What is salad agar jelly, a must-try when visiting Akita?! We'll introduce its taste and varieties, which you can't tell just from the name! [Yokote City, Akita Prefecture]

Akita Prefecture has a lot of delicious foods, most of which are loved by tourists from outside the prefecture and are often purchased as souvenirs

Among Akita's famous specialties, have you ever heard of "Salad Kanten,"

It was featured on a TV program a few years ago, and many people were surprised by its appearance and taste, which is different from that of other prefectures. Salad agar may surprise people from other prefectures, but it is a "soul food of the prefecture" that is eaten as a matter of course by people of Akita Prefecture, especially around Yokote City

In this article, we'll introduce you to salad agar, which is available in Akita. We'll explain in detail where you can buy it, how to make it at home, and more

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Akita Prefecture's soul food "Salad Agar"

When you think of Akita specialties, you may think of Hinai chicken, Inaniwa udon, local sake, babahera ice cream, and many other foods that are popular not only within the prefecture but also with tourists from outside the prefecture

This time I would like to introduce to you "Salad Agar"

You might be thinking, "Salad?" "Agar?" "The seaweed in salad?" but none of these are correct

Salad agar is a dish made by solidifying a salad (similar to macaroni salad) with agar, and is a food that is difficult to describe as either a snack or a side dish, as it contains a lot of sugar

It looks like milk agar because it is the color of salad (milky white), but it is actually agar with salad in it

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Isn't it a salad? Isn't it agar? A mysterious food that people from other prefectures can't understand

"Salad agar" is neither a salad nor agar, but it is salad agar, and is considered a soul food that has been eaten in the Yokote area for a long time

Is everything solidified with agar in the Yokote area?

Salad agar is a beloved food in the Yokote area of ​​Akita Prefecture, and you'll see it everywhere when you travel. If you've heard about it, you'll be surprised to find out that it's sold everywhere

a "agar culture" has developed where people solidify almost anything with agar

What is "Agar Culture"?

"Agar culture" literally means a culture that uses agar for everything. Agar is commonly used in things like yokan, jelly, and tokoroten

The people of Akita love salad agar so much that salad alone is not enough for them, and they add all sorts of things, even Akita specialties, to their salad agar

In fact, I saw some salad agar at my local supermarket

• Yokote Yakisoba x Agar
• Egg x Agar
• Walnut x agar

Seeing these, I realized the amazingness of agar culture (although I didn't actually have the courage to buy it...)

Grandma's taste

It may be a surprising food to people from outside the prefecture, but for people in the Yokote area, it is familiar as "grandma's taste."

Apparently, when you go to your grandmother's house, she will serve you salad agar along with pickles and other foods, and it is eaten as a snack with tea. Although there is a basic flavor, each household has its own taste, and the ingredients added to the agar vary from household to household

When people who have left the prefecture return home, eating salad agar makes them feel like they're back home

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Did salad agar become famous overnight on TV?

Salad agar jelly was a hidden local specialty known only to residents. How and when did it become a nationally recognized dish?

Salad agar gained nationwide recognition on "Kenmin Show"

It was "Himitsu no Kenmin Show" that made salad agar a nationally recognized dish

At first, people who saw it were skeptical as to whether it would really taste good, but once they tried it, the sweetness combined with the sourness of the salad made it very tasty and it became a big hit

After that, it became a hot topic on social media and became a nationally known Akita specialty

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How to make and eat delicious salad agar?

It seems that making salad agar isn't simply a matter of solidifying a salad. Here, we'll introduce the basic salad agar recipe and its variations

How to make basic salad agar

The recipes presented below are provided by the Yokote City Horticultural Promotion Center and are available on the official website of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

How to make salad agar

• Put the specified amount of water in a pot, add the agar-agar and let it soften..【1】
• Slice the onion and cucumber thinly, peel the carrot and cut it into julienne strips, then lightly rub it with salt..【2】
• Finely chop the hard-boiled egg and shred the crab-flavored fish cake by hand
• 【1】Heat it over a fire and knead it well. Add sugar and continue kneading while boiling, then remove from the heat once it boils..【4】
• add the cooled mixture from step [4]
• 【2】Rinse it quickly under running water and drain, then add it along with 3 and 5, add the lemon juice and mix..【6】
• 【6】Pour the mixture into a mold and put it in the refrigerator. Once it hardens, it's done!

Variations of salad agar

There are many variations of salad agar. Each household makes their own version of salad agar, so there are a wide variety of salad agars

• Egg agar
• Udon agar
• Yokote Yakisoba Agar
• Sweet potato agar

Udon agar is made by solidifying plain udon noodles with agar, and sweet potato agar is similar to sweet potato yokan. They all look delicious

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Where can I buy salad agar?

Many people have probably thought, "I want to try salad agar when I go to Akita!" Salad agar can be purchased at roadside stations, tourist souvenir shops, supermarkets, and other places that sell prepared foods

It can also be found in local restaurants and eateries, where it may be served as a small side dish, but it does not necessarily come with salad agar

It appears that salad agar is regularly sold at the direct-from-the-farm produce section of "Michi-no-Eki Jūmonji" in Yokote City, Akita Prefecture

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If you visit Akita Prefecture, check out salad agar

We introduced salad agar, which is said to be Akita's soul food

Salad agar is a food that is not found in other regions, but it is still loved today as a grandmother's taste and a home-cooked dish

This is a food that is rarely seen outside of the prefecture, so if you visit Akita, be sure to try salad agar

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