Summer in Japan is very hot (the temperature reaches 35-36°C) with high humidity. The Japanese believe that it is possible to bear unendurable heat and not loose activity eating food that is rich in nutrients. Eel (unagi) takes the first place among such dishes. Unagi contains a lot of protein, calcium, vitamin A, B1, B2, D and E. During the hottest summer period which lasts from the end of July till the beginning of August one could eat grilled eels in many traditional Japanese cafes and snack bars.


There is a legend of origin of this annual cookery action. On one hot summer day of the Edo period an owner of unagi tavern complained to the famous scientist Hiragi Gennai (1729-1780) that because of the heat his tavern suffered losses. The scientist advised that he write a large advertisement with the text "Today is the Ox Day, the day of eating unagi!" and hang it out at the entrance. It is said there was no end to visitors after that.

In Japan since old times twelve signs of the zodiac were used to mark time. They are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. As the advertisement contained text about "Doyo Ushi no Hi" (the Ox day of the hottest period) the Japanese have been eaten unagi on the same day. With approaching of this day chefs grill unagi at the entrance of fishy snack bars and loudly call for visitors to enter. Thanks to this, the Japanese feel the power of hot summer in full measure. By the way people eat about one billion eels a year all over the world and the Japanese account for half of them (500 millions). Thus it has become a custom with the Japanese to eat hot unagi, sweating on a hot summer day to recreate.

We offer you an easy way to cook eel.

Unagi:
First of all you need to prepare "tare" sauce. Mix soy sauce (350 ml) with a small amount of sake and sugar and boil thoroughly. Cut fish longwise, clean it and unfold it into the shape of plate. Grill unagi holding it with metal or bamboo skewers and pouring with cooled "tare" sauce. As a result fillet will be not just tasty but beautiful: fleshy and soft inside and covered with crispy crust. Unagi is served on boiled rice.

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