🍱 Mimi

"Mimi" is a local dish mainly in the Toya area of Fujikawa Town. It is made by kneading flour and cutting it into bite-size pieces, then sticking the two corners of the dough together to make a triangular shape and stewing it with vegetables in a miso flavor. It is similar to "houtou," but "mimi" is so named because of its distinctive triangular shape, which resembles the shape of a "winnowing basket," a farming implement (some say it is because it resembles an ear). There is also a legend that a warrior of the Minamoto clan ate it to celebrate his victory in battle in Juya (various theories exist), and it is said to have been called "fuku-mi," meaning "to scoop up good fortune," which in turn became "mimi. It is said to have been considered a very auspicious food, and became a dish for New Year's and festive occasions. In Jukkoku, "mimi" is still served to the god of the year for breakfast on New Year's Day every year, and is then eaten with the family.