Mentaiko, Japanese wedding proposal, Miso factory and Takoyaki party in Fukuoka
Originally posted August 26th 2013 and adjusted subsequently.
During the week we had several excursions. The first one was at a Mentaiko factory. Mentaiko was introduced by Toshio Kawahara, a Busan-born Japanese who adapted Korean mentaiko to Japanese tastes in Fukuoka in the 1950s. The name is derived from the Korean word for Alaska pollack (mentai: myeongtae) and the Japanese word for child ko. The typical seasoning and flavour is slightly different in Japan.
Toshio Kawahara, Mentaiko is packaged in the factory, Mentaiko tasting
In the factory we could see the production steps and could make our own Mentaiko. Although I liked Mentaiko I think it has a very special taste which is not easy for me to include into the every day meals.
The next day we were introduced to some japanese literature and a very popular manga series called Maison Ikkoku. It is a lovestory where in the end the boy tells his girlfriend that he wants to drink the miso soup she makes. In Japanese cultural circle this is or was back the 80's, when the manga was published, a very romantic way to make a wedding proposal. To understand this sentence it should be known that miso soup is only eaten in the morning and is a home-made dish.
Actually the lifestyle of the Japanese has been changed a lot since the 80's. Nowadays the traditional breakfast is replaced by western breakfast (wheat products) or is skipped. Since the consciousness of gender roles has changed too, many girls do not think that this wedding proposal is very romantic and has become old-fashioned. But still some of my Japanese friends would still like it which I can understand when they grew up with this cultural background.
After this lession we walked to a miso factory that is near our University. The Japanese miso and the Korean doenjang have the same ingredients. The only difference are the fermentation starter which is Meju (bacillus subtilis) for doenjang and Koji (aspergillus oryzae) for miso. We also did a Miso tasting.
Miso production the factory, tasting different types of Miso and main ingredients for Miso are salt, Koji rice and soybeans.
Besides the health benefits of eating doenjang and miso due to the high source of Vitamin B another interesting aspect is that it has been observed that miso can protect radiation. A professor who has been contaminated by an atomic bomb lived until he was 89. He concluded that one reason could be his diet as he has drinked miso soup every day. Until now studies found that dipilocolonic acid a substance that chelates heavy metals and discharges them from the body can protect against radiation.
Takoyaki party
In Japan the price for food is very expensive so we often cooked together at the dormitory. That night we made Takoyaki, a snack made of wheat dough batter and several ingredients that can be combined variably like chopped white cabbage, octopus, sausages, cheese, popped rice, japanese ginger or green onions ring.
The Takoyaki machine is oiled before the dough batter is filled in. Then you put the ingredients into the dough and then you put more dough into it. After that it is a little tricky to form the small little forms with wood sticks.
When they are golden-brown outside the balls can placed on a plate. Then they are decorated with Takoyako sacue, mayonaise, bonito flakes and seaweed powder.
Mmmh they were so delicious! I am going to make a Takoyaki party when I will be back in Germany. I think it is nice change fot making Raclette. (May 19th 24: Not sure if these dished can be really compared). And the Takoyaki machine can be purchased at Amazon for about 10 €. 😃
