🍲 Niku Tofu (Simmered meat and tofu)

“Niku Tofu” is a simple dish made of beef, tofu, and green onions. The green onions used in the dish are often “kujo green onions”, a traditional vegetable of Kyoto. These onions are leaf onions (green onions) whose green leaves are eaten. Legend has it that in 771, when the Fushimi Inari Shrine was built, Hata Irogu planted green onions brought from Naniwa. These seeds have been passed down and protected by farmers from generation to generation, earning it the nickname "king of green onions". According to one theory, the name comes from the fact that high-quality green onions were grown in the Kujo area during the Heian period. The tender leaf is slimy, sweet, and fragrant which makes it a popular ingredient for a wide range of dishes including as a condiment, nabe (one-pot dish), sukiyaki, simmered dishes, salad, and miso soup. Although it is grown year-round, it is in season in winter when it is slimy and sweet. The history of beef in Kyoto is long and rich, with "Tamba beef" being mentioned in Japan's oldest wagyu book, "Kokugyu Juzu," drawn in 1310. In the early Meiji period, sukiyaki restaurants were established in Kyoto City. Today, Kyoto Prefecture and the Kyoto Beef Distribution Promotion Council have branded high-grade beef produced and raised in the prefecture as "Kyoto Meat". To qualify for this prestigious classification, the breed must be Japanese black cattle, the cattle must have been raised in Kyoto for the longest period of time, and the meat must be processed at the Kyoto City Central Wholesale Market No. 2. The water used for daily life in Kyoto is soft, which means that it is low in minerals and has no peculiar taste. This unique characteristic is believed to be the reason for producing delicious tofu.