🍱 Tenmondou

Because Chiba Prefecture produces a large amount of vegetables, they are boiled in sugar and made into a snack that can be preserved for a long period of time, known as "Tenmondou." "Tenmondou" was originally a Chinese herbal medicine made by blanching tubers of lilies, leaving the outer skin and drying them, and it is said that the name came from the medicine "Tenmondou" that was pickled in honey for one to two months and was expected of being a cough suppressant and nourishing. Citrus fruits, and Root ginger, boiled in honey and dried were the main ingredients, but over time a variety of vegetables were used. Fibrous vegetables such as burdock root, and lotus root are cut into thin slices and boiled once. If the vegetables have scum, boil them and drain, then put in the water again, add the sugar, and simmer slowly until reduce liquid . It is said that they made a lot of this food, stored it in large cans, and used it as a snack during the busy farming season to give them energy to work in the fields. Because it can be preserved for up to 10 months without the use of preservatives, it has been widely popular among farmers as a preserved food. In Togane City, "Tenmondo" is produced by effectively utilizing various agricultural products according to the season such as "yuzu," which originated from the hand-planted tangerines of Ieyasu Tokugawa, and other crops taking advantage of the city's multi-product production area.