July 30th is the Midsummer Day of the Ox in Japan. Now, “Midsummer” refers to the four days that mark the turn of the season between Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. But, in particular, the Midsummer Day of the Ox typically refers to the day in Summer that is 18 days before the beginning of Fall. It gets its name from the Chinese Zodiac. The 18 days before a new season begins may align differently with the Chinese Zodiac from year to year, so sometimes there are even two Midsummer Days of the Ox in one year. According to scholars of the Edo Period, Hiraga Gennai was approached by an Unagi chef, claiming “Unagi is what you eat to beat the Summer heat!” And this catchphrase lead to the custom where Japanese people now eat Unagi Kabayaki on the Midsummer Day of the Ox to combat fatigue caused by Summer heat. As such, its origins do not appear tied to special ceremonies or the like.
Did you know there are considerable differences between Kanto-style (Edo-style) and Kansai-style (Kamigata-style) Unagi Kabayaki? Firstly, the way the Unagi is sliced is not the same. In Kansai, the Unagi is cut into from its stomach, but in Kanto, it is cut into from its back. With most fish preparation, chefs typically cut into the fish from the belly, but Edo was a samurai town. Samurai had an aversion to cutting in from the belly (from its evocation of Harakiri -- or ritual suicide by impaling one’s own stomach), and therefore began cutting into the fish from the back despite it being more difficult. The way the Unagi is prepared also differs between the two regions. In Kansai, the Unagi is prepared right after being sliced with no alterations, but in Kanto the Unagi is first steamed, then grilled. There are many theories for this difference, a widely accepted one theorizes that Kansai Unagi was perhaps very large or dirty. As a side note, the prefectures of Aichi and Shizuoka appear to be the borderlines for these two different styles,
While the crisp skin of the Kansai-style preparation is delicious, I prefer the tender mouthfeel of the Kanto-style preparation. Various restaurants have their own “secret sauce” they’ve been using for generations for the Unagi served atop a generous bed of rice -- a dish called Unaju, plated inside of a traditional box. I cannot help but smile as I enjoy this delicacy, with yam powder sprinkled on top. Recently, naturally caught Unagi has become one of the utmost luxury ingredients, but there are also many delicious varieties of Unagi available domestically from Japanese fisheries.
Let us excitedly enjoy Unagi on the Midsummer Day of the Ox to bring a joyous end to a hot Summer!
Source: Tokyo College of Sushi and Washoku: The College Headmaster’s One-Dish Course Series.
http:///www.sushi-tokyo.jp/blog-headmaster/page/10
Photo source: Tokyo College of Sushi and Washoku: The College Headmaster’s One-Dish Course Series.