🍱 Shime Tofu

In times of food scarcity, when meat and fish were unavailable, soybeans came in very handy as a source of protein. While soybeans are prepared in various forms, such as miso and soy sauce, Gunma prefecture is especially known for tofu. Not only is it rich in nutrition, it also keeps well once it's cooked, which is why it is used in local cuisine. The representative local tofu dish is "shime tofu". A simple side dish of boiled tofu seasoned with soy sauce and sugar, it is mainly eaten as a seasonal food at festivals. There are also various regional "tofu rice" dishes, where tofu is mixed in to cooked rice. Currently, in order to consistently produce high quality soybeans, Gunma is enacting policies to expand stable business via strict adherence to basic technology and contract farming, and promotion of local soybean production for local consumption.