Steamer - Koshiki

A steamer for grains and the like. A hole is made in the bottom of a bowl- or jar-shaped vessel through which steam from the vessel below can escape, and a bamboo mat or linen cloth is placed inside, with a lid on to steam the food. It was also seen in pottery from the Yayoi period, but in the 5th century, large earthen steamers with horn-shaped handles were introduced via southern Korea and used in combination with earthen kettles and hearths. Yamanoue Okura wrote the following poem: "No fire was rising from the hearth, and spider webs were building in the steamer, so I forgot to cook rice." In the steamer, rice is steamed to make "kowameshi" (hard rice), the steamed rice is dried to make "hoishii" (dried rice), and pounded with a pestle to make "mochi" (rice cakes). Millet is steamed and then pounded to remove the husks and make rice. It is also used to steam dumplings and chimaki (rice dumplings), and in sake and miso brewing. During the Heian period, curved steamers appeared, which later became barrel steamers, and in the Edo period, steamer baskets were developed.

[Tadashi Kinoshita]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

穀物などの蒸し器。鉢形または甕(かめ)形の器の底に、下の器から沸いた湯気をあげる穴をあけ、中に簀子(すのこ)や麻布を敷き、蓋(ふた)をして食物を蒸す。弥生(やよい)時代の土器にもみられたが、5世紀のころ、朝鮮南部を経て角(つの)状の把手(とって)のある大型の土製の甑が伝来し、土製の釜や竈(かまど)と組み合わせて使用された。山上憶良(やまのうえのおくら)は、「竈(かまど)には火気(けぶり)ふき立てず甑には蜘蛛(くも)の巣かきて、飯炊(いいかし)ぐ事も忘れて」と詠んでいる。甑では米を蒸して強飯(こわめし)、蒸し米を干して糒(ほしいい)、杵(きね)で搗(つ)いて餅(もち)をつくる。稗(ひえ)は蒸してから搗いて殻を除き飯にする。そのほか、団子、ちまきを蒸すとか、酒造やみそづくりにも用いられる。平安時代に曲物(まげもの)の甑が出現し、のちに桶(おけ)の甑となり、江戸時代には蒸籠(せいろう)の発達をみた。

［木下　忠］

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