Nikujaga Explained
is a Japanese dish of meat, potatoes, and onions stewed in dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar, sometimes with ito konnyaku and vegetables like carrots.[1] Nikujaga is a kind of nimono. It is usually boiled until most of the liquid has been reduced.[2] Thinly sliced beef is the most common meat used, although minced or ground beef is also popular.[3] Pork is often used instead of beef in eastern Japan.
Nikujaga is a common home-cooked winter dish, served with a bowl of white rice and miso soup. It is also sometimes seen in izakayas.
History
Nikujaga was invented by chefs of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the late 19th century.[1]
One story is that in 1895, Tōgō Heihachirō ordered naval cooks to create a version of the beef stews as served in the British Royal Navy. Tōgō was stationed in Maizuru, Kyoto, which established this Imperial Japanese Navy base as the birthplace of nikujaga.[4]
The municipal government of Kure, Hiroshima, responded in 1898 with a competing claim that Tōgō commissioned the dish while serving as chief of staff of the Kure naval base.[5]
See also
External links
Notes and References
- Encyclopedia: Dijitaru Daijisen . 肉ジャガ . 2012-08-27 . 2012 . Shogakukan . Tokyo . ja . Nikujaga . 56431036 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070825113418/http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ . August 25, 2007 .
- Web site: 肉じゃがのレシピ｜キユーピー3分クッキング. 日本テレビ. 2015-10-31. ja.
- Web site: ★激論★ 肉じゃがといえば、豚か、牛か! それとも何か!? クックパッド. クックパッド. 2015-10-31.
- Asami Nagai, "Cities claim signature dishes cooked up in navy galleys", Yomiuri Shimbun, 5 February 2000. Retrieved on 2009-03-24. "As it happens, Togo had studied naval science in Britain from 1871 to 1878, so Shimizu reasoned he must have eaten beef stew occasionally. 'We concocted a story that Togo ordered the cooks to fix something similar to beef stew,' he said." In fact, beef stews were already known before that time in Japan.
- Asami Nagai, "Cities claim signature dishes cooked up in navy galleys", Yomiuri Shimbun, 5 February 2000. Retrieved on 2009-03-24. "City assembly members believed Togo was stationed at the Kure naval base from May 1890 to December 1891, and theorized that he likely introduced nikujaga to the navy diet at that time to prevent vitamin B deficiency."
