Kirizai

Finely chopped pickled turnip greens, daikon and sesame seeds are mixed thoroughly into fermented soybeans, natto, for a simple, rustic dish. The sticky natto gains a burst of texture from the salty crunch of the pickled greens, making it the kind of thing that carries a bowl of rice through second and third helpings. Depending on the region or household, salmon roe, shaved tuna, mountain yam or mekabu seaweed, other sticky ingredients, sometimes join the mix.

Pickled turnip greens and daikon are finely minced and mixed thoroughly into well-stirred natto. Because the pickles already carry salt, little or no additional seasoning is used, letting the balance of ingredients alone set the flavor. It's eaten over rice or enjoyed on its own as a drinking snack, and the character of the dish shifts with whatever ingredients go into the mix.

In this land shut in by snow for long stretches, preserved foods like pickles and dried goods sustained daily life. In an era when meat and fish were scarce, natto was a precious source of protein, and finely chopping leftover pickles and vegetables to mix in is said to have stretched it further while wasting nothing. The dish grew out of everyday resourcefulness in making the most of what was close at hand.