🍲 Sekka-jiru(Stone Flower Soup)

This is a local dish from Oshima, Imabari City, where the stone industry flourished in the old days. "Oshima stone" from the Miyakubo district in the northern part of the island is used for building materials and tombstones, and is known as one of the best high-grade stones in Japan. "Sekka-jiru" is a local dish that conveys the stone culture of Oshima in Imabari City. It was made in Oshima's stone quarries in the old days using stones that were close at hand. It is a staff meal created by the wisdom and ingenuity of craftsmen who thought of ways to keep the body warm in the cold, freezing winter stone quarries. Konjac, also known as "grated sand," was considered an essential ingredient for masonry workers, so it was always used. More than 10 types of ingredients, along with heated stones, are used. When these stones are put in, steam rises suddenly, bubbling up vigorously. This sight resembles blooming flowers, and as the tofu placed in it appears to crumble and resemble blossoms, it's said to be called "Sekka-jiru" (Stone Flower Soup).