Doyo Ushi No Hi - A Special Day for Eating Unagi

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Doyo Ushi No Hi - A Special Day for Eating Unagi

It was Doyo Ushi No Hi (Doyo No Ushi No Hi), a special day for eating unagi, yesterday! :) As I mentioned in my last year's entry, unagi (鰻) is a Japanese freshwater eel, and people in Japan eat unagi during the hot summer especially on the Midsummer Day of the Ox, which is called Doyo Ushi No Hi (土用丑の日) in Japanese. It's very hot and humid in Japan during summer. Hot weather makes you loose your appetite. People in Japan want to eat nutritious foods to maintain their health during hot days. Because unagi has a lot of nutrition, including vitamin A, B, D, E, iron and calcium, it's a perfect food to eat during summer.

However, it has also anther story that Doyo Ushi No Hi was made by the owner of unagi restaurant to boost sales of unagi in 1770s. Who knows the truth? It's too long ago! Beside all that I enjoy having unagi during summer. It's only because unagi is so delicious! :)

Last week, I bought frozen unagi at Seiwa, a Japanese supermarket in Costa Mesa. You can find frozen unagi at any Japanese supermarkets in the U.S. Unagi is usually very expensive in Japan, but I sometimes find that it's more reasonable here than in Japan. :) As I mentioned in my previous entry, Most Popular Japanese Foods, unagi is also loved by many foreign tourists in Japan. If you find frozen unagi at Japanese supermarkets in the U.S., you should try it. One frozen unagi is usually $5 to $20 there. It's easy to prepare (just microwave for minutes) and so delicious! :)