🍱 Tara no jappajiru

Jappa" is a word of Tsugaru dialect, which means "something to be thrown away". It is usually made from fish heads, bones, skins and entrails, which are thrown away without being eaten. Cod is an indispensable "New Year's fish" in the Tsugaru region, and there is even a local saying, "cod New Year's." In the old days, a whole large cod was called "jappa-jiru" (cod soup). In the old days, it was a tradition to buy a whole big cod and drag it home along the snowy road at the end of the year. After the fish had been grated and the meat removed, the "ara" was stewed with daikon radish, carrots, green onions, and other ingredients to warm the body from the cold. It was a hearty, easy, nutritious, and extremely tasty midwinter home cooking.