Wakayama

A staple dish for school lunch, which has a 100-year-old history?

Kujirano tatsutaage

A dish of deep-fried whale meats which are seasoned with shoyu and ginger juice, and coated with katakuriko (starch). Kujirano tatsutaage used to be a staple food as an important source of protein in the postwar period in Japan. It is said that the history of whaling in Japan started in Taiji town in Wakayama Prefecture back in the Edo period. However, there is a written record of whales exchanged as gifts in an old document from the Nara period, so it is thought that the food tradition of whales has a long history even before the Edo period. The food culture of eating whale meats has been carried on as a tradition in this area, and “Kujirano tatsutaage” is still served as school lunch.