🍱 Choju Namasu

Choju Namasu is a dish that is popular during the New Year's holiday. Its name implies that it brings about longevity. The dish contains daikon radish, which is rich in an enzyme called diastase. This enzyme is believed to help in the recovery of the digestive tract after consuming too much New Year's food. Additionally, the dish also includes carrots, a nutritious vegetable, thick fried tofu that is protein-rich, and healthy sesame seeds. In Tsuruga City's Gohata and Ueno districts, the dish is prepared using shredded deep-fried tofu, green onions, daikon radish, and carrots. This version of the dish is called “Koppa Namasu.” The dish gets its name from the thinly sliced daikon radish, which resembles "koppa" (wood chip), and the fact that originally, the daikon was shaved with a "kanna" (a plane).