Enjoy a taste of Ainu cuisine from the Saru River region.
This recipe has been handed down over generations and adapted to contemporary tastes by members of the Biratori Ainu Culture Preservation Association and the Ainu Cultural Environment Conservation Research Office in Biratori.
The cuisine of the Ainu, an indigenous people of northern Japan, is distinct from other parts of the Japanese archipelago. Its key ingredients are local game and fish such as deer and salmon, seasonal wild plants foraged in the mountains as well as various millets and root vegetables obtained through farming.
The key to securing an independent and sustainable food supply for the Ainu community includes maintaining the biodiversity of the forests. Protecting this environment ensures a source of food for the local inhabitants while also supporting habitats for local animals. One of the fundamental etiquettes of Ainu food culture is to only take what you need and, when harvesting mountain vegetables, to ensure that the roots remain. Learn more about Ainu food and cuisine.
Glutinous millet (Panicum miliaceum) is called sipuskep (lit. ‘bursting by itself’) because the ears of the millet burst and fly away if they are not harvested as soon as they appear in autumn. There are two types of sipuskep. Nitne sipuskep (hard millet) is the type that is usually cooked and eaten like rice and is also called inkikunne sipuskep (black millet) due to its dark outer husks. The second is the soft and sticky riten sipuskep (soft millet) which is milled for making dumplings. This is also called hure sipuskep due to its reddish husks.
Kayano Shigeru, from The Material Culture of the Ainu
Ingredients
Serves 4
100g siamamko rice flour
100g sipuskep glutinous millet (Panicum miliaceum), milled
A gallery of 1 item.
Preparation: milling the sipuskep
1. Wash the sipuskep with water to remove any dirt. Soak in water for two hours, then drain in a colander for 30 minutes.
2. Dry the sipsukep in a dehydrator, or spread on a baking sheet and dry in an oven at low temperature.
3. Mill the dried sipuskep and sieve. Store the milled sipuskep in the refrigerator if using the next day.
Method
A gallery of 2 items.
A gallery of 2 items.
A gallery of 2 items.
Recipe courtesy of the Ainu Cultural Environment Conservation Research Office, Ainu Policy Promotion Section, Biratori Town Office.
Photography: Ogawa Masaki.
This recipe was made possible with thanks to the guidance and generosity of Oikawa Naomi together with Kimura Hiromi, Kimura Manami and Nagano Tamaki of the Biratori Ainu Culture Preservation Association.