🍱 Ton-zuke

This is a dish made by marinating high-quality domestic pork in special miso, belonging to an elevation of 1 in the Tanzawa Oyama National Park. It is a specialty dish of Atsugi City. The flavorful aroma of the crispy miso marinated with pork complements rice well, making it a delightful dish. Its roots date back to the end of the Edo period. During that time, samurai disliked consuming meat from quadrupeds like cows, pigs, and wild boars. Once, a large group of people gathered in the Ogino Mountain Clan (current vicinity of Atsugi City), and there was a shortage of food. They coated miso on the meat of wild boars and grilled it, not revealing what kind of meat it was. This turned out to be highly praised, marking the beginning of "ton-zuke." With the modernization and cultural evolution, the culture of consuming meat spread in Japan. In Kanagawa Prefecture, especially in areas with ports, pig farming became popular. At one point, Atsugi had around 300 pig farms, and eventually, "ton-zuke" became recognized as a local specialty. Presently, it's also enjoyed in neighboring Zama City and Sagamihara City.