🍱 Tamago Kanten (Egg agar-agar)

”Egg kanten” is a food made by mixing egg and sugar into ”kanten” liquid and then solidifying it. ”Kanten” is made from the seaweed known as tengusa. After being dissolved and filtered, it is allowed to dry outside to solidify. By repeatedly freezing it during intensely cold nights and sun-drying it during the day, the result is a naturally dried stick of kanten. ”Kanten” is characterized by being more elastic and hardening more firmly than either gelatin or agar. Since it can be dried and stored for long periods, it has been highly valued as a preserved food in Akita during the region's long winters. In Akita, primarily in the southern regions, ”kanten” is always served at gatherings, and it has long been a familiar snack accompanying tea. At important family events, homemade dishes are served as torimawashi, which are passed from person to person. Because kanten can be cut into any number of pieces to match the number of people and conveniently packed up for people to take home, it is often served as a torimawashi dish. Among the many ”kanten” dishes, egg ”kanten” is particularly well known. However, it can be made in many different ways: by solidifying beaten eggs, egg soup, or boiled and mashed eggs. Another ”kanten” dish made using eggs which cannot be omitted is kaminari kanten (lit. “thunder kanten”), which is made by dissolving sugar and ”kanten” in a liquid, mixing in milk and eggs, and then solidifying it. This recipe has been handed down in the south of Akita, and it is said that those who could prepare this dish well would become “good wives”.