🍱 Obaku

“Obaku” is made with round barley (barley without outer husk) soaked in water overnight as well as other ingredients such as potato, sweet potato, daikon radish, “satoimo” (=Japanese taro), and azuki beans or red kidney beans. All the ingredients are cooked in plenty of water until soft. One way to eat this dish is by adding grinded roasted sesame seeds and miso and pouring cold soup over the “obaku.” In the mountainous areas, rice was hard to come by and could only be enjoyed on special occasions. People living in these areas ate barley as staple food. In the past, people prepared “obaku” in a large “kamado” (=traditional Japanese cook stove) and stirred the ingredients throughout the day, making sure that they did not get burned. It was a lot of work because it took an entire day to prepare the dish. “Obaku” is prepared without any seasonings, and so it is eaten with miso containing green onions and bonito flakes or soy sauce paste. The “obaku” is thick and soft with bits of barley adding additional texture. When round barley is used, the dish is called “baku,” and when pressed barley is used, the dish is called “mugi meshi” (=barley rice). Round barley is highly nutritious and is full of fibers, minerals and vitamins and is referred to as the “chief of the five grains.” It has supported the health of the local people who live in harsh mountain weather and engage in hard labor.