Hansuke Dofu

This dish simmers hansuke, the head of an eel, together with grilled tofu and green onion in dashi. The rich, deep broth released by the hansuke soaks into the tofu, and the small amount of meat still clinging to it is said to be part of the pleasure. It's said to appear even in a classic kamigata rakugo routine, a sign of how long it's been loved by ordinary people. One account holds that the name hansuke traces to a time when eel heads sold for 50 sen a basketful — half the price of a whole yen, or 'ensuke.'

Dashi goes into a clay pot along with grilled tofu and seasonings and is set over heat; once it boils, the hansuke is added, and green onion goes in last. The ingredients vary by household, and because hansuke can be hard to find these days, grilled eel is sometimes substituted, it's said. Even the little meat still clinging to the hansuke is said to be worth savoring, and the longer it simmers, the richer the broth is said to become.

In Osaka, eel is grilled with the head still attached, split open and basted, and the head is only cut off at the end, so the sauce-soaked hansuke has long been put to use as an inexpensive ingredient, it's said. Born of Osaka's shimatsu spirit of using every part without waste, even a piece that could easily be thrown away, the dish is said to have originated as a home-cooked staple. In recent years, fewer shops carry hansuke, so it's said to be made at home less often than it once was, though it's still said to be served at eel restaurants around the city.