🍚 Shima no Chagayu (Island tea rice porridge)

One of the Shiwaku Islands in the Seto Inland Sea is “Shishijima”island. On this small island with a circumference of 4 km, people used to eat tea porridge for breakfast. In the "Shiaku” Islands, where rice cannot be harvested due to the lack of rice paddies as in "Shishijima" island, this porridge has long been a staple food and is still eaten by some islanders today. Rice was a precious commodity obtained by selling fish, and tea porridge was a way to eat less rice so that it would last longer . At that time, tea merchants from Marugame and Nio went to Kochi to buy tea. To make tea porridge, boil water in a pot, boil “Goishi- cha”produced in Otoyo Town, Kochi Prefecture, add rice and sweet potatoes, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. No seasonings are used, and the deep astringency of “Goishi- cha” is the only flavor. It is also said that tea porridge goes well with hot water containing a small amount of salt water, which is unique to the island area. This is the reason why tea porridge is often eaten in this area. In addition to“Goishi- cha” , “Habu-cha “ and” Hoji-cha “ from Takamijima are sometimes used for tea porridge, and each household has its own taste depending on the tea mixture and ingredients used. It is also called "Cha-gai" on the island.