Chankonabe
Chankonabe (Japanese: ち ゃ ん こ 鍋) is a stew ( nabemono ) from Japanese cuisine . It is best known as the preferred dish of sumo wrestlers.
Chankonabe is a hearty nabemono with poultry , seafood , vegetables ( daikon , enoki , pak choi , shiitake, etc.) that is boiled down in a broth . In addition, ingredients rich in protein and carbohydrates such as potatoes , rice , pasta or tofu are often used. This creates a high energy stew that helps promote the weight gain desired in sumo. Chankonabe is consumed almost daily among sumo wrestlers, with an established wrestler like Konishiki Yasokichi emptying "10 large plates" of it per lunch. In a sumo stable it is customary that the best wrestlers are allowed to eat the chankonabe first, and the novices have to be content with the remains: this creates an additional moment of motivation. Occasionally, successful sumo wrestlers set up their own chankonabe restaurants after their careers.
Traditionally, only poultry meat (i.e. from two-legged animals) is used in a chankonabe, but never meat from four-legged animals. The reason is that a sumo wrestler must always stand on two legs because he has lost on all fours .
Web links
- From Soup to Guts: Sumo wrestlers fatten up on chankonabe , slate.com
- Sumo Breakfast Of Champions: Bowls And Bowls Of Clay Pot Stew , npr.org
- Traditional stew of sumo wrestlers , gotokyo.org