🍱 Sanpei-Jiru

"Sanpei-jiru" is a local dish consisting of salted fish, such as salmon or herring, stewed together with vegetables, such as carrots, and daikon radishes. There are various theories as to the origin of the name "Sanpei-jiru." One theory is that it was named "Sanpei-jiru" because the lord of the Matsumae Domain was on a hunting trip and ate the soup stewed with whatever was available at the home of a fisherman named Sanpei Saito, who liked it so much that he named it "Sanpei-jiru." There is also a theory that the name "Sanpei-jiru" came from the fact that it was served on a “Arita-yaki” deep dish called “Sanpei-zara” dish. It is said to have been eaten for more than 200 years, and a record of "Sanpei-jiru" can be found in the "Touyuki," a memoir of the late Edo period. "Sanpei-jiru" is made by stewing raw fish, that has been preserved in salt, with vegetables, and seasoning it with only the salt content of the fish. It is sometimes combined with “Ishikari- nabe,” which also uses salmon as an ingredient, but unlike "Ishikari -nabe," which uses raw salmon, in a "miso" broth, "Sanpei-jiru" is characterized by its use of mainly salted salmon. The fish and seasoning used vary from region to region. In the central and eastern regions of Hokkaido, salted salmon is used, while in the northern region of Hokkaido, salted cod is sometimes used. In the Hiyama region, there is "Shio-Sanpei" using salted pollack, and "Miso-Sanpei" using salted salmon, seasoned with miso.