Hittsumi: Hot Dumpling Soup From Tono, Iwate

The taste of homemade cooking in Tono, Iwate is a hot soup bowl with a gentle and mild taste. Iwate prefecture is located in the northern part of Honshu Island. Because it is located in the coastal area, it is famous for fishery. Tono is surrounded by mountains and is full of warm hearted people. Out of the many prefectures in Japan, it is one of the colder areas. In the winter, the temperature may fall to around -10° celsius. However, travelers visiting Iwate would feel nothing but the warmth of the locals. People in the north are kind and very laid back. If you have visited Japan before, you may know that Japanese people are gentle, shy, and kind. If you visit Tohoku (northern part of Japan) however, you will find people who are even more friendly. On this trip to Tono, a folklore town in Iwate, I stayed at a farmer’s house that welcomed travellers from abroad. I spent my time walking and biking around. Because the town of Tono is flat, it is easy for everyone to enjoy rambling. After I came back, the grandma at the farmhouse invited me over to cook a local dish called hittsumi. I joined without hesitation. Hittsumi is a hot soup bowl with dumplings. It is warm and gentle like the hearts of the locals. To make hittsumi, stretched and knead flour is cut into small pieces. It is then cooked in broth with seasonal vegetables in a pot. The ingredients and soup vary depending on the season. You can use river fish, crab, chicken, mushrooms etc to add flavour. I had a great time cooking and eating hittsumi with the farmer’s family. The smiles of the farmer and his family will help you overcome the language barrier that may exist.

For your information :
Travel agent for Farmers stay in Tono : Tono Natural Life Network
http://www.tonotv.com/members/yamasatonet/PDF/English-npo.pdf
Contact : kuwahata.yamasatonet@gmail.com