Imobota ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

Tottori Prefecture

Imobota

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Main lore areas

Yumihama Peninsula
Main ingredients used

Sweet potato, glutinous rice, red bean paste

History/origin/related events

Imabota, a recipe passed down from olden times on the Yumihama Peninsula, is a sweet rice ball made from sweet potatoes. Due to its soft, sandy solid, the Yumihama Peninsula was unsuitable for growing rice. During the Edo period, Ido Heizaemon, the Omori governor of the Iwami Silver Mine, ordered sweet potato seeds suitable for the soil from Satsuma Province to Sanin. Afterwards, the cultivation of sweet potatoes flourished. After the 20th year of the Meiji Era, sweet potatoes were grown as the primary crop. Sweet potatoes were substituted in place of rarely grown glutinous rice, and a unique sweet rice ball culture was created.
While at first the imobota looks like any other sweet rice ball, you can see the slight yellow in the cracks of the bean paste, and once eaten the sweetness of the potatoes spreads out from the rice, something unique to sweet rice balls.
Opportunities and times of eating habits

“Imobota” was often eaten daily as a snack or meal. While the number of households making imobata today has decreased dramatically, in the past imobata was often made and distributed to neighbors during the sweet potato harvests from fall to winter. The ratio of sweet potatoes to sticky rice differs between cooks, so each household will enjoy a variety of different textures and sweetness.
How to eat

Cut the sweet potatoes and spread them in the rice cooker. Once the rice is cooked, add sugar and salt while it is still hot and mash using a pestle. Leftover cakes and sweet potatoes from New Year’s can also be used. Today, there is also the colorful “three-colored imobota,” which can be topped and colored with your favorite ingredients like soybean flower, seaweed, and red bean paste.
Efforts for Preservation and Succession

The available area to plant sweet potatoes in Tottori, as well as the total yield, have both decreased due to dietary habits and the passage of time, but in recent years sweet potatoes have been understood to be a healthy food, and the people of Yurihama have developed new dishes and various processed products in a more modern style. The sweet potatoes from the area are also referred to as “hamakansho,” and are eaten both at home and in school lunches, and are served to children at after school clubs in Yonago City.

RECIPE

Ingredients (15-18 pieces)

Sweet potatoes 600g
Sticky rice 200g
Water 200ml
Sugar 50g
Salt A pinch
Roasted soybean flower As needed
Green seaweed As needed
Red bean paste As needed

How to cook

1. Cut the sweet potatoes into 5mm thick slices and soak in water.
2. Wash the sticky rice, allow it to soak in water for 30 minutes, then drain.
3. Place the sweet potatoes in a rice cooker, spread the rice over top, then add water and cook.
4. After cooking the rice, allow it to steam for 10 minutes and add sugar and salt while still hot. Crush it with a pestle, and divide the result into 15-18 pieces.
5. Top with your favorite ingredients, such as soybean flour, seaweed, and red bean paste.

provider : Recipe Provider: Tottori Dietetic Association

Recipes vary depending on the region and home.

Contact

Food Cultures Office, Overseas Market Development and Food Cultures Division, Food Industry Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Tel:+81-3-3502-5516

Imobota ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

Tottori Prefecture

Imobota

Main lore areas

Main ingredients used

History/origin/related events

Opportunities and times of eating habits

How to eat

Efforts for Preservation and Succession

RECIPE

Ingredients (15-18 pieces)

How to cook