🍱 Chagayu
According to the Kojiruien, an encyclopedia from the Meiji period, it has been eaten since the time of Emperor Shomu, and even today, after the Omizutori at Nigatsu-do Hall, a chagayu dish prepared with bancha called “gobo” is eaten at the accommodation. It seems that chagayu has a long history. It is a local dish that was invented in an area with low rice yields, where rice is conserved by increasing the amount of water used. In areas where chagayu is prepared, tea plants are planted near homes. In the Iga region, there was little cultivated land, and white rice was so precious that people did not have the opportunity to eat it as part of their daily meal, but only on occasions such as Obon, the New Year, festivals, and when entertaining guests. The staple foods were usually barley rice and porridge, and chagayu was often eaten to bulk up the volume of these foods. It is said that in the past, all three meals consisted of just chagayu and takuan. Vegetables and legumes were added as ingredients, and these ingredients were seasonal so that they never got boring. In addition, in the Kumano region, porridge was often eaten, so there was a song all about eating porridge that goes, “Morning, noon, and dinner, we eat porridge. There isn't a midnight snack? It's time to go to bed.” In the Iga region, there is a song that goes, “Chagayu for breakfast and lunch and porridge for dinner.” Kayumi, Iinan-cho, Matsusaka City is a tea-producing region and is also an area where chagayu was a popular meal.