A Summer Staple Changing Tastes The Secret is in the Sauce Steaming: Discovery of a New Kind of Flavor New Variations

New Variations

Eel used to be a rare delicacy eaten only in shops specializing in its preparation. But with the advent of eel farms and the increase in eel imports, it has become a common ingredient of everyday Japanese cuisine. There are also many new ways of preparing eel besides the traditional domburi and kabayaki. For example, chopped kabayaki sprinkled on rice in a small wooden tub—a dish invented in Nagoya known as Hitsumabushi, rice topped with kabayaki eel boiled in a sauce and soaked in hot tea—unagi chazuke, and egg rolls containing chopped kabayaki, to name just a few variations. More recently, grilled eel is used in western-style cuisine as well. It can be deep-fried and added to salads, for example, or sautéed with basil seasoning. Rich in vitamins and protein, eel is certain to be enjoyed by millions of people this summer, just as it has been for centuries. Nagoya’s famous hitsumabushi was first served here at Horai Jinya. Hitsumabushi is a wooden tub of rice covered with finely chopped kabayaki eel. Sprinkle with chopped green onion and other condiments; add freshly brewed hot tea for a savory one-dish meal. References Matsui, Isamu. Unagi no Hon (The book of eel). Shibata Shoten, 1977. Toyama, Eiji. Ushi Unagi-ko (A study of eel on the day of the ox). Aomori Bungei Kyokai Shuppan, 1988. Unagi Hyakusen (One hundred best eel selections). Spring, summer, fall, New Year’s, and spring issues (2003–2004). Unagi Hyakusen Kai Noboritei http://www.fis-net.co.jp/~nakaichi/ The editors wish to express their gratitude to the eel shops Kiyokawa (Nihombashi, Tokyo) ,Horai Jinya (Nagoya) , and Unagi-Net http://www.e-towa.jp/index.html for their cooperation in the preparation of this article.

(Data collected April 2004)