There is an old tradition in Japan that on the hottest day of summer one should eat eel. This day is called “doyou no ushi no hi” in Japanese, and this year that date falls on July 19th. The delicacy of grilled eel, called “unagi” in Japanese, will be sold at stores around the country in a grand nationwide eel eating day.
What is “doyou no ushi no hi”?
Translation of this old term is extremely difficult, but “the day of the ox at the height of summer” might be satisfactory. In an old Japanese tradition, imported from China, each season of the year is divided into five parts. The last of these five parts, or the last 18 or 19 days, of a season are called “doyou”. Based on the position of the sun, Fall traditionally starts in early August on a day called “risshu” in Japanese, which this year is August 7th.
“Ushi” in Japanese means cow or ox, and “hi” means day. The Chinese zodiac is relatively famous in the U.S. for dividing each year among twelve animals, which coincidently this year is the year of the ox. What is not so widely know, however, is that the Chinese zodiac also divides days among the same twelve animals. This year the day of the Ox falls twice during the final 18 days of the traditional summer, July 19th and July 31st.
Why do the Japanese eat eel on this day?
There are two popular explanations for why the Japanese eat eel on “doyou no ushi no hi”. The first is nutrition. In the notoriously hot and humid Japanese summers, it is vital that one gets the proper nutrients to stay healthy. Eel is said to be rich in vitamins and nutrients, including several types of Vitamin B and Omega-3 fatty acids.
The second explanation dates to a tale about an eel restaurant owner a couple hundred years ago. The popular version of the story goes that the owner of the shop was not doing well financial, so he devised a marketing plan. He told people that on “ushi no hi” (the day of the ox) that they should eat food being with the letter “u”. This made “unagi” (eel) a perfect choice, and made him quite wealthy. The idea took off from there.
Eating “unagi” and other Japanese “u” foods
On July 19th, 2009, feel free to partake in an interesting Japanese tradition of eating delicious eel. If that does not suit your tastes, any foods beginning with “u” are widely considered acceptable, including “udon” (thick Japanese wheat noodles), or “ume” (plums).
Ittadakimasu! (Eat Up!)
grilling eel on "doyou no ushi no hi"
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