🍲 Dojou-Jiru (Pond loach Soup)

It is said that "dojou" (=pond loach) becomes the tastiest from June to July, before bearing eggs. It contains less fat than eel, but plenty of vitamins and minerals. You can eat bones when it is well simmered, so it has been popular as a nutritious food. After planting rice and finally settling down from busy farm work, men used to catch pond loaches at ponds or rivers. "Dojou-jiru" is a dish simmered vegetables like gobou(=burdock root) , satoimo (=Japanese taro) or Japanese leek, with freshly made udon noodle to prevent from summer fatigue, and was prepared mainly by men. Also, when people work together or gather in the community, many pond loaches were cooked with a big pot and served to neighbors and relatives. The dish helped people connect each other. The opportunities to find native pond loach is decreasing due to environmental change these days, but the habit of eating "Dojou-jiru" is still alive.