Rice porridge - Rice porridge

Japanese: 雑炊 - ぞうすい

It is a type of grain cooking method that, in a broad sense, has existed since ancient times. At the Daijoe ceremony of the Heian period, the late-night meal served in the Akusha was duck porridge, and this form remains to this day. The seven-herb rice porridge served on the 7th of the New Year is of the Kanto style, while the Kansai style is miso porridge. Even today, old families in Kyoto make miso porridge under the name "fukuwakashi" on the 7th of the New Year. During the Muromachi period, the Ashikaga Shogunate made seven kinds of "misozu" as a celebratory meal. The archaic word for misozu is "omisouzu" in ladies' language, meaning porridge with miso added. "Ojiya" is also an old ladies' word. Originally, zosui was called konagaki, and was made by adding hot water to powdered grains and stirring them together, either as a supplementary meal or by adding herbs to it as a medicinal or healthy food. The characters for zosui refer to the process of adding vegetables, fish, shellfish, etc. to rice or grains, mixing them together, and then cooking them, but the characters for 'masu-sui' (adding water) were sometimes used to mean adding a lot of water.

The difference between porridge and zosui is that in the past, porridge was not seasoned with salt at all, while zosui could be seasoned with salt or seasoning as desired. Zosui has also been used since ancient times to conserve rice. Around the time of the end of the war in 1945 (Showa 20), zosui restaurants were opened to conserve rice. There are also many examples of zosui being used since ancient times to help the sick with digestion and absorption. In cold regions, zosui is eaten as a food to keep warm, and it is still made today as a luxury food. Some versions use chicken, eggs, oysters, sweetfish, scallops, chives, mozuku seaweed, corned beef, ham, sausage, etc.

[Tetsunosuke Tada]

How to make it

Rice porridge should be light and not sticky. Freshly cooked rice can be used as is, but cold rice can be used by placing it in a colander and shaking it in water before using, which will result in a light and smooth dish. The standard ratio of rice to broth is about 1 part rice to 2-3 parts soup stock. Bring the soup stock to a boil and add any hard ingredients at this point. Once softened, season with sake, salt, soy sauce, miso, etc., and then add the rice. If it is boiled for too long it will become sticky, so remove from heat when the rice is just hot.

[Tomomi Kono]

Local cuisine

Various types of porridge are made in different regions.

(1) Ayu porridge In Gifu Prefecture, there is a type of porridge that uses sweetfish caught in the Nagara River. It is made from rice. The rice and dashi are combined and heated. When the rice is almost done, the sweetfish are added whole, and once cooked, the bones are quickly removed, the fish is seasoned with salt and soy sauce, and chopped spring onions are sprinkled on top. In Tokushima Prefecture, sweetfish are also used whole, but it is seasoned with red miso. Onions, eggplants, and other ingredients are used. Sweetfish caught in the Yoshino River and Naka River are used.

(2) Aosa Zosui (rice porridge) This porridge is made with a type of seaweed called aosa, which is found in the rivers of Ehime Prefecture. It is a vibrant green porridge made with thinly sliced carrots, burdock, shiitake mushrooms, satsumaage (fried tofu), and mochi (rice cakes), with aosa added just before the porridge is finished.

(3) Fuuchiba Boroboro Jushi "Fuchiba" is mugwort, and is a type of porridge unique to Okinawa Prefecture. Stock, rice or cooked rice, mugwort whose tips have been picked and thoroughly washed, and pork belly cut into strips are added to a pot, and the mixture is simmered slowly over low heat for about an hour, and finally seasoned with salt, soy sauce, and sake.

[Tomomi Kono]

Folklore

Depending on the region, it is called Ojiya, Iremeshi, Nimaze, Mizumashi, etc., and is generally considered a way of eating to postpone eating. However, in the Kyushu region, it is said that if a seven-year-old child receives and eats Nanakusa-zushi (rice porridge) from seven houses on January 7th, he or she will live a long life, and in the Chubu region, there is a custom of collecting offerings to the spirits during O-bon, called Tsujimeshi and Kawarameshi, and children eat it as rice porridge at crossroads or riverbanks. Like New Year's zoni, both of these indicate that it was a special way of eating for gods and humans together, where offerings to gods and Buddhas were boiled together and eaten by humans. In the Okinawa region, it is called "Juushi" (a corrupted version of zosui), and although it has a slightly watery content, it is considered a delicacy.

