🍱 Tofu misozuke

It is said that about 800 years ago, a fallen Heike warrior who lost the battle with the Minamoto clan hid at the foot of the Higo Mountains and created and passed down this "tofu misozuke". Homemade tofu and barley miso are made using soybeans and barley grown in slash-and-burn fields in the "mountainous Gokansho (Izumi, Yatsushiro City)" area and Itsuki Village. The tofu, which has been soaked in miso for about six months, has a cheesy flavor and can be used as a side dish with rice or as an appetizer with alcohol, making it a valuable preserved food in areas with poor logistics. "Kazura tofu", which is made in the Ayugaeri district of Sakamoto-cho, Yatsushiro City, is made by putting weights on the tofu and thoroughly draining the moisture during the hardening process. It got its name because it is so hard that it can also be carried around by tying it with "tsutakazura (a generic term for vine grass)". Also, in Itsuki Village, there is a type of tofu called “kashinoki tofu,” which has a hard texture and is also made with plenty of soybeans. This kind of hard tofu is suitable for misozuke, so the tofu is squeezed well so that it can be stored for a long time at room temperature and then dried over low heat before being pickled in miso with a high salt content. Currently, it is produced in various parts of the prefecture and sold as a specialty product. Variations made using "moromi" such as “yamauni tofu” and “hiden tomei” are well known, and those with low salt content, smooth texture, and mellow taste became mainstream. There are also many variations, such as adding "yuzu pepper" or red chili pepper, and it goes well with various alcoholic beverages, including shochu, sake, and wine. Horses naturally have a higher body temperature than cows and pigs, making it difficult for bacteria that can cause food poisoning to grow, which is also why horse meat can be eaten raw. In addition, the meat is now disassembled at a meat processing plant under strict sanitary control and frozen before distribution in all cases. In this manner, all possible precautions against parasites are taken.