🍱 Katemeshi

“Katemeshi” is a well-established local dish in Saitama Prefecture, and especially the Chichibu region. This dish seems to have been created by adding various ingredients to rice in order to increase the amount that could be eaten, particularly in areas with relatively low levels of rice production. It was difficult for rice to be a diet mainstay in areas unsuitable for rice cultivation. In fact, even in areas that were suitable for rice cultivation, rice remained a valuable cash crop for small farmers, who used it to pay rent to their landowners. Because of this, once the harvested rice had been divided up for weddings and funerals, the remainder was often sold by the farmers. As a result, to increase the bulk of the leftover rice scraps that could be eaten, a dish was created in which seasoned and boiled vegetables such as potatoes and daikon radish were added. The Katemeshi which is served at school lunches in the northern part of Saitama Prefecture is made of vinegared rice mixed with regional ingredients. By contrast, in the southern part of the Prefecture, which includes Saitama City, Katemeshi is made by mixing either white or light brown rice with “zuiki” (dried taro stems). In the Chichibu region, adding “zuiki” to rice is also standard practice. Thus, one of Katemeshi's characteristics is that the flavor of the rice and the ingredients that are added to it vary depending on the region and the family serving it. Although it is popular today as a home-cooked meal, the fact that Katemeshi is made with soy sauce, which was known among farmers as a seasoning for “hare no hi” (special occasions), indicates that it was actually a dish mostly eaten for special occasions. In fact, it is said to have been cooked more often than “Gomoku Chirashi”, another rice dish eaten on “hare no hi”. Especially in urban areas, it was eaten for “hare no hi” in the same way as sushi.