a time.   3.The tengusa broth is removed from the pot, placed in a bag, and strained. The secret to achieving a smooth texture lies in straining the broth with just the right amount of moderate pressure.   4.While the strained broth is still hot, it is transferred to a mold and left to rest for a full day. Better-tasting tokoroten results from allowing the broth to cool at room temperature rather than quickly through refrigeration. References Sampo-no tatsujin [The Master Walker]. September 2002. Kotsu Shimbunsha, 2002. Nishizawa, Kazutoshi, Kaiso-o taberu kenkoho [Health through eating seaweed]. Asahi Shuppansha, 1993. Shin kanten nandemo hyakka [New encyclopedia about everything to do with kanten]. Fujin-no Tomo Service Center, 1991. Niizaki, Moritoshi, and Niizaki, Teruko, Kaiso-no hanashi [Talking about seaweed]. Tokai Daigaku Shuppankai, 1978. The editors would like to thank Kurihara Shoten for their cooperation in the compilation of this article.