# Chagayu(Tea Porridge) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Chagayu(Tea Porridge)

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Yanai District, Suooshima District, Iwakuni District, Hagi District

## Main Ingredients Used
Rice, sweet potato, tea leaves, salt

## History, Origin, and Related Events
“Rice porridge,” a dish said to have originated from the Nara region, has taken root as a local delicacy in other regions outside the Yamaguchi Prefecture. At the beginning of the 17th century in Yamaguchi, Yoshikawa, lord of the Iwakuni Domain, encouraged the practice of making rice porridge to save rice, and it supposedly spread to various parts of the prefecture, including Yanai City and Suooshima Town. The rice porridge of Yamaguchi Prefecture is characterized by boiling roasted coarse tea in a tea bag in a Kanko, a special iron kettle. It has a smooth texture and is often eaten warm in the winter and cooled in the summer. Although originally passed down between the common folk as a daily meal, each family had their own elaborate secrets on how to cook the porridge, and the dish was viewed as being quite elegant. In Suooshima and the Yannai area, “potato porridge” was also popular thanks to a boom in sweet potatoes.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
It is eaten in homes on a regular basis, such as chilled in the summer when food isn’t advancing well.

## How to Eat
Put the powdered coarse tea in a tea bag and boil in water. Ideally, use gauze or a thin cloth for the tea bag. Chop the sweet potatoes into 1 cm thick pieces, soak and wash in water, and add to the pot when the rice begins to boil. Simmer, without letting the rice boil over. Stirring will make it stickier. After simmering for 30-40 minutes, turn off heat and let it steam for a while. Add a preferred amount of salt to suit your taste.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
Aside from being eaten at home, rice porridge can be enjoyed at many restaurants and inns in Yanai City and its surrounding area. It is sometimes even cooked at events that inherit local cuisines.

## Ingredients
- Rice: 1 cup
- Coarse tee: 15g
- Water: 8 cups

## Recipe
1. 1. Boil water in a pot, then insert a tea bag containing coarse tea. Once brown, remove the tea bag.
2. 2. Add in rice and cook over high heat, being careful to avoid boiling over (17-18 minutes). The rice is ready once the rice core is gone and the rice is firm and in line with the tea astringency.

## Provider Information
provider : Recipe Provider: Nutrition Teachers of Yamaguchi City

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