The love for tyankonabe has not only gastronomic character, but it is inseparably associated with Sumo fight which is the Japanese national honor.

Sumo is one of the oldest types of fights of super heavyweight men, called sumotori. It is considered that one of the main victory factors is body's weight: the bigger sumotori is the stronger he is. Here you can not do without delicious food in large volumes.

Traditionally, the main sumotori's food is tyankonabe - high-caloric soup, the ingredients of which can be any products in any proportions. Many sumo schools and famous wrestlers have their own branded recipes, which are kept secret of course.

foto by "Nipponia" magazine

Tyanko is prepared in a special pot or better in a crock, which is placed on a gas-stove's single burner right in the middle of the table. A base for the broth - soy sauce, soybean paste, sweet sake, chicken bones, garlic, ginger, ginger oil, brown algae and tuna flakes - is put into boiling water. After that meat and seafood are added. By the way, during competitions preference is given to poultry meat rather than beef and pork. In the end mushrooms, tofu, sea kale, vegetables (onion, eggplant, Chinese cabbage, daikon, konnyaku, carrot, spinach) are added to the broth. The soup is seasoned with eggs, noodles and rice flat cakes. Ingredients of the soup are taken by chopsticks and washed down by the broth.

foto by "Nipponia" magazine

An athlete eats no less then 1 kilogram of tyankonabe and no less then half a kilogram of rice a day. In order to make an athlete feel hungry, he is forced to keep to a special day's regime. After waking at dawn hard five-hour training starts. Only after that sumotori is allowed to have breakfast. Having gained good appetite, the athlete eats without any restrictions. The second mealtime takes place in the evening after training as well. In order the meal spread in the body in the right way nap in the afternoon is necessary. Such a regime makes a body accumulate fat deposits, developing muscle bulk at the same time. However, in spite of a huge weight, sumo athletes keep extreme dexterity and flexibility. Tyankonabe is eaten every day, but the soup doesn't pall. Ingredients and species can be changed to reach the diversity of tastes.

One of popular tynkonabe recipes:

Tyankonabe with miso and seafood
1/2 crab
8 shrimps
8 bay scallops
1/4 head Chinese cabbage
1/3 bunch spinach
1 leek
1 package mushrooms
3-4 tbsp miso
A
4 cups dashi
2 tbsp sake

Preparation:
1. Peel shrimps, crab and bay scallop.
2. Roll boiled Chinese cabbage and spinach. Slice leek and shirataki. Clean mushrooms shimeji.
3. Boil A and add miso.
4. Add all ingredients to the soup.

Not only sumotori eat Tyankonabe with pleasure. Restaurant tyankonabe doesn't differ from the domestic one: the same stove in the middle of a table, and the same variety of ingredients. If you have a chance to visit Japan, you should definitely drop in such a restaurant, where you can enjoy the taste of the delicious meal and dive into an unforgettable atmosphere following its preparation.

Below you will find the list of the addresses of the most well known restaurants in Tokyo, where you can try tyankonabe.

"Tomoegata"

"Tomoegata" is a restaurant specializing in preparing tyankonabe. It is situated in Ryogoku, the real sumo culture's cradle. It was built by Tomozuna, the teacher of sumo in the ninth generation, and called in honor of the great ex-champion Tomoegata.

"Kappo Yoshiba"

There is a real Doha in the middle of the restaurant, where a group of "Miyagino" trains under the supervision of sumo athlete Yoshibayama. You will have an opportunity to listen to national songs sumojinku. Sumo competitions used to be backed by these songs in the past. Here waiters will offer you two kinds of tyankonabe, one with the taste of soy paste and another one with soy sauce. You will be able to taste other dishes made of seafood and fish that are quite popular here

"Tyanko Momotaro"

There are 7 kinds of tyanko on the restaurant's menu, each of which is tasty in its own way and is prepared differently. Thus, "yokozuna tyanko" includes 20 different ingredients, which are chicken meat, kinkan, chopped meat, crabmeat, seashells etc.

"Tyanko Tomoji"

The restaurant was founded more than 30 years ago. Apart from tyanko, here you can try other Japanese dishes like sashimi, yakimono and others. But only here you can try tyanko with the taste of soybean paste and pondzu. And in winter you'll be warmed up with the help of "fugu tyanko" made of fugu fish.

"Sumojaya Yokozuna"

The restaurant was opened in 1985 by one of the most famous and titled sumo athlete's wife. By the way, the sumo athlete's family moved to Tokyo from Kyoto. This is the reason why restaurant's dishes have sweet taste, typical of Kyoto's dishes.

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