Ichigoni
What is Ichigo-ni?
Ichigoni
Ichigoni (いちご煮・いちごに) is a local and traditional dish eaten mainly in the Hachinohe area and along the Sanriku coast. It is known as Aomori’s local dish and Iwate’s local dish.
It is a soup dish made by boiling sea urchins, such as Ezo-bahun uni and Kitamura-saki uni, and abalone together in a broth (or water), seasoned simply with salt and a little soy sauce, and garnished with shredded shiso as a colourful garnish.
”Ichigo” is the Japanese word for strawberry, and “ni” means “to boil or simmer” in Japanese.
The reddish sea urchin floating in the soup is said to look like strawberries, hence the name “Ichigo ni”.
Sometimes whelks are used instead of abalone, and sometimes scallops are added.
It is said to have been served when entertaining important guests since ancient times. Together with senbei soup, it has been selected as one of Aomori Prefecture’s ‘100 local dishes of rural areas’.
