Chikuwa Tempura, Black Holes, and Rice Balls with Coins.

[252 Rice Balls] Mogami (Nishi-Nippori) Chikuwa Tempura

Chi-ku-wa! Yes, that hollow chikuwa is the filling for this rice ball. You might think it's quite rare, but...
From medieval ruins about 1,000 years ago, a surprising filling with a hole in it, just like chikuwa, was discovered.
That filling is...

A coin!
Yes, money. The kind Zenigata Heiji throws.

Believe it or not, it seems that rice balls with coins embedded in them have been unearthed from medieval Japanese ruins.

I went to the city library to study the history of rice balls. The book I found there was 'A Cultural History of Onigiri.' It's an impressive book supervised by the Yokohama History Museum, and it contains all sorts of interesting things.

It seems this museum has held exhibitions on ancient rice balls several times (this book is a compilation of those exhibitions and research), and they have also posted detailed information about them on the museum's blog.

Among those exhibits, there was also a rice ball containing a coin.

Take a look.
(The photo is borrowed from the museum's blog.)

There's really a coin in it!!!
It doesn't seem like they were actually doing the 'Echigoya, you're a villain too' routine, but what could it have been used for?

With the discovery of this coin-filled rice ball, it can be inferred that rice balls at the time also had fillings.

I've been introducing various rice balls as part of my 1,000-day challenge, but it seems I've also ended up introducing rice balls from 1,000 years ago (lol).

Let's return to the chikuwa.

'Mogami,' which moved near Nishi-Nippori Station.
It's a rice ball shop that has been loved by the locals for a long time.

I'm happy that there are many hearty fillings like sausages, shrimp tempura, fried chicken, and ginger pork.

Among them, there's even chikuwa tempura!

This is the chikuwa tempura rice ball!
(The background is a PC screen showing cherry blossoms at Hirosaki Castle. How festive~)

It's voluminous and looks delicious.

When I took a little bite, it wasn't a coin with a hole in it that came out, but chikuwa!

Why is chikuwa so good when it's fried?
The flavor of the chikuwa is amplified by the heat, and it transfers to the tempura batter.
Furthermore, that batter combines with the sweet sauce and clings to the rice.

Truly, a rice ball black hole!
What I saw through the hole in the chikuwa was the magnificent history and endless expanse of the rice ball.

Thank you for the meal!

How about another serving of rice balls from the future?

#Diary #Essay #Gourmet #RiceBall #Onigiri #WhatIs #DailyUpdate #1000DayChallenge
#ThingsIBoughtThatWereGood #HowToContinueNote #Ruins #BlackHole