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Tammu Dingaku ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

  • Okinawa Prefecture

    Tammu Dingaku

Tammu Dingaku

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  • Tammu Dingaku

    All areas within the prefecture

  • Main lore areas

    All areas within the prefecture

  • Main ingredients used

    Taimo

  • History/origin/related events

    “Tamu dingaku”, also called“ sata dammu”, is a dish in which taimo are mashed and sweetened. It is also prepared as a dessert which pairs well with a fatty pork meal. Taimo are a local specialty of Okinawa, and are a variety of taro cultivated in clean water paddies.Also called mizuimo, in Okinawa Prefecture they are well-known and called tammu. Since the secondary and tertiary taro corm grow around the parent taro, it is considered a portentous ingredient for the flourishing of one's descendants, and is indispensable for celebratory meals. Okinawa Prefecture's taimo has a unique fragrance and stickiness, and is used especially for New Year's and Obon, but since one must wait nearly a year to harvest it, it is said that farmers calculate in reverse when they need to plant it. It is sold in storefronts not in its raw form, but steamed. Even nationally Okinawa Prefecture is one of the leading production areas, of which Kin and Oyama in Ginowan are famous. Dishes that use taimo include "durwakashi," in which taimo, muji (taimo stems), pork, shiitake, and kamaboko are roughly chopped, steamed thoroughly in pork broth and then kneaded, and "muji no jiru" (muji, pork, and tofu miso soup) which is made for celebrating a birth. In recent years it has become increasingly used in pies and sweets-making. In the beginning of the 18th century in Shuri Kingdom in Okinawa, taimo was used as a ceremonial food which was offered to the gods on New Year's Day. "Imo Orime" Festival was enthusiastically held on the northern part of the main Okinawan island as well, from which it can be surmised that imo (taro) were an important ceremonial ingredient.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    One of the dishes prepared for special days like New Year's and Obon. Since it uses taimo which are auspicious for the flourishing of one's descendants, it is especially indispensable for celebrating someone.

  • How to eat

    Peel the taimo, and boil gently for 5min while removing the scum. Strain the taimo and add it to the pot along with water, turn on the heat, and add sugar once it becomes soft. Stir with a wooden ladle while it simmers, until it becomes a pulpy mass. Serve it in a bowl, and sprinkle finely chopped lemon peel or ginger on top. The consistency of the taimo paste varies according to region and individual family, from ones where the shape of the taimo is retained, to ones where they are completely mashed.

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    (Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)
    Besides typically being made at home, it can also be had at restaurants within the prefecture.

RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • Taimo (Taro) 300g
  • Hot water 1.5 cups
  • Sugar 1／3 cup
  • Mirin 1 tbsp
  • Lemon peel (or tangerine peel) suitable amount

How to cook

  • 1. Peel the taimo and cut into 2cm cubes. Add to just-boiling hot water and boil for about 5min, then strain.

  • 2. Add the taimo from 1 and the specified amount of hot water to a pot and turn on the heat. Once the taimo have softened, add sugar and let stew while stirring with a wooden ladle. Once the taimo gradually become round and the liquid has become viscous, and altogether becomes a pulpy mash, add the mirin to finish.

  • 3. Serve in a bowl with a sprinkling of finely chopped lemon peel on top.

provider : Ryukyu Cuisine Researcher Junko ASHITOMI

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

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