Tambasasayama Botan nabe Guide

* Please see the PDF version  of the latest Botan nabe guide.
(only in Japanese)

 

History of Botan Nabe

Wild boar meat has been eaten since Jomon period(8000BC – 2000BC). Even when Buddhism was introduced and meat eating was prohibited, it was called “mountain whale” and was eaten as a valuable protein source in rural satoyama.

In Edo period, people used to call different meat in different names. For example, boar meat was called ‘Botan’ or peony, horse meat has another name ‘Sakura’ or cherry, and deer meat ‘Momiji’ or maple.

When the Meiji era began and the ban on meat eating was lifted, the pot of wild boar meat cooked with miso was called “Ino-nabe”.

The wild boar meat of Tambasasayama became known all over the country around 1908, when the soldiers of the 70th Regiment of the Army Infantry Corps ate the wild boar meat in miso soup as a nourishing food. They used the wild boar caught in the mountains in Tambasasayama.

The soldiers couldn’t forget the taste, and when returned to their hometown, they spread the word, “The wild boar meat of Tambasasayama is very special!” Thus it became famous nationwide.

In 1931, the predecessor group of the Sasayama City Chamber of Commerce solicited the lyrics for the folk song “Sasayama Kouta”, and the word “Botan nabe” appeared for the first time in the fourth lyrics. In ‘Inonabe’ being four Japanese letter didn’t fit so good with the song, so the five-Japanese-letter word Botan Nabe was used.

Around 1945, a long-established local inn has begun to serve wild boar meat, which resembles a peony flower, according to the name “Botan nabe”. In this way, the name of Tambasasayama Botan nabe spread all over the country.

In 2007, it was selected as a representative dish of Hyogo Prefecture in the ‘100 Selections of Local Cuisine in Agriculture, Mountains and Fishing Villages’ sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Currently, about 40 stores offer Botan nabe in Tamba Sasayama City .

The cut of wild boar affects the price of Botan nabe!

The wild boar meat handled at the Tambasasayama store is not farmed, but natural wild boar!
They run around the mountains of Tambasasayama, eat nuts such as chestnuts, Tamba matsutake mushrooms, and grains. They put on only as much fat as they need to survive the winter. That is why it is not so greasy.

* Polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are abundant in wild boar meat, help reduce bad cholesterol and make thick blood thin.

* The standard amount of meat for one serving of Botan nabe is 150g-200g.

・ Loin is soft and light (good quality of fat, rare part).
・ Chuck has a rich flavor.
・ Belly has umami(the hidden fifth taste) and is the best taste of fat!
・ Back rib is a little tough but the more you chew on it the more taste comes out.
・ Picnic has the rich taste of red meat.
・ Leg has a good balance of red-white.
・ Thinly sliced meat has a reasonable price and suits for the home cooking.

Botan nabe with only the loin meat is very expensive, so if you would like to make the price reasonable, it is recommended to order with other parts.

We are particular about how to cut the meat!

Some shops are very particular about cutting the meat by hand.

Cutting by hand takes more time and effort than by machine. Also, cutting thinly and to a uniformed thickness takes experience and the ability of the person who cuts it is tested.

However, cutting by hand makes it possible to remove tendon and fat which is difficult with a machine. Also, because the chef can cut differently according to the meat, soft and easy-to-eat meat can be served.

Botan nabe served with a unique ‘dashi’

The northern part of Hyogo prefecture is famous for producing Sansho or Japanese pepper. Traditionally Botan nabe is cooked in miso and eaten with Japanese papper which gives you a tingling sensation on the tongue. That is still a typical way to enjoy Botan nabe, but recently new recipes are being created.

・ Blended miso
・ White miso
・ Warishita (soup stock with soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and sake mixed in)
・ Shirodashi (one of soy sauce varieties which is like white soy sauce with dashi flavor. It is sweeter and more savory than common one.)

What they have in common is their commitment to create their own dashi. It is a style that you can enjoy the co-starring of the dashi stock that the chef is proud of and the dashi stock that comes out of the wild boar meat. And if the dashi stock changes, the choice of the Shime*, or the last dish will also change. Enjoy various Botan nabe to suit your taste.
* Japanese usually put in starch to finish hot pot dishes such as udon, porridge, or rice with a soft-boiled egg.

