Observations on Ainu Techniques of Cooking Agricultural Products

Abstract

Several distinctive features in cooking agricultural products among the Ainu used to be as follows : grains were cooked usually as a gruel, and added to their main food, that is, fish and flesh. On festive occasions, however, grains were boiled, and served in a heap in wooden bowls. They also used grains for making unrefined sake and millet cakes. Both of them were believed to be indispensable for their festival dishes. They made two soups, one from a mixture of beans and vegetables, the other from a meat stock. The former were boiled and served as substitute for ordinary food or taken between regular meals. We notice the existence of the same cooking practices in ancient Japan. At that time grains were known to be cooked generally as a gruel and to constitute the usual food. On such special occasions as festivals, on the other hand, grains were boiled and served in wooden bowls, just as described above. And when they held the party of worshipping their deities, they made sake from grains and everyone gave himself up to drinking. They also made dumplings from grains, and offered them to the deities. From the above statement, we can assume, a great antiquity of Ainu culture, not only in their method of cultivation, but also in their techniques of cooking agricultural products. We notice clearly among them some of the characteristic features of Japanese agriculture before the Nara and Heian Epochs (A. D. 7-10 centuries, ca.)