# Iruka no Miso-ni (Dolphin Miso Stew) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Iruka no Miso-ni (Dolphin Miso Stew)

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Ito City

## Main Ingredients Used
Ingredients: Dolphin meat, burdock root, miso

## History, Origin, and Related Events
The practice of dolphin fishing in Shizuoka Prefecture has been conducted primarily in the Izu region. The gulfs of the Izu Peninsula serve as migration routes for the dolphins, while the complex geography of the peninsula makes it a suitable location for the dolphin drive fishing method, whereby dolphins are herded and driven into a bay or beach using boats. Dolphin bones found at Jomon period archaeological sites, as well as records from medieval and early modern eras, indicate that dolphin fishing has been practiced since ancient times. Following the Meiji era, dolphins caught in Izu were sold throughout other areas within Shizuoka, as well as to outside prefectures such as Aichi, Gifu, and Yamanashi.Currently, the only organization that continues the tradition of dolphin drive fishing is the Ito Fisheries Cooperative (Ito City, Futo Port). However, due to the intensifying focus, both domestically and internationally, on protecting and conserving dolphin populations, as well as regulations limiting the quantities and types of species allowed to be caught, dolphin fishing has not been conducted since 2004. Nonetheless, drive fishing has been permitted since 2019 for the expressed purposes of capturing dolphins for captive breeding.“Iruka no Miso-ni” is a traditional, local delicacy of Izu. In the past, when dolphin meat was commonly sold at fish stores, it was served regularly in households―stir-fried with burdock roots (gobo), or perhaps other ingredients such as carrots and konnyaku (yam cake), then seasoned with sake, soy sauce, sugar, and miso, and simmered into a stew.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
In winters, this dish was commonly served daily in households.

## How to Eat
The dolphin meat is first sliced into bite-sized pieces, with the fatty parts stir-fried first. Burdock root is added, and fried together, and then seasoned with sake, soy sauce, sugar, and miso. Some households choose to add carrots and konnyaku in addition to the burdock root.Another way to eat dolphin meat is to slice it into 2 centimeter pieces, marinate them in a soy sauce-based dressing, and then dry them in the sun to make “tare,” a dried fish snack which can be enjoyed with sake.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)Although dolphin drive fishing has not been practiced since 2004, the Ito Fisheries Cooperative became concerned that as the number of experienced fishermen dwindled, the tradition of dolphin fishing could be lost forever. In response, they collaborated with the Fisheries Agency and the prefecture to put together a manual that allowed for the live capture of dolphins exclusively for the purpose of selling them to facilities such as aquariums, which led to the lifting of the ban on dolphin drive fishing in 2019.

## Ingredients
- Dolphin meat: 200 g
- Burdock root: 120 g
- Konnyaku (yam cake): 80 g
- Daikon radish: 80 g
- Ginger: 1 slice
- Dashi broth: 4 cups
- [A] Sake: 1／2 cup
- [A] Sugar: 4 tablespoons
- [A] Miso: 3 tablespoons

## Recipe
1. 1. Cut the dolphin meat into cubes, and clean the blood off in running water until the water becomes clear.
2. 2. Cut the ginger into thin slices, and chop the burdock root, carrots, and daikon radish into chunks. Tear the konnyaku into suitably sized pieces.
3. 3. Heat oil (not included in the list of ingredients) in a pot, add the ginger and dolphin meat, and sauté lightly. Then add the dashi broth.
4. 4. Add the other ingredients to the mixture, and once it boils, reduce the heat to medium-low. Remove any scum that rises to the top. Simmer until the ingredients are thoroughly cooked. Season with the ingredients labeled [A].

## Provider Information
provider : Recipe provided by: “Shizuoka no Okazu” (Kaikosha)

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