🍲 Suttate-jiru(Soybean paste soup)

"Suttate-jiru" is a soup made by grinding boiled soybeans in a mortar and pestle with miso or soy sauce, and is a popular local dish at festive occasions such as celebrations and "Houonko" ceremonies in Shirakawa Village, a World Heritage site famous for its "Gassho Zukuri" style architecture. Also known as "Suritate-jiru," it is also sometimes called "Dobu-jiru" because of its resemblance to Doburoku. When food preservation and distribution were not as convenient as they are today, soybeans, which grow on barren land and can be harvested in large quantities, were actively cultivated in Shirakawa Village, deep in the mountains, as a valuable source of protein. Miso (fermented soybean paste) and tofu are made from these soybeans, and it is said that "Suttate-jiru" was created in the process of making tofu. Because it quickly goes bad during the summer, it is often eaten during the fall, winter, and early spring.