🍱 Oname

“Oname” is a fermented food made from barley koji and soybeans. It is useful as a preserved food that lasts for more than half a year in the refrigerator, and has been eaten on the daily table as a dish that goes well with rice. It is eaten mainly in the Chichibu area, but also in the northern and north-eastern parts of the Musashino Plateau and the Iruma Plateau. “Oname-Koji” is made by steaming soaked barley and roasted soybeans and mixing them with koji bacteria. As it takes time to make and requires expertise, a pre-prepared "oname-koji" is available for sale nowadays. Additional ingredients are varied from household to household, including salted eggplant, shiitake mushrooms, shiso seeds, and old ginger, in addition to seasonal ingredients.