🍱 Tofu Dengaku

Shiga Prefecture has a large number of temples per capita and a deeply religious climate, and “Shojin-ryori” (vegetarian cuisine) using Tofu has often been made. In “Tofu- Dengaku”, drained Tofu is put on a skewer and grilled. When it browns slightly, it is dipped in” Kinome-Miso” or “Negi-Miso” and grilled again. In the “Kohoku” region, there is a custom of making and eating “Tofu- Dengaku” on the occasion of “Houon-ko”, festivals, and the winter solstice. “Ishibe” in the Konan area and “Megawa” in “Kusatsu” are located on the” Tokai-do” Road, and” Tofu Dengaku” is their specialty. In ancient farming villages, there was a custom called “Dengaku-mai” or “Dengaku-odori”, in which people danced to the beat of drums to pray for a good harvest during Rice planting. From this custom came the dance, which eventually became a miscellaneous art form, and the “Dengaku-monk”, a full-time performer, was born. The name "Dengaku" came from the resemblance of the “Dengaku-monk”, who wore a colored jacket over a white “Hakama” and performed a dance, to a dish of skewered Tofu with “Negi -Miso”, and the name “Tofu- Dengaku” or "Dengaku" came to be used to describe the skewers of Tofu. In addition, the ingredients were not limited to Tofu, but also spilled over to “Konjac”, Satoimo(=Japanese taro), “Shiitake” mushrooms, and other vegetables and fish such as herring.