[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Go to: Mailing List Archive |
Makunouchi Banzuke Page
[sumo] Chanko Nage Q&A
Now that leafs are starting to change the colors, some
of us who live in the deep freeze zone will be longing
for that bowl of hotpot otherwise known as "Chanko
Nabe".
So here are some pointers on Chanko the next time you
decide to venture into a Chanko restaurant in Japan or
even invited at a sumo beya one day.
Q: Where does the word, Chanko, come from?
A: One theory says "Chan" meant "Father" while "ko" is
children, so put it together, it meant the father
(oyakata) and kids (recruits) eating together.
Incidentally to a rikishi, "chanko" simply means a
meal, any meal, not necessarily the hotpot variety.
Q: Why do rikishis eat "chanko" regularly?
A: One is it is healthy. It has a lot of vegetables in
it and rather low calorie. They can make it light
tasting or they can add more ingredients if they need
to.
Another is that it's relatively easy to make even for
the new comers. Sumo world is the world of man. The
guys do everything in their heya, including cooking.
So to serve a large number of very hungry men, cooking
a big pot of soup is pretty efficient.
Q: What are the basic kinds of Chanko?
A: There are two. First is the flavoring that comes
from mainly one base, such as
soy sauce ("shoyu") or soy paste ("miso").
And the second is the flavoring that is done from a
broth like chicken. This is commonly called "Soppu
Taki".
Q: What is Soppu-taki?
A: "Taki" is simply "cooking". A term "Soppu" comes
from the same "Soppu" they use to describe a tall
rikishi, a Kotooshu type.
By the way another type of rikishis like Otsukasa is
called "Ankou" which comes from a deep sea fish called
anglerfish which has a round body. Actually it is so
soft that it cannot be cut on a cooking board.
An "Ankou" is considered to be a delicacy and
expensive, normally not used in a regular hotpot at a
heya but it's been said some heyas do use it on their
Senshuraku chanko.
In most cases a "Soppu" base is just a chicken broth.
Q: Do they use other meat for "Soppu-taki" base?
A: Traditionally four legged meat like pork, lamb or
beef is not used in sumo circles as they have a
connotation of touching the ground (dohyo) with the
hands, meaning a loss so chicken is normally the main
ingredient for Soppu-taki.
Q: What are other things to be put in chanko?
A: They put all kinds of fish (sardine seems to be
popular), vegetables and tofu as well as squid and
chicken organ meat (and of course some will throw in
pork and beef).
Q: Who cooks chanko at a sumo beya?
A: Usually those ranked Makushita and below, typically
a group of
four or five taking a turn once every four or five
days. A senior rikishi will make up a recipe for the
day and junior rikishis will go out and buy them.
Sometimes the supporters send them local fresh fish or
vegetables and in that case, it will be
different from the usual and much appreciated by the
rikishis.
Q: Who gets to eat it first?
A: Obvously if there is a sekitori at the heya, he
will have it first perhaps with guests to the heya or
senior members (in ranking) of the heya. Others who
are Makushita and below may or may not eat with the
sekitoris but often those very juniors eat last so by
the time they eat, all the good stuff may be gone.
Actually in the old days, those very new ate cold rice
from the day before as rice cooked that day would not
have been served until the leftovers were gone.
Obviously those just ranked little higher were hoping
they would get voracious eaters to their heya.
Sekitoris may get other food with their bowl of chanko
but the junior members will only get the hotpot.
=====
.....Jonosuke
< Heart Technique Physique 心　技　体　>
______________________________________________________________________
Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
[EndPost by Joe Kuroda <joe_kuroda@yahoo.com>]