Butadon

In short

Pigs in Tokachi

Pig farming began in the Tokachi area around the end of the Meiji period, and pork has been a familiar food there since. Obihiro, in a district where pig farming was active, is said to be the birthplace of butadon.

Why pork instead of eel

Butadon is said to have begun in the early Showa period at a dining hall in Obihiro, where someone made a bowl of charcoal-grilled pork with a sauce like the one for grilled eel.

At first, the cook saw farmers and pioneers working hard in the sweat and wanted to serve them a stamina dish. The plan was to use eel, but eel was expensive and hard to get. So the cook turned to pork. Pig farming was active in Tokachi at the time, and pork was close at hand and easy to get.

How it is made

Loin or belly pork is mostly used. The pork is cooked in a frying pan, then coated with a sauce of sugar and soy sauce. The topping is usually thin shreds of white onion, and sometimes green peas.

Apart from the garnish, nothing extra goes in, so it is a very simple dish. Grilling over charcoal makes it more fragrant.

A dish known across Japan

It is a home dish in Tokachi, eaten by all ages through the year, and served widely in restaurants there. Food makers sell butadon sauce in supermarkets.

In recent years it has drawn attention as a local gourmet dish, and people come from all over Japan. A Hokkaido food maker made February 10 “Butadon Day,” because 2 can be read as “bu(ta)” and 10 as “don.”

Think about it

• Q1Eel was too expensive, so the cook chose pork. When have you found a cheaper way to make something special?
• Q2What does a dish with so few ingredients show about its sauce?
• Q3February 10 is read “bu-ta-don.” Can you make a date pun in your language?

There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.