Kenoshiru

Kenoshiru is a traditional soup originating from the Tsugaru region in Aomori prefecture. This nutritious country-style soup is made with a variety of ingredients: dried or deep-fried tofu, mountain vegetables such as warabi (bracken shoots), zenmai (fiddlehead fern), and fuki (Japanese butterbur), and vegetables such as carrots and daikon. The ingredients are finely chopped and cooked with soy sauce or miso. The name of the soup is derived from kayu-no-shiru, meaning rice soup, because in the past rice was a luxury item so people used to cook chopped veggies that look similar to rice. Nowadays, the shapes if the ingredients and seasonings may vary depending on the area and the specific tradition of each household.