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Drink · Japan
Nihonshu
Japanese sake, a fermented beverage made from rice, koji and water. It is an official geographical indication of Japan and is served chilled, at room temperature, or warm, in small cups.
Flavors · Yamagata
Imoni
Taro stew with meat, konnyaku and scallion, cooked in large pots on riverbanks in autumn at Yamagata’s imonikai. Inland it includes beef and shoyu; on the Shonai coast it uses pork and miso.
Traditional dish from Yamagata
Also known as: 芋煮, Imoni nabe
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Imoni — Yamagata, Japan
Imoni is a stew made with satoimo, the Japanese taro, plus meat, konnyaku and thick scallion. In inland Yamagata the most common version uses beef and a broth seasoned with shoyu and sugar. In the Shonai region, by the Sea of Japan, it includes pork, fried tofu and miso. There are also versions with mushrooms and mountain greens, or with tofu.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture of Japan, the origin is told like this: in the 17th century, boatmen going upriver on the Mogami waited days for the people who received the cargo, near present-day Nakayama. To pass the time they cooked the taro from a nearby village on the riverbank together with the dried cod they carried. Beef only entered the dish in the early 20th century.
Imoni is the focus of imonikai, the autumn gatherings where families, friends and coworkers bring pots and ingredients to cook on riverbanks. In Yamagata, imonikai are one of the year’s major events, like New Year and year-end festivals, and during the season shops and supermarkets sell ingredients and rent pots and firewood.
In mid-September the city of Yamagata holds an imoni festival on the riverbank featuring a pot about 6.5 meters in diameter, stirred by an excavator. When the stew is finished, many people add udon or curry to the remaining broth.
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Where it comes from
Yamagata
Dish of Yamagata’s autumn imonikai.
Ingredients
Satoimo (taro), beef or pork, konnyaku, thick scallion; shoyu and sugar or miso. Some versions include mushrooms, mountain plants or tofu.
How it is eaten
In bowls, straight from the pot, often outdoors. At the end, udon or curry is added to the broth.
When it is eaten
Autumn, from September onward, during the taro harvest; imonikai on riverbanks.
Your questions
Questions about Imoni
What is an imonikai?
It’s an autumn gathering where families, friends and coworkers cook imoni in pots on riverbanks. In Yamagata it’s one of the year’s main events, and during the season pots and firewood can be rented.
What’s the difference between inland imoni and Shonai imoni?
In inland Yamagata, imoni uses beef and a shoyu-based broth. In Shonai, near the sea, it uses pork and is seasoned with miso.
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Beyond the guide
