Oden

Oden
Oden stewing at an oden stall
TypeSoup
Place of originJapan
Main ingredientsBoiled eggs, daikon, konjac, fishcakes, soy-flavored dashi broth
Other informationUnicode emoji 🍢
Various oden stewing in broth

Oden (おでん, 御田) is a type of nabemono (Japanese one-pot dishes) consisting of several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon or konjac, and processed fishcakes stewed in a light, soy-flavored dashi broth.

Oden was originally what is now commonly called miso dengaku [ja] 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 izakayas 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,[1] some carts and restaurants offer oden year-round. Many of these restaurants keep their broth as a master stock, replenishing it as it simmers to let the flavor deepen and develop over many months and years.[2]

  1. ^ Itoh, Makiko (January 20, 2017), "'Oden': Japan's traditional winter fast food", The Japan Times
  2. ^ Mishan, Ligaya (7 June 2018). "At Davelle, a Son of Hokkaido Puts Luxury in Reach". New York Times. Retrieved 22 September 2018.