Japanese cuisine: beat the summer heat with unagi!
Posted: July 20, 2009 | Author: Doug | Filed under: Cooking, Japan | 3 Comments »There’s a common belief in Japanese culture that during the hot summer season, one can get relief from the summer heat and increase stamina by eating a kind of freshwater eel called unagi (うなぎ):
According to my cultural guidebook, the tradition began with a fellow by the name of Hiraga Gennai who was a kind of renaissance-man in Edo-Period Japan. The story goes that a local eel-seller in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) came to Hiraga because he wanted to increase slumping sales during the hot summer period. Hiraga made him a sign to present at his shop advertising that “Today is Day of U“.
Apparently, this was a Japanese pun. According to the book, in ancient Chinese thought, the year would be divided into the five elements: earth, fire, water, wood and metal. Wood for spring, fire for summer, water for winter and metal for fall. But earth was assigned to a special 18-day period at the end of each season called doyō (土曜, Day of earth). Obviously there were four such doyō periods, and the most famous of these began around July 20th during the hottest days of the year, which were traditionally assigned to the zodiac sign of the Ox. So in the olden days, the Ox, or ushi (丑) was synonymous with the summer heat.
Since unagi also starts with the Japanese letter “u” (う), Hiraga tried to draw a connection between the two. Other foods eaten around this time traditionally to improve stamina in the heat are freshwater clams, mochi rice cakes and eggs, however unagi is by far the most popular. The book also implies that the vitamin B content in unagi may actually help with fatigue and lack of appetite, so there may be some truth to it, but the true origins are a clever word-play by Mr. Hiraga to help a friend generate some business. 
P.S. I’ve tried unagi only once in Seattle and didn’t like it much. My wife’s family insists that it’s much better in Japan due to freshness and such. Given the Wikipedia’s article explaining the drastic decline in eel population, I probably will pass for now.
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If you learn of any diet items that help one deal with the heat (and humidity!), please let me know. I would even eat unagi!
Unagi is one of those foods that generous Japanese would enjoy buying as a special treat for foreigners (sukiyaki is another example). So I have had it a few times, and mostly all I can taste is the sauce, which is kinda savory/sweet. The underside is the skin side, so it looks a bit shiny and disturbing, so I recommend not turning it over. It is often served with clear soup with a roasted eel liver in it. That will put a point on your pencil! Lately there has been lots of cheap unagi around–I don’t know why. So the image is not as luxurious as it used to be.
Some people like to eat other foods that start with u during this period, like udon–thick white flour noodles, often served cool, drained on a slotted tray, to be dipped in a salty sauce. I like gomadare, which is a thick sauce made from sesame seeds. Umai!
Regards,
JL
@Arun: The only time I ever spent in a tropical environment was in Vietnam year ago, and the only way I could beat the heat was to drink water almost constantly. At first, I sweated a lot, but somehow my body achieved some kind of equilibrium where it used the water I drank more efficiently and that helped a lot. I could spot the recently arrived tourists by their profuse sweating while I somehow got used to it. :-/
@Johnl: Good to know. I definitely don’t find eel very appetizing in general, especially when I see them on skewers in Japan. That’s just a bit much for me. My wife’s family sometimes eats a whole baked fish too, head and all. That always makes me a bit nauseus. I am not as much as a meat-lover as I used to be (though not a vegetarian either), so I don’t like being reminded I am eating a dead animal, I guess. At the same time, I am not picky either and will definitely eat whatever’s served.