The Characteristics and Factors Associated with Regions Where Potatoes Were Established as Part of Hare Shoku

Abstract

This study aims to clarify the characteristics and factors associated with regions where potatoes were established as part of hare shoku (special foods for festive occasions) in modern Japanese food. Examining trends from the end of the Taisho period through to the early Showa period, specifically around the 1930s, using "The Complete Collection of Daily Japanese Food" as a reference material, revealed that potatoes were mainly used in hare shoku as an ingredient for stews and soups in the cold and high-altitude regions of East Japan.

Detailed surveys were then conducted in the mountainous regions of Yamanashi and Gifu Prefectures, where hare shoku was prevalent, using reference materials such as diaries, travelogues, municipal magazines, and folklore research reports. In both regions, potatoes were had been introduced in the Edo period, cultivated continuously and actively, and incorporated into various hare occasions. In the process of being used for a long time, potatoes became established as part of the local food culture, were passed on as an important food and began being used for hare shoku.