Cuisine

Fermented preserved food “Sendango” making

Ferment sweet popato, extract starch, it is traditional preserved food "Sendango". It takes thousand hustles: this could be the origin of its name. Let's learn the traditional wisdom of food preservation.

About this activity

Fermented food is hot. Learn the technique.

Do you know Tsushima’s soul food Kouko-imo? Tsushima has little flat land and not vert fertile. Crop plantation is difficult, and thus Tsushima people has been suffering from food shortage sometimes.

In such a situation, savior was brought to Tsushima in Edo period – that was Satsum-imo (sweet popato) that grows in the infertile land without much hustle. Satsuma-imo that saved people’s life came to be called as Kouko-imo (Kouko = take care of). And in order to keep and use valuable Kouko-imo throughout a year, Tsushima’s mothers came up with various wisdom to process the ingredient, and passed down the technique from generation to generation.

During the Satsuma-imo season, why not learn the technique to process Kouko-imo and the wisdom how to make preserved food?

 

Process 1 (end October – November)

Dig out, wash, crush, keep in water

Dig out sweet potato

Wash popato in bucket

Slice the popato using machine “Civilisation Popato Cutter” 

After this, keep the potato in water for about 3 weeks, drain water, put on mat or bamboo bag for 2 months to ferment. Curl up the fermented popato into big ball shape, and keep them outdoor until they get black mold.

Put the molded potato in water, filter, and put in water again. Repeat this process several times. Take out precipitated starch and ball it up.

Process 2 (end February – early March)

Take out precipitated starch and proud dumpling

Ball up drained potato starch

Hanataka-dango – shape of nose. Make it a shape easy to be dried, and dry them outdoor.

Dishes and snacks using Sendango

After experience, try a variety of dishes and snacks using Sendango. Famous Rokubeh, Sen-soba, Senchimaki, Senzenzai, Senno-kuromitsu.

 

Things to bring

  • Clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty, or apron
  • Winter clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty
  • Winter hut

We provide you with all equipment needed to make Sendango, so you can come empty-handed. This activity is outdoor in cold season, so please bring winter clothes.

Cancellation

The day before the scheduled trial date 50% of the experience fee
On the day of the scheduled experience or without notice 100% of the experience fee

Outline

Duration 10 ~ 3月
Time required About 2 hours
Ages anyone
Price 2,000 Yen/person

Nouhaku pffering this actibity

Back to List of activities