🍲 Unagi no hobiki ni (eel stewed in a hobiki)

Kasumigaura is the second largest lake in Japan. It is abundant in freshwater fish like smelt, whitebait, eels, and crucian carp because of the rich plankton and interaction with the sea. The natural eels caught in Kasumigaura and the Tone River basin are famous, making the area a popular destination. Ryugasaki City's Ushiku-numa is considered the birthplace of eel bowls. Even today, there is a street called “Eel Road” where many long-established eel restaurants stand side by side. Eels are considered a luxury food, but in the past, they were caught frequently in this area, and eel dishes were commonly eaten in Ibaraki Prefecture. To make a quick and sumptuous dish for sudden visitors, etc., the leftover eels were frozen. Unagi no hobiki is a dish made from frozen eels. The “hobiki” in this dish refers to the sailboat with its huge white sails that were used for fishing in Kasumigaura. In March 2018, the technique of sail seine fishing in Kasumigaura was selected as a National Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Sail trawlers used wind power to pull the seine while fishing. The sight of dozens of sailboats with white sails floating on the lake was famous in Kasumigaura. However, because it was impossible to fish when there was no wind, and because the sails were so large, it was risky to fish with them in a gust of wind. Therefore, fishing is now carried out by mechanical trawlers. The dish is now called “eels in sail” because it is decorated with bamboo leaves that resemble sailboats with their huge, pure white sails. Today, the sailboat operates for sightseeing from spring to fall.