By Yoshihiro Niida

I am introducing it because there is a strange food culture that is transmitted to only limited area, Gonohe-machi in Aomori prefecture.
“Kakke” is a kind of powder-based foods made from a buckwheat flour or flour, considered it as one of the powder culture. It is a traditional regional food that has been reported to a very small part now, such as the southern region of Aomori prefecture, Gonohe or Hachinohe, and the northern Iwate prefecture. It was also called “Kakke-mochi”, “Tsutsuke-mochi”, “Katako-mochi”. It is “Kakke” in Gonohe.
The recipe is to use buckwheat flour or flour, and thin it like soba or udon (or pizza dough), then cut into triangles and boil it. In the past, the dough was made in the shape of “sea cucumber”, and it was thinly sliced from the edge.
Put sliced Chinese radish or tofu into a pot and put kakke in a well-boiled place. Eat kakke when it got soften. Enjoy it with seasonal flavors such as chrysanthemums.
Miso is the basic seasoning for the dipping sauce. Rubbed green onion in a ball, mixed with miso and rubbed it again. Rubbed garlic and mix it with the miso. Nowadays, we eat it with ponzu, vinegar-based soy sauce taste. It is such a simple food, but it is a wonderful and remarkable food as like “nonstop chopsticks” which means that you can’t stop eating. Please taste it when you visit to Gonohe.

青森県の五戸町やごく限られた地域に伝わる不思議な食文化があるので紹介する。
「カッケ」は、そば粉、麦粉が原材料であり、粉もん文化のひとつ。五戸、八戸等の県南地方や岩手県県北など、今ではごく一部に伝えられている伝統郷土食。カッケモチ、ツツケモチ、カタコモチとも言われていた。五戸では「カッケ」。
作り方は、そば粉または麦粉を使いソバやウドンのように薄く伸ばし、三角に切って煮る。昔は「ナマコ」の形に作り、小口から薄く切ったとも伝わる
ダイコンを輪切りにしたものや生豆腐を入れてよくに煮立ったところでカッケを入れやわらくなったらすくいあげて食べる。季節のものとして菊などの風味も添えて楽しむ。
味付けはみそが基本。生葱をすり鉢で擦り、味噌を混ぜもう一度擦ったもの。ニンニクを擦り味噌にまぜたもの。最近はポン酢で食べることもある。これだけのシンプルな食べ物であるが、食べても箸が止まらない不思議食べ物ものである。どうぞ、五戸に来たときは一度おお試しあれ。