# Rokubei ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Rokubei

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Shimabara City, Tsushima City

## Main Ingredients Used
Sweet potato, yam, fish paste, green onion

## History, Origin, and Related Events
A local dish that has been passed down since the Edo Period in the Shimabara and Tsushima areas. Although there are slight differences in how it’s cooked, in both regions it’s a dish made by kneading flour made from sweet potatoes into an udon-like shape and putting it in a broth.In the Shimabara region in 1792, Mount Mayuyama collapsed due to a volcanic earthquake, causing a large amount of earth and sand to flow into the Ariake Sea, generating a tsunami. It widely swept across the coast, ravaging entire farmlands and causing famine. The people in the area survived hunger mainly by eating sweet potatoes, which can grow even in barren land. The origin of the dish is that a man named Rokubei of Fukae Village (present-day Fukae Town, Minamishimabara City) devised an udon-like dish by mixing the powder of preserved sweet potatoes with yams, which act as a binder. This delighted many people. This is said to be the beginning of “rokubei” in Shimabara.In Tsushima the main ingredient for rokubei is sen, a preserved food made by fermenting sweet potatoes. The sweet potato is called kokoimo (filial piety) because it saved the islanders from starvation.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
In the past it was often made as a home-cooked dish, but in recent years the number of households making it has decreased. However, some restaurants in Nagasaki Prefecture actively serve it as a local specialty, so that locals and tourists alike can enjoy it whenever they like.

## How to Eat
The noodles are made from sweet potato flour, which is the main ingredient, and yams, which act as a binder. At first glance they look like thick soba noodles, but they’re not long like soba. The surface is smooth and the inside is chewy. They’re distinctive for the faint sweetness of the sweet potato which fills your mouth when you bite into the noodles in clear soup. In the past it was a frugal meal, but is now widely recognized as a simple yet delicious local dish with various flavor arrangements such as using improved breeds of sweet potatoes.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)Today it’s a standard menu item for school lunches in Nagasaki Prefecture. It’s expected that it will continue to be passed down through the generations as one of the flavors that represent the region.Furthermore, it’s available in easy-to-make gift items, some of which have been selected as return gifts for hometown tax payments.

## Ingredients
- Sen (fermented sweet potato) dumplings: 500g
- Burdock root: 40g
- Carrots: 40g
- Dried shiitake mushrooms: 3g
- Fish paste: 30g
- Green onions: 5g
- Dashi stock: 150cc
- Sake: 3cc
- Light soy sauce: 5cc
- Dark soy sauce: 2cc
- salt: a little

## Recipe
1. 1. Thinly crush the sen dumplings by hand.
2. 2. Pour lukewarm water over the dough and knead it with your hands so that the water spreads all over the dough.
3. 3. When it becomes smooth, roll the dough into softball-sized balls.
4. 4. Boil water in a large pot, add the balls from Step 3, and boil briefly.
5. 5. Break the shape with a rice scoop and knead it again by hand.
6. 6. Take a small amount of the dough from Step 5, push it out with a knife, and drop it into the boiling pot.
7. 7. Boil again and after 2-3 minutes, put it in cold water, wash off the scum and drain.
8. 8. Cut the burdock root into thin strips and soak in water to remove harshness. Cut the carrots, shred the dried shiitake mushrooms, thinly slice the fish paste, and finely chop the green onions.
9. 9. Add the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms to the dashi stock, then add the burdock root, carrots, dried shiitake mushrooms, and seasonings. Simmer to make the broth.
10. 10. Pour the broth from Step 9 onto the rokubei, and scatter the fish paste and green onions.

## Provider Information
provider : Nagaski Dietetic Association (Public Corporation)

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