🍱 Taranokoiri(Stir-fried dish with cod roe)

Cod is an indispensable winter fish in Akita Prefecture. Generally speaking, "Tarako (=cod roe)" is the roe of Alaska pollock. However, in Akita Prefecture,"Tarako" means Pacific cod roe. "Taranokoiri(=Stir-fried dish with cod roe)" is astir-fried dish with cod roe, Konjac noodles and japanese leek. Compared to the Alaska pollock, Pacific cod roe is coarser, but has a better taste. In Akita Prefecture, cod roe has long been eaten in its entirety during the winter, as in the custom known as "Tarajiru (=cod soup)", and raw cod roe has also been valued as a winter foodstuff. In addition to Akita Prefecture, there still remains a culture of eating cod roe in Yamagata and Aomori Prefectures.In Yamagata Prefecture, where cod is caught,the dish is called Taranokoiri as well. In Aomori Prefecture, it is called Koae. Especially in Akita, "Taranokoiri(=Stir-fried dish with cod roe)" has been an indispensable New Year's good-luck dish to wish for a new child. Depending on the region, vegetables such as gobou(=burdock) and carrot, and chikuwa (fish cake) are also stir-fried together.But in the Yuri Region, where cod is grown, it is simply made with only konjack (=yam cake) and green onions, and plenty of raw cod roe is used to savor the flavor.