🍱 Kanpyo no Gomasu-ae (Dried Gourd Strips Dressed with Sesame Vinegar)

Amidst the many dried gourd strips dishes, “Kanpyo no gomasu-ae” is one of the dishes beloved by residents of the prefecture along with “Kanpyo no tamago-toshi.” Tochigi Prefecture's dried gourd strip production accounts for over 99% of the country's; its cultivation especially flourishes in the southern part of the prefecture. For the cultivation of bottle gourd which becomes dried gourd strips, light soil with good drainage is desirable; this area where the "Kanto Loam Formation" is widely distributed is suitable for its cultivation. Also, the evening showers that are the mark of summer cool the ground surface and stimulate the growth of the bottle gourd's roots, and their water content is the primary factor that leads to the development of the bottle gourd's fruit. Thus blessed in topographical and meteorological conditions, dried gourd strip production became established here. The history of bottle gourd cultivation goes back over 300 years; it is said that the cultivation was brought about by "Torii Tadateru", the first "daimyo of the Shimotsuke Mibu Domain". It is said that in 1712, bottle gourd seeds were sent from "Minaku Kizue", Omi Province and successfully cultivated, and dried gourd strips began to be produced there.