Cooking Properties and Palatability of Food Items That Use Beppu-Kannawa Hot Spring Water

Abstract

In Beppu city(Oita prefecture), Jigoku steaming is a famous cooking method that uses hot spring water. There are many reports on the cooking characteristics of such methods. However, few cases examine the very use of hot spring water for cooking. Therefore, in this research, we tried to explain the characteristics of using hot spring water for cooking instead of plain water. During the preparation of custard pudding, chawan-mushi, and tofu, a certain amount of cooking milk or plain water was replaced with hot spring water. Dry Japanese noodles were also cooked using water from the hot spring. The physical properties of each of these food items were measured, and a sensory evaluation was also conducted. The results of the measurements indicated that custard pudding and chawan-mushi cooked using Beppu-Kannawa hot spring water were harder, and tofu was softer. The sensory evaluation indicated a strong salty taste in the chawan-mushi and Japanese noodles. These results suggest that the use of Beppu-Kannawa hot spring water influences the hardness and taste of these food items.