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Japanese cooking: Culinary delights from “Hell”
Hitoshi Tanaka, chef of the famous Hyotan Onsen, explains the traditional cooking method “Jigoku Mushi” (“Hell-Steamed”). photo
© Lars Nicolaysen/dpa
“Onsen” in Japan stands for physical relaxation. In parts of the island, the hot natural springs are also used for cooking – without electricity and gas. Sometimes that’s enough for three Michelin stars.
They are the epitome of total relaxation: Onsen, Japan’s famous natural hot springs. Geothermal heat not only heats countless thermal baths. In the town of Beppu on Kyushu, the southwesternmost of Japan’s main islands, famous for its hot natural springs, the hot steam has also been used for cooking for centuries.
“Jigoku Mushi” (“Hell-Steamed”) is what the locals in the Kannawa district, which is particularly blessed with onsen, call a cooking method in which the hot steam rising from the depths of the earth is used for cooking at around 100 degrees. “This means we have zero energy costs,” explains Hitoshi Tanaka, head of the famous Hyotan Onsen in Kannawa, the German Press Agency.
The guests place the ingredients such as vegetables, meat and fish in a bamboo basket, which is slowly placed in a “hell pot” and then covered with a transparent cover. “The dishes are steamed so quickly by the onsen vapors that the food retains its original taste,” says Tanaka, explaining the healthy yet highly efficient cooking method. They use locally and organically grown vegetables, says Tanaka. The Japanese is proud to operate the only onsen in all of Japan that has been awarded three Michelin stars seven times in a row. Its home prefecture, Oita, also has the most natural hot springs and the largest amount of hot spring water in the country.
Hyotan Onsen website