is a type of [[nabemono]] ([[Japan]]ese one-pot dishes) consisting of several ingredients such as boiled eggs, [[daikon]] or [[konjac]], and processed [[fishcake]]s stewed in a light, [[soy|soy sauce]]-flavored [[dashi]] [[broth]].
Oden was originally what is now commonly called or simply dengaku; konjac ( konnyaku) or tofu was boiled and eaten with miso. Later, instead of using miso, ingredients were cooked in dashi, and oden became popular. Ingredients vary according to region and between each household. Karashi is often used as a condiment.
Oden is often sold from food carts, though some and several convenience store chains also serve it, and dedicated oden restaurants exist. Many different varieties are sold, with single-ingredient dishes sometimes as cheap as 100 yen. While it is usually considered a winter food,
Regional variations
Japan
In
Nagoya, it may be called and
soy sauce is used as a dipping sauce.
Miso oden is simmered in hatchō miso broth, which tastes lightly sweet.
Konjac and
tofu are common ingredients.
In the Kansai area, this dish is sometimes called and tends to be more strongly flavored than the lighter Kantō version.
Shizuoka oden uses a dark-colored broth flavored with beef stock and dark soy sauce, and all ingredients are skewered. Dried and ground fish (sardine, mackerel, or katsuobushi) and aonori powder are sprinkled on top before eating.
Udon restaurants in Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku almost always offer oden as a side dish, to be eaten with sweet miso while waiting for udon.
File:Oden 001.jpg|Typical oden ingredients
File:Oden (8479172244).jpg
File:Riki (16038996438).jpg
File:Oden (3510523345).jpg
File:Sumpu-jou park Oden shop.jpg|Oden store at Sunpu Castle in Shizuoka City
Outside Japan
China
In
China, 7-Eleven markets oden as hǎodùn () a word play on 'good pot'.
South Korea
In
South Korea, the loanword odeng (오뎅) borrowed from Japanese oden is a synonym of
eomuk (fishcakes).
The boiled dish consisting of fishcakes is called by the names such as odeng-tang (오뎅탕) or eomuk-jeongol (어묵전골), with the words such as guk]] ('soup') or
jeongol ('hot pot') attached to the ingredient name. The street food version is sold from small carts and is usually served with a spicy soup. It is very common on the streets of South Korea and there are many restaurants that have it on the menu or specialize in it.
Taiwan
Oden was introduced to Taiwanese cuisine during Japanese rule and is referred to in Taiwanese Hokkien as olen (),
which has been further loaned into Taiwanese Mandarin as hēilún ().
Tianbula ()
is a common ingredient for oden and is a popular snack at
. Tianbula is actually Japanese
satsuma-age and was introduced to Taiwan by people from Kyushu (where satsuma-age is commonly known as tempura) when Taiwan was under Japanese rule.
Besides the more traditional ingredients, the Taiwanese olen also uses many local ingredients, such as pork
and blood puddings. More recently, oden is offered in convenience stores where it is sold as guāndōngzhǔ (關東煮), the Mandarin reading of the Japanese characters for Kantō-ni.
Trivia
See also
-
List of Japanese soups and stews
-
List of soups
-
Shabu-shabu
External links
