🍱 Shidami-dango

"Shidami" refers to acorns, and "Shidami-dango" can be made by adding sugar to "Shidami" and forming them into dumplings, or by making "Shidami" into paste and wrapping them in a dough kneaded from wheat flour. Northern areas, Ouu area, Kitakami mountain range area, there were often bad harvests due to the cold winds (yamase) in summer blowing from the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, "Shidami" which produced a crop even during bad harvests, was valued as a stockpiled food that could be dried and preserved. It tastes good, is nutritious, and contains as many calories, protein, fat, and carbohydrates as white rice. After World War II, the role of "Shidami" as an emergency food ended with the development of agricultural technology, but it is now attracting attention again due to the recent natural food boom. "Shidami" are picked up in September and October, boiled immediately and then dried for sanitation purposes. Before eating, it is necessary to remove scum and bitterness with wood ash and baking soda, so it is a very labor-intensive food.