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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 · Akita
Kiritanpo nabe
A pot of chicken-bone broth with mashed and toasted rice sticks (kiritanpo), burdock, mushrooms, scallions and seri. A dish from Akita, made at the time of the new rice harvest.
Traditional dish from Akita
Also known as: Kiritanpo, きりたんぽ鍋, きりたんぽ
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Kiritanpo nabe — Akita, Japan
Kiritanpo is made with cooked rice that is partially mashed and molded around a wooden skewer, then toasted over a fire. Cut into pieces, the sticks are added to a pot of chicken-bone broth seasoned with shoyu, together with chicken meat, burdock, mushrooms, scallions and, lastly, seri, an aromatic herb. The rice absorbs the broth and becomes soft inside.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, the dish originated in the Odate and Kazuno areas in northern Akita. It is said that woodcutters and charcoal burners who spent days in the mountains would mash leftover rice, press it onto a skewer and roast it over the fire, then put it into the pot of chicken. The name comes from the shape: the stick resembled the reed head called tanpo, and kiri means cut.
Chicken is an important part of the dish. In Akita, Hinai jidori, a chicken raised in the prefecture, is often used. The broth is made from the bones, and every family has its own recipe.
In northern Akita, kiritanpo is made especially when the new rice is harvested, to celebrate the end of the harvest, and it is also served to visitors and on special occasions. The cities of Odate and Kazuno hold kiritanpo festivals every year, where you can taste it and learn to make the sticks.
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Where it comes from
Akita
A dish from Akita, from the Odate and Kazuno region.
Ingredients
Mashed new rice toasted on a skewer, chicken-bone broth, chicken meat, burdock (gobo), maitake mushrooms, scallions, seri, shoyu.
How it is eaten
Cooked in a pot, at the table, served in bowls with the broth.
When it is eaten
Autumn and winter, especially after the new rice harvest; festivals and visits.
Your questions
Questions about Kiritanpo nabe
What is kiritanpo?
They are sticks of cooked rice, mashed and toasted around a skewer. Cut into pieces, they go into a pot of chicken broth with vegetables, the kiritanpo nabe, a typical dish of Akita.
When do you eat kiritanpo in Akita?
Mainly in autumn and winter, after the new rice harvest. The cities of Odate and Kazuno hold festivals dedicated to the dish.
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Beyond the guide
