Fermented & preserved
Mikawa mirin
the mirin brewing heartland of coastal Aichi
A mirin-brewing region centered on Hekinan, Aichi, favored since the Edo period by a climate suited to fermentation and easy access to sea transport. It is said to have begun when leftover sake lees were distilled into shochu, used to brew mirin, and shipped to Edo, where it spread.
- Origin: Aichi Hekinan
- About 270 km west of Tokyo
Lineage
What it's made of
Said to be notably rich and deeply sweet even among hon-mirin styles, with a faint aroma carried over from sake lees. Alongside the sweetness of glutinous rice, brewing it with shochu distilled from sake lees gives it a particular character, one said to show its worth in dishes like unagi glaze, where both sheen and deep richness are wanted at once.
How it's made
Glutinous rice and rice koji are combined with shochu distilled from leftover sake lees, rather than ordinary shochu — a distinction said to be behind its particular aroma and richness. Long, slow aging in the region's mild, coastal climate is credited with developing its mellow sweetness.
Why it took this shape
Hekinan, Aichi — favored by a climate suited to fermentation and easy access to sea transport — is said to be a mirin-brewing region dating to the Edo period. It's said to have begun with brewers using shochu distilled from otherwise-wasted sake lees, then shipping the mirin by sea to Edo, where it spread; the resourceful use of a leftover byproduct is credited with shaping this region's particular character.
Dishes in the same style
- Achara ZukeWhite melon, eggplant, and lotus root are pickled in a sweet vinegar spiked with red chili — the name is said to trace to the Portuguese 'achar', carried in through Hakata Bay's old trade, and an odd number of vegetables is used for Obon hospitality.
- AhodakiOld takuan pickle, once its flavor and aroma have faded, is desalted and simmered again in soy sauce, a pantry staple from the Hokusei area. Its name — playfully self-deprecating, roughly "doing a foolish thing" — nods to eating it well past its prime, a frugal way to waste nothing.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Also from Aichi
- Funa MisoCrucian carp is simmered slowly with soybeans for around five hours, then finished in a sauce of red miso and coarse sugar. A freshwater fish dish of the Kiso rivers' lower basin, made with fatty winter carp simmered until the bones soften through.
- Gohei MochiFreshly cooked non-glutinous rice is pounded, pressed flat on a skewer, and grilled with a miso glaze. Said to have originated in the mountainous Chubu region, it's traditionally made the night before a festival praying for safety in mountain work.
- Aichi HakozushiVinegared rice is packed into a wooden frame, topped with shrimp, eel, shiitake, and egg arranged diagonally, and pressed. Placing toppings on the diagonal so everyone gets a fair share of each is said to be a feature of the Owari and western Mikawa style, made for celebrations.
- Hebo MeshiAdult and larval giant hornets are simmered sweet and savory, then folded into freshly cooked rice. Said to have served as a prized protein source across the mountains from Shinshu to Okumikawa, it's now more often served as a treat for guests.
- Iga ManjuSweet bean paste is wrapped in rice flour dough, then coated with dyed sticky rice grains. One account ties the name to the grains' resemblance to a chestnut's spiny husk, and in the western Mikawa region it's said to be offered to Hina dolls at the Doll Festival.
- Aichi Miso OdenA pot of sweet red miso sits in the center of the simmering pot, and daikon, tofu, and other ingredients simmered in dashi are dipped into it before eating. While soy-based Kanto-style oden spread in Edo, Aichi is said to have settled on dipping in soybean miso instead.