 

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List of the store introduced in Tambasasayama Gibier booklet

	Registered store name	address	Contact information
1	Cooking inn Takasago	6 Nikaimahi	+81-79-552-2158	・possible to have meal only (w/o staying) ・a little thick taste ・eat with beaten egg
2	Ryoriryokan Iketomi	125 Tatimachi	+81-79-552-0064	・possible to have meal only (w/o staying) ・a little light taste ・hand-cut raw meat
3	Jinyourou	79 Nikaimachi	+81-79-552-0021	・possible to have meal only (w/o staying) ・a little rich ・grilled boar meat
4	Tambasasayama Kinmata	81 Nikaimachi	+81-79-552-2191	・The store where Botan nabe originated
5	Tambasasayama Local Cuisine, Kai	58 Nikaimachi	+81-79-552-7773	・booking not required ・slightly light taste ・a specialty store
6	Sasayama Tamamizu	148 Inuishinmachi	+81-79-552-0884	・reservation only ・moderate sweetness light ・parking available
7	JA Tambasasayama directly managed store Tokusan Kan Sasayama	70-1 Kurooka	+81-79-552-3386	・booking not required ・White miso base ・one person hot pot set meal available
8	Morimoto-ya in Kusayama	476-1 Kuwabara	+81-79-592-0123	・a little light sweet and rich ・homemade miso is also popular for take-out
9	Nyogetsu-an	123 Kitashinmachi	+81-79-552-5200	・reservation required for dinner ・miso with chestnuts ・branch store: Botantei
10	Mountain village cuisine Maekawa	Tatsumachi 93	+81-090-2065-4595	Botan-nabe (wild boar hot pot) course meal The hot pot is flavored with broth, not miso.
11	Wild boar restaurant Okuei	492-5 Fujiokaoku	+81-79-552-4441	・a little light ・fresh meat all year round from the directly managed ranch
12	Ohte Shincho	71 Nikaimachi	+81-79-554-2777	・booking not required ・a hot pot for one person available
13	Ishiyaki Kobo Season	264 Sugi	+81-79-594-1888	・reservation required ・boar meat grilled on a natural stone plate is popular
14	Restaurant Sanmon	116 Tokochi	+81-79-596-0820	・provide fresh raw meat ・also popular as the wild boar meat store
15	Ajidokoro Mitake	683 Kurooka	+81-79-552-1385	・reservation required ・hot pot for one person available ・Saba(mackerel) sushi is also popular
16	Mantairo	Hioki 150	+81-79-556-2021	Reservation required Hand-cut raw meat is provided for the hot pot
17	Hanakoushi	160 Kawaramachi	+81-79-552-2808	・reservation required ・modest sweetness ・White miso ・soba nuts porridge for shime
18	Shishigin, Sue no Sato store	3 Kondacho Kamitachikui	+81-79-597-2173	・Shabu-shabu with rich white dashi. ・using only 3-year-old female wild boar
19	Zensho Tannan Saryo	92-4 Ajimashin	+81-79-590-1020	・reservation required ・sukiyaki style with Warishita ・grilled wild boar
20	Morimotoya	441 Miyata	+81-79-593-0004	Enjoy with sushi
21	Tamba Sasayama Ikkyuan	78-2 Yamauchicho	+81-79-552-0279	Enjoy with soba
22	Satoyama Kobo Kumobe	Nishihonjo Nishinoyama 2-1	+81-79-556-2570	A cafe utilizing a closed school A one-person hotpot is available
23	Honke Kumanoen	456 Ajimaoku	+81-79-594-0162	Enjoy with Tamba tea
24	Hanapara	52-1 Ajimashin	+81-79-590-1187	Enjoy with various dishes
25	Ryorisha Yamayu	Agake 81	+81-79-590-1261	Enjoy with Tororo (grated yam)
26	Hogyoen	52 Kawakitashinden	+81-79-593-1341	Enjoy with fish
27	Tambasasayama Matsukazeya	95 Higashikosa	+81-79-594-5454	・reservation required ・blended miso ・local chicken dishes are also popular
28	Uo Sei	56-1 Hioki	+81-79-556-2052	Enjoy with fish
29	Tamagawarou	32 Gofukucho	+81-79-554-2266	Enjoy with various dishes
30	Konda Yakushi Onsen Nukumori no Sato	21-10 Kondashinden,  Kondacho	+81-79-590-3377	・Konda Yakushi Onsen ・possible to have meal only (w/o bathing) ・bathing ticket gift
31	Yu no Tsubo	79 Shitsukawa Shinden	+81-79-556-3685	・Kagobo Onsen ・possible to have meal only (w/o staying) ・White miso-based soup
32	Tamba Inomura	1154 Shitsukawa	+81-79-556-2680	・athletics course available ・accommodation and camping are possible
33	Unitopia Sasayama	231-1 Yashiro	+81-79-552-5222	・possible to have meal only (w/o staying) ・One-day hot springs available ・Popular with children
34	Lodge S ・ P ・ H	956-1 Higashibuki	+81-79-594-2093	・possible to have meal only (w/o staying) ・Sukiyaki / Shabu-shabu available ・Inokotsu soup(wild boar bone broth)
35	Umetan FUJI	Ofuji 65-3	+81-90-8450-8602	An inn that is popular for its game meat cuisine. Meals without staying overnight are available. One-pot dish to be enjoyed with light soup stock and grated yam
36	Holonpia Hotel	76-4 Nakano	+81-79-594-2611	・modest sweetness ・a little light ・local orange Chinese cabbage used
37	Shin Tambaso	451-4 Gunge	+81-79-552-3111	・possible to have meal only (w/o staying) ・reservation required ・One-day hot spring available