[Kamata Hisako]

[Reference] | Porridge

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

穀物調理法の一種で、広義にみると太古の時代から存在した。平安朝の大嘗会(だいじょうえ)では、幄舎(あくしゃ)で給する深夜会食は鴨(かも)雑炊であり、この形態はいまも残っている。正月7日の七草粥(ななくさがゆ)は関東型のもので、関西型のそれはみそ雑炊である。いまでも京都の旧家などでは、正月7日に「ふくわかし」の名でみそ雑炊をつくっている。室町時代、足利(あしかが)将軍家では7種の「みそうず」をつくり、祝い膳(ぜん)とした。みそうずという古語は女房ことばでは「おみそうず」といい、みそを加えた雑炊の意である。「おじや」も昔の女房ことばである。元来、雑炊は糝(こながき)といい、穀類の粉末に熱湯を加えてかき混ぜ、補食にするか、またはこれに薬草などを加えて薬用食、健康食としたのである。雑炊の文字は、野菜、魚貝類などを米や穀類に加えて混ぜ合わせ、炊き上げるものの意であるが、水を多く加える意で、増水の文字を用いることもあった。

　粥(かゆ)と雑炊の区別は、古くは粥は全然塩味を加えないもので、雑炊は適当に塩味や調味をしていいことになっている。昔から節米のために雑炊を用いたこともある。1945年（昭和20）の終戦前後にも節米のために、雑炊食堂が開かれた。また、病弱者の消化吸収に役だつために、雑炊を用いることは古来その実例が多い。寒い地方では保温食としての雑炊があるし、嗜好(しこう)食としての雑炊はいまもつくられている。鶏肉、卵、カキ、アユ、貝柱、ニラ、モズクや、コンビーフ、ハム、ソーセージなどを用いたものもある。

［多田鉄之助］

作り方

雑炊はさらっと仕上げ、粘らさないことである。炊きたてのご飯はそのまま用いるが、冷やご飯はざるに入れて、水の中で振り洗いして用いると、さらりと仕上がる。ご飯とだし汁の割合は1対2～3くらいが標準である。だし汁を煮立て、堅い具はここで入れ、柔らかくしてから酒、塩、しょうゆ、みそなどで調味し、ご飯を加える。長く煮すぎると粘りが出るので、ご飯が熱くなる程度で火からおろす。

［河野友美］

郷土料理

各地でいろいろな雑炊がつくられている。

(1)あゆ雑炊　岐阜県には長良川(ながらがわ)でとれるアユを使った雑炊がある。これは米からつくる。米とだしをあわせて火にかける。ほぼ炊きあがったころアユを姿のまま加え、火が通ったらアユの骨をすっと除き、塩、しょうゆで調味し、ネギのみじん切りを散らす。徳島県の雑炊もアユは姿のまま使うが、赤みそ仕立てにする。具にはタマネギ、ナスなどが用いられる。吉野川や那賀川(なかがわ)でとれるアユが使われる。

(2)あおさ雑炊　愛媛県の川でとれる藻類の一種アオサを用いた雑炊。細く切ったニンジン、ゴボウ、シイタケ、薩摩揚(さつまあ)げなど、それに餅(もち)も加えた中に、仕上がりぎわにアオサを入れた緑色の鮮やかな雑炊である。

(3)ふーちばーぼろぼろじゅーしー　「ふーちばー」とはヨモギのことで、沖縄県独特の雑炊。鍋(なべ)に、だし、米あるいはご飯、葉先を摘み取ってよくもみ洗いしたヨモギ、ゆでて短冊に切った豚三枚肉を入れ、弱火で約1時間ゆっくりと煮て、最後に塩、しょうゆ、酒で味をととのえる。

［河野友美］

民俗

地方によってオジヤ、イレメシ、ニマゼ、ミズマシなどともいい、一般には食い延ばしの食法とされている。しかし九州地方では、1月7日、7歳の子供は7軒の家から七草ズシ（雑炊）をもらって食べると長生きするといったり、また、中部地方では、盆にツジメシ、カワラメシといって、精霊に供えた供物を集め、子供たちが辻(つじ)や川原で雑炊にして食べる習俗がある。いずれも正月の雑煮と同じく、神仏への供物をいっしょに煮て人間も食べる、神人共食のハレの食法であったことを示すものである。沖縄地方では「じゅーしー」（雑炊の訛言(かげん)）といい、水分の多少はあるが、御馳走(ごちそう)の一つとされている。

［鎌田久子］

[参照項目] | 粥

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