🍱 Zakuni

In Gunma, there is a custom of eating "Kenchin Jiru" during such events as "Ebisu-ko in autumn", "New Year's Ebisu-ko (Spring Ebisu-ko)", and "Setsubun (the first day of spring)". A local dish similar to "Kenchin Jiru" and handed down in Takasaki City is "Zakuni". Like "Kenchin Jiru", it is generally eaten on celebratory occasions, but it is especially unique in that it is made on special occasions by chopping the ingredients into small pieces. In addition, while "Kenchin Jiru" is characterized by the fact that the ingredients are first sauteed in a large amount of oil, “Zakuni" does not use oil and uses "Surume (=Dried squid)", which is not added in "Kenchin Jiru", as a "Dashi (=Japanese soup stock)". It has a long history and is said to have been made for at least 60 years.