🍱 Pumpkin itoko-ni

Ibaraki Prefecture is a production area of high-quality pumpkins such as Edosaki pumpkins, which are highly evaluated in the market, Naka pumpkins, and Miyako pumpkins. Its pumpkin production volume is among the top in Japan as well, and pumpkin dishes were often eaten during the winter solstice. One of the most popular pumpkin dishes was pumpkin stew. Pumpkin itoko-ni, which is boiled with adzuki beans, has become a staple dish for the winter solstice. Itoko-ni refers to a stew made mainly from vegetables and beans. It is said that this dish originated from boiling and eating the vegetables and beans that were offered at New Year's, Obon, and other celebrations after the event. There are various theories about the origin of the name, one of which is that since each type of vegetable is boiled separately and the Japanese term for this, “meimei,” is also the pronunciation for the word “nieces,” fellow nieces would be cousins, the word for which is “itoko” in Japanese. Also, there is a theory that because the vegetables are cooked “oioi” - that is, one after another - and this is also the pronunciation for “nephews” in Japanese, fellow nephews would be cousins. Another theory is that vegetables and beans come from fields and are like cousins. Because pumpkins can be stored for a long time, they were a valuable source of nutrition during times when food was scarce. There are various theories as to why we eat pumpkins on the winter solstice, but it is said that the custom of eating highly nutritious pumpkins that have been preserved in hopes that one will be able to healthily survive the cold season when the harvest of vegetables is scarce has been handed down until today. In addition, red beans can be stored for a long time and are highly nutritious, so pumpkin itoko-ni is popular as a local dish to survive the winter without catching a cold. Furthermore, it is thought that people started eating pumpkin itoko-ni made with red beans and pumpkins, to bring in good luck as the red color of red beans is said to ward off evil spirits.