Liver soup - Kimosui

It is used to mean that the liver is used as the main ingredient in a soup, but simply "kimo-sui" means that the liver and stomach of an eel are combined and used as the main ingredient in a soup. The long and slender stomach of an eel is generally considered to be the liver, but the liver is attached to it as well. In the past, when eating wild eel liver soup, people would scrape it off with the tips of their chopsticks or bite into it lightly with their front teeth to check if the fishing hook was still there, but nowadays most eels are farmed so there is no need to worry about that. Kimo-sui made with chicken liver or gizzard (gizzard) as the main ingredient in a soup is also called "kimo-sui," but in many cases other parts of the chicken are also added, so it is not called "tori no kimo-sui."

[Tetsunosuke Tada]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

肝臓を吸い物の実にした意に用いるが、単に肝吸いというと、ウナギの肝臓と胃とをいっしょにしたものを吸い物の実にしたもの。細長いウナギの胃を一般に肝臓とみているが、そこに肝臓もいっしょについている。以前、天然ウナギの肝吸いを食べるときは、箸(はし)の先でこそげるか前歯でちょっとかんでみて、釣り針が残っていないか調べたものだが、現在はほとんど養殖ウナギなのでその心配はない。鶏(とり)の肝臓あるいは砂肝(すなぎも)（筋胃）を吸い物の種(たね)にしたものも肝吸いではあるが、これには鶏のほかの部分もいっしょに入れる場合が多く、鶏の肝吸いとはいわない。

［多田鉄之助］

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