Gameni (chicken stew) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

Saga Prefecture

Gameni (chicken stew)

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Main lore areas

Throughout the prefecture
Main ingredients used

Vegetables, chicken

History/origin/related events

Among the many regional dishes of Saga Prefecture, the standard is gameni chicken stew. The stew is called "chikuzenni chicken stew" nationwide. It is also loved as a regional dish in other regions of Kyushu, including Hakata. The stew is a dish in which a lot of root vegetables and chicken are fried and thoroughly simmered. It is said that the dish was created when Hideyoshi Toyotomi was sending troops to Korea during the Imjin War. When his large army encamped in Hakata, they caught many softshell turtles in Hakata's inlets and marshes, simmered them with vegetables, and ate the stew. That was the origin of the dish. At the time, softshell turtles were called "river turtles" or "mud turtles," and then the dish was named "gameni (turtle stew)." Today, the dish doesn't use turtles; it uses chicken. The dish lives on as a special dish on special days. It is eaten during festivals such as the Okunchi festival and celebrations such as New Year's.
Opportunities and times of eating habits

Gameni is a regional dish that is indispensable for festivals and celebrations. So it is placed on dining tables as one of the dishes prepared for the New Year's holidays. Also, it is served as a refreshment during the Okunchi festival, a fall festival held in various parts of Saga Prefecture.
How to eat

Rehydrate the dried shiitake mushrooms. Peel the lotus root and burdock, chop them into chunks, and parboil them. Boil the Konjac, remove the scum, and cut the Konjac into bite-sized pieces. Pour oil into a pot, put in the chicken, which was cut into bite-sized pieces, and fry it. Then put in the other ingredients and fry them quickly. Add soy sauce, sugar, sake rice wine, mirin sweet rice wine, and the water, in which the shiitake mushrooms were soaked, into the pot. While removing the scum, let the food simmer thoroughly. After filling a bowl with the stew, sprinkle the stew with boiled peas whose strings have been removed. It may also be garnished with strips of ginger.
Efforts for Preservation and Succession

(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)
In addition to being typically made at home, one can enjoy it at restaurants in the prefecture.

RECIPE

Ingredients (4 servings)

Chicken (thighs) 120g
Dried shiitake mushrooms 2 small ones
Taro, lotus root 60g each
Bamboo shoots, burdock, Konjac 40g each
Carrots 30g
Green beans 20g
Broth 200cc
Sugar 1 tablespoon
Soy sauce 1 1／2 tbsp
Sake rice wine, mirin sweet rice wine 1 tbsp each
Ginger a small quantity

How to cook

1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Rehydrate the dried shiitake mushrooms.
2. Boil the lotus root and burdock in vinegar diluted with water. Then remove the skins. Peel the taro and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Do the same with the bamboo shoots, carrots and konjac.
3. Put the ingredients and broth into a pot and simmer them. Add the seasonings. When the water starts to boil, remove the scum. Place a wooden lid directly on the food in the pot and let the food simmer thoroughly.
4. Fill a bowl with the stew. Garnish the stew with boiled green beans and strips of ginger.

provider : Food of Long Life at Saga

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

Gameni (chicken stew) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

Saga Prefecture

Gameni (chicken stew)

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 (4 servings)

How to cook