🍱 Butajiru (Butajiru/Tonjiru)

Pork is one of the specialties of Kagoshima Prefecture. It has the largest number of pigs raised in Japan, and "Kagoshima Kurobuta" is well-known as a pork brand throughout the country. It was taboo to eat animals during the Edo period due to the influence of Buddhism, which discouraged killing, but it is said that pork, wild boar, and deer were eaten often in the "Satsuma Domain". A native breed called "Shimabuta" was also bred in the Amami region. It is thought that foreign culture was able to permeate and influence the "Satsuma domain" due to the fact that the Ryukyu Islands, which were was far away from Edo and a territory of the "Satsuma domain", were involved in international trade. "Kurobuta" is also said to have been brought to the Ryukyu Islands by "Shimazu Iehisa", a famous Satsuma military commander during the Edo period. Later on, during the Meiji period, they were further improved by cross-breeding with the British Berkshire breed. There was a time when the fast growing "Shirobuta" were bred more and "Kurobuta" were bred less, but through the promotion of the tender and flavorful "Kurobuta", it became established as the "Kagoshima Kurobuta" brand of today. The mild climate of Kagoshima Prefecture also enables an abundant cultivation of barley miso. Barley miso from Kagoshima Prefecture is made using more koji and less salt to result in a sweeter flavor. Thus, Kagoshima Prefecture features many dishes that use pork and miso, such as "Tonkotsu" and "Buta Miso." "Butajiru" is another a typical example.