🍲 Nishime (simmered dish) of dried daikon

In Shimane Prefecture, the production of dry foods and preserved foods has been passed down from generation to generation. Daikons (Japanese radishes), especially those harvested from autumn to winter, have come to be made into dried daikons as a preserved food because there are not many vegetables that can be harvested in the spring after the winter. There are a lot of variations in the way daikons are stored. For example, in the Oki area, thick daikon is broken into four pieces and hung on the eaves to make dried daikon. The small daikons were cut into strips and made into dried daikons. In addition to preserving it, drying it out reduces the water content and concentrates flavor, sweetness and its nutritional value, including calcium. There is also a method of preserving fresh daikons by burying them in the snow to provide food until spring. Dried daikon is made in all parts of Shimane Prefecture, but "Nishime (simmered dish) of dried daikon" is a local dish mainly made in the Iwami region.