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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 · Kanazawa
Jibuni
Duck dusted in flour and cooked with sudare-fu (wheat gluten), vegetables and mushrooms in a slightly thickened shoyu broth, served with wasabi. A dish of Kaga cuisine, traditional in Kanazawa.
Traditional dish from Kanazawa, Ishikawa
Also known as: じぶ煮, 治部煮, Jibu-ni
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Jibuni — Kanazawa, Japan
Jibuni is a stew of duck sliced in wide pieces, dusted in wheat flour before being added to a dashi and shoyu broth. The flour helps the meat retain its flavor and slightly thickens the broth. Along with the duck go sudare-fu, a sheet of wheat gluten marked like a woven mat, taro, shiitake and seasonal greens. On top, a pinch of wasabi.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture of Japan, jibuni has been eaten at least since the Edo period and is linked to the cuisine of the samurai of the Kaga domain, now Ishikawa. There are several origin stories, all attributed: one credits a Christian daimyo who supposedly learned it from missionaries; another an officer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi named Okabe Jibuemon; and another involves Russian castaways. The name also has no definitive explanation: it might come from that officer’s name or from the jibu-jibu sound of the stew.
A cook from the Kaga domain recorded similar dishes in a recipe book, and today’s jibuni is thought to descend from one of those. While samurai ate it on formal occasions, common people prepared it in autumn and winter with migratory birds hunted locally. Over time it acquired its own bowl: wide, shallow and with a thin rim.
Today jibuni is served in Kaga cuisine restaurants in Kanazawa, in bento boxes and at home on special occasions. Because duck is expensive, many households use domestic duck or chicken.
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Where it comes from
Kanazawa , Ishikawa
Traditional dish of Kanazawa, from Kaga cuisine.
Ingredients
Duck (or chicken) dusted in wheat flour, sudare-fu, taro, shiitake, seasonal greens, dashi, shoyu, mirin; wasabi.
How it is eaten
In the characteristic shallow bowl, with the broth slightly thickened and wasabi on top, as part of a Kaga cuisine meal.
When it is eaten
Year-round in restaurants; at home on special occasions and to receive guests, more often in cold weather.
Your questions
Questions about Jibuni
What is jibuni?
It is a stew of duck dusted in flour, with wheat gluten, vegetables and mushrooms, in a slightly thickened shoyu broth. It is a traditional dish of Kaga cuisine in Kanazawa.
Where does the name jibuni come from?
There is no certain explanation. One version links the name to a 16th-century officer named Okabe Jibuemon; another to the jibu-jibu sound of the stew.
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Beyond the guide
