Hitsumabushi

In this article, I want to write about Hitumabusi, a specialty food of my hometown, Aichi prefecture. It is in “ohitsu” which is Japanese container and we eat it mix rice and grilles eel. “Hitumabushi” means “ohitsu” and Japanese “mabusu” in English is “mix”. It is also called “Hitumamushi” because “Mamushi” means rice of eel in dialect of Kansai. Thus, Hitumabushi is a kind of a bowl of rice and has 3 ways to eat so I wish you could enjoy eating Hitumabushi more with my article.
Skin of broiled eel is savory, and fish is soft because broiled eel is baked without steaming just as it is. In some restaurant, there are resources which eggs like cotton yarn is spread all over under broiled eels. It is also a good. In the beginning, Hitumabushi was in the bowl of “Setomono” which is made of soil kneaded and burned. But after delivery, when young boy just like part time worker collected it, they often broke it, so it is changed “ohitsu” which is soiled and big.
Slice of eel existed in period which had no raising of fish in Hamamatsu (Shizuoka) and Tsu (Mie) and natural eel had unevenness of quality so small eel couldn’t be served. As a result, slices of bad eel were eaten as boiled rice with tea poured over it or board of worker. It is also said that “Hitsumabushi” may be originating that.
Finally, I want to introduce 3 ways to eat. Firstly, you should cut rice crosswise with “Shamoji”which is a tool we use when fill a bowl with rice. After that, you eat with this 3 ways.
1. Firstly, you fill a bowl with rice and eat it just as it is.
2. Next, you fill a bowl with rice again and put spices which are wasabi, laver, mitsuba, and so on. Spices which are long green onion, wasabi, and laver. These are basis and suit eel very well. You taste these changes of flavor with enjoying.
3. You pour soup stock or green tea on rice like 2 and eat like boiled rice with tea poured over it. How to this eat is also said to be designed to eat bad eel deliciously.
4. Finally, you eat your most favorite way.