Where to eat eel? Where do you eat eels in Japan? In fact, eels are very expensive, but because the Japanese love eels so much, eel shops are not uncommon. Literati travelers who like Japanese literature may wish to follow the writer's footsteps and plan a "pilgrimage trip" combining taste and bookishness. In addition to Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and other big cities, the water quality in Narita Mountain in Chiba Prefecture and Mito City in Ibaraki Prefecture, not far from Narita Airport, is particularly good. On that ugly day, you can even buy eel lunches in convenience stores!
Eels are divided into wild species and cultured species, but in recent years, there are fewer and fewer wild species, and most of them are mainly cultured. However, through the strict allocation of water quality and water temperature, it is still possible to provide eels with better quality, which travelers need not worry too much. Although the price of eel is not close to the people, there is nothing more delicious than taking taste as part of cultural experience, right?
Why do Japanese like to eat eels? Eel (pronounced u-na-gi) is one of the representative Japanese delicacies, and has been deeply loved since the Edo era more than 200 years ago. Eel is considered as a kind of high-grade food with high nutritional value, and it is also quite decent for banquets and receptions. It is rich in protein and vitamins A, B and E, which is very effective in restoring fatigue and improving food intake. Therefore, it is not only used as a food to replenish vitality, but also the most luxurious and delicious summer resort in summer, especially on the "ugly day", eating eel has become a national sport.
What are the ugly days like? Just like the solar terms in the calendar, there are spring, summer, autumn and winter, but if there is no special season, it refers to the ugly day in summer, and the date of each year falls between July 19 and August 7. It is said that during the Edo period, an eel shop with poor business was worried that it could not sell eels in summer. When thinking about the way of publicity, it decided to unite with other stores and post "Today is ugly day, the best time to eat eel" outside the store to create an atmosphere of eating eel together on ugly days. In addition, eating eel has a fever-reducing effect, which has become a habit over time, and the ugly day of the local soil has become an exclusive eel festival.
Kanto and Kansai schools fight to eat eels from Kanto or Kansai. In fact, they experience different tastes and different skewers! As far as Kanto cuisine is concerned, there is a saying that because samurai avoid cutting "belly", in order to avoid the bad luck caused by stroke, they will first cut the eel in half from the back, then stab it to death with a bamboo stick, and then turn the roasted skin over to roast the other side after it is slightly burnt. Because it will be steamed first, the taste is soft and tender, and the taste is dipped in sauce and then grilled, which is rich and sweet. The master of Kansai will cut it open from the abdomen and pass it through with an iron string. First, start with the barbecue, and then bake the skin. After baking, it will be cut into sizes suitable for the entrance. It will not be steamed first, so the taste is crisp, because it will be tested directly without sauce, and the taste of charcoal roasting is heavier.
There are many ways to eat eel. For example, "ka-ba-ya-ki" means to cut the eel and bone it, then sprinkle it with sweet and spicy soy sauce and skewer it with bamboo sticks for barbecue. Most shops will adopt this treatment, so the name Pu Shao can also replace eel. If it is roasted directly without dipping in the sauce, it is called "shi-ra-ya-ki", which has a light taste and can better enjoy the original flavor and freshness of the eel. However, if the eel is not fresh, or the store does not handle it properly, the soil flavor will be heavier.
If you go to a more exquisite eel shop for dinner, you will probably experience the "triple enjoyment". First of all, when serving directly, experience the master's wrist and the original flavor of the eel itself at the most suitable temperature and taste. Then, add some seasonings prepared by the store, such as chopped green onion, laver, mustard, mountain pepper, ginger, perilla, sesame and so on. , enhance the taste and show the taste enjoyment different from eel rice. Finally, don't peel off the rice too quickly, leave some eels and rice, and add soup heads to make a luxurious tea-soaked rice, so that this taste feast can end in a warm atmosphere and complete the diversified enjoyment of one eel and three meals.