🍱 Uri no Teppo Zuke

The inside of the gourd is hollowed out like a gun barrel, stuffed with chili peppers wrapped in perilla leaves as gunpowder, and marinated in a seasoning solution consisting mainly of additive-free soy sauce and mirin (sweet rice wine). The chili peppers make it spicy and crunchy. It is a dish that can be eaten as a side dish with rice or as a snack with sake. The name "Teppozuke" comes from the fact that a gourd with a hole in it looks like a cannonball and a green chili pepper looks like a bullet. The ingredients are carefully selected and include white gourd, chili pepper, and perilla leaves grown in Chiba Prefecture. The flavor of soy sauce and the crispy texture of the gourd are generally enjoyed. It is also famous as a souvenir from Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. Each of the many pickle stores in Narita has its own unique combination of flavors and ingredients, and it is up to you to choose which one you like best. Walking around and comparing them from store to store in Narita is one way to enjoy them and taste the many different flavors for yourself. A brand of cucumbers called "Hagurauri," which are so soft that even people with wobbly teeth can eat them, are also produced.