Preserving and Promoting
Tsuruoka’s Gastronomy
Cultural preservation comes in a variety of forms – passing down local food traditions from one generation to the next is one method of doing so. Rather than simply introducing local ingredients and dishes, we believe that it is also important to hear the story behind each ingredient from farmers, fishermen, and chefs. By listening to them speak about the ingredients they work with on a daily basis, we discover not only the charm of these precious items, but also a sense of how working with food has impacted the lives of local residents from past to present.
TSURUOKA HOMEMADE FOOD
COOKING WORKSHOP
Culinary knowledge has been carefully handed down from mothers to daughters in every household in Tsuruoka. However, with modern-day changes to family structures and lifestyles, younger generations are less inclined to learn about and make traditional food. To rekindle their interest in local foods, we have started holding hands-on workshops about traditional dishes and how to make them.
Past Workshops
2020
・Have you began preparing for spring? ~Peach festival~ (8th workshop)
・Making good use of preserved food in winter (7th workshop)
2019
・Importance of passing down local traditional festive foods (6th workshop)
・Tastes of autumn shores (5th workshop)
・Tastes the deliciousness from summer shores (4th workshop)
・Seasonal summer vegetables (3rd workshop)
・Learn about mountain's blessing "Spring's wild vegetables" (1st workshop)
CASUAL HOME COOKING CHAT WITH GRANDMA
This series of workshops, titled, Casual Home Cooking Chat with Grandma (Baba gottsuo zadankai), was launched in 2016. These workshops are held in classrooms close to where the guest “grandmother” for the day lives, allowing participants to experience her local climate while tasting food that reminds them of home. From each woman’s way of life to the ingredients used in her cooking, these workshops allow participants to learn about the culinary quirks of the various areas in Tsuruoka.
Since its conception, this workshop has travelled to various regions in Tsuruoka:
・Atsumi and Nezugaseki
・Fujishima and Tōei
・Asahi and Ōami
PICKLES BY GRANDMA
Abazuke, or “grandma’s pickles” in our local Shōnai dialect, is an initiative that was restarted in 2015 with the cooperation of an inn owner in the Yutagawa Hot Spring Resort and a turnip farmer in Fujisawa. Participants can learn how to make pickles out of heirloom crops from professionals from the comfort of their own homes.