From the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | |
| Taro, with skin | 500 g |
| Block konnyaku | 1/2 piece |
| Beef (a fatty cut) | 150 g |
| Long onion | 1 |
| Seasonings and liquids | |
| Soy sauce | 4 tablespoons |
| Sugar | 1 1/2 tablespoons |
| Sake | 3 tablespoons |
| Water | 800 cc |
The start of imoni is old, perhaps the middle of the 1600s. At that time, the area around Nagasaki in Nakayama Town was the end of the Mogami River boat route, where goods carried from the Kamigata region by way of Sakata were received.
There was no way to tell people that a boat had arrived, so the boatmen sometimes waited for days until the person who would receive the cargo appeared. To pass the time, they held parties on the riverbank around a pot.
Near the landing, the village of Oshio was a famous place for taro. The boatmen cooked the taro with dried cod from their cargo, and this is said to be the root of imoni today. Beef began to be used from around the beginning of the Showa period.
Imoni is eaten most from autumn to winter, when taro is harvested. At an imoni-kai, people carry a pot and ingredients to the riverbank and cook with family and friends, or cook outdoors after a sports day or a local event. Families also make it at home.
In Yamagata Prefecture, the imoni-kai is one of the yearly events, along with New Year and year-end parties. In the season, supermarkets and convenience stores sell the ingredients, and renting a set with a pot, firewood and a mat is common.
The basic ingredients are taro, beef, konnyaku and green onion, but the taste and ingredients differ by region and home, which is part of the fun.
The biggest difference is in the Shonai region on the Sea of Japan side, where pork is used instead of beef, with fried tofu, konnyaku and green onion, and a miso base to suit the pork. In the inland areas, imoni is made with beef and soy sauce.
In the Mogami area, wild vegetables and mushrooms are added. In the Okitama area, some add large pieces of firm tofu and a hint of miso. Adding udon noodles at the end has become common, and some even add curry roux.
In mid-September, the “Nippon-ichi no Imoni-kai Festival” is held on the riverbed in Yamagata City. A giant pot 6.5 m across is used, and the stew is stirred by a new, large shovel car.
Imoni is also served in inns and restaurants, and in school lunches. Some restaurants offer imoni soba or imoni ramen, and food makers sell retort-pack imoni.
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.