Skip to main content.

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Character Size
Standard
Large
Menu
  1. Home
  2. Policies
  3. Food Export
  4. kyodo_ryori
  5. SEARCH&MENU
  6. Kagawa
  7. Imotako

Imotako ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

  • Kagawa Prefecture

    Imotako

Imotako

＊画像はイメージです（掲載画像とレシピの内容は異なる場合があります）。
Related images

These images of local cuisine may not be downloaded.

  • Imotako

    Image provider: Kanagawa Prefecture Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Agricultural Management Division

  • Main lore areas

    Prefecture wide

  • Main ingredients used

    Octopus, Japanese Taro

  • History/origin/related events

    ‘Imotako’ is a simple local cuisine which makes use of both land and sea produce. The result is a stewed dish consisting of fresh octopus caught at the Seto Inland Sea and Japanese taro.

    Whilst long-armed octopus is typically used for the dish, there are various other types of octopus you can also catch at the Seto Inland Sea including the common octopus and the webfoot octopus. As the octopus living in the Seto Inland Sea are fed nutritious feed including a combination of shellfish, shrimp and crabs, the octopus are said to be sweet and more flavourful. Furthermore, as the octopus contain a good balance of protein, vitamins and taurine, they are also able to alleviate fatigue, and this has led to them being widely used as an ingredient in cooking since long ago.

    Japanese taro is grown throughout the prefecture and steamed taro was a common snack given to children in the past. Grown on the edges of paddies, Japanese taro also became known as the ‘paddy potato’. Unlike sweet potatoes and regular potatoes, Japanese taro grow and multiply from a mother tuber. This has therefore led to them being served during festivities or on auspicious days such as New Year’s Day as a symbol of descendant prosperity.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    Whilst Imodako was enjoyed on auspicious days such as New Year’s Day or during weddings in the past, the dish has now become common on dinner tables.

  • How to eat

    Blanch the octopus after rubbing it with salt. Cut the Japanese taro into small pieces and remove its slimy texture by adding salt. In a pot, add seasonings, cut octopus and taro then stew the ingredients. The completed dish can be enjoyed as a side dish or as an appetizer for alcohol.

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    (Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)
    Apart from being found on household dinner tables, you can also order imotako at restaurants. In fact, octopus is so commonly enjoyed that the Kanagawa Prefecture’s consumption of octopus ranks high within the country.

RECIPE

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • Japanese taro 800g
  • Octopus 500g
  • Stock 300ml
  • Dark soy sauce 40ml
  • Sugar 50g
  • Mirin 1 tablespoon
  • Japanese cooking sake 1 tsp

How to cook

  • 1. Rub octopus with salt and blanch. Cut into pieces.

  • 2. Peel taro and cut into small pieces. Add salt to remove sliminess.

  • 3. Add stock and seasoning into pot and bring to a boil. Add octopus and taro. Cook on low heat until taro becomes soft.

provider : Recipe provider: Agricultural Management Division, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Kagawa Prefecture

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

Top of This Page

MAFF Social Media

  • MAFF Facebook
  • MAFF YouTube

MAFF

Address : 1-2-1,Kasumigaseki,Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo 100-8950,Japan.

TEL : 03-3502-8111

Enterprise identification number : 5000012080001

Copyright : Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries