🍱 Rakkasei-miso(Pearuts Miso)

Rakkasei (peanuts), also known as "Nankinmame," are said to have been introduced in Japan during the Edo period. The cultivation of peanuts in Chiba Prefecture is said to have started when Manuemon Makino, a farmer from Nango Village, Sanbu District (now Sanmu City), purchased the seeds from Nakazato Village, Miura District, Kanagawa Prefecture and began a trial production. Chiba prefecture accounts for 80% of the domestic peanut harvest in Japan today. They are generally roasted or boiled and eaten plain, but farmers devised "Rakkasei-miso" as a way to utilize non-standard peanuts that cannot be sold on the market. Peanuts are rich in nutrients such as fat and protein, and they were a valuable preserved food in the days when food was more scarce, thus becoming a regional cuisine. Even today, when raw peanuts are available, quite a few households make their own "Rakkasei-miso" with seasonings of their choice to always have on hand as a side dish. It is a familiar dish that is also served in school lunches and sold at supermarkets. "Bocchi," a pile of harvested peanuts left to air dry naturally, has become a symbol of autumn.