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In the far north of Japan's main island of Honshu is located the attractive prefecture of deep lakes and rugged mountains known as Akita. Among the many mountains that do much to determine the character of this prefecture, the most majestic is Mount Chokai. Its graceful cone shape reminiscent of the famed volcano further to the south, Mount Chokai is often called Dewa-Fuji - the Fuji of Akita.
With its mountainous terrain and proximity to the Sea of Japan, across which the winds blow straight in from Siberia, Akita comes in for some long, hard winters. During the cold part of the year, the great focus of traditional family life is the irori, the square hearth built into the floor of old farmhouses. It is over the charcoal fire of the irori that Akita's best-known dish - kiritanpo - is traditionally made. Kiritanpo consists of pounded rice
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shaped around skewers and grilled before being added to a casserole with such vegetables as maitake mushrooms and leeks. Also popular in Akita is hatahata, or sandfish, which is especially plentiful in Akita and Yamagata prefectures. Hatahata is variously prepared, but many prefer grilling as the best way of bringing out the flavor of the fish.
For the food of Akita Prefecture, there is quite simply no better accompaniment than the local sake. Akita prides itself on producing some of the best sake in the country, and here a fine local brand is Tenju, a brewery that has been in operation since 1874. Combining the first-class water that originates on Mount Chokai with the high-quality rice it grows itself, Tenju produces a sake that has won many awards. And a taste of this exquisite sake, with its light top flavor and rich base, makes it easy to understand just how those awards were won. |
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