This article was written as of April 2021. Please contact the store for details.

How are you all doing this Golden Week?

I’m very grateful for the time off.

This year, too, we are not in the mood to go out and have fun! I think we need to be a little creative in how we enjoy our vacations.

I think “eating” is one of the ways to enjoy the holidays.

Yamagata Prefecture has several unique food cultures such as “dashi” and “hippari udon,” and one of the things that cannot be missed when talking about Higashine City’s food culture is “fu.

The fu culture of Rokuta, Higashine City

Higashine City has a place called Rokuta, where fu production has flourished since the Edo period (1603-1867) .

Higashine citizens have a strong impression that Rokuta = fu street!

The fu produced here is called “Rokuta-fu” and is still loved by the local people.

All that is needed to make fu is water and flour.

Rokuta has long been blessed with subsoil water from the Shiromizu, Nogawa, and Midare Rivers, and has also produced safflowers and leaf tobacco.

The production of fu is a culture that grew out of the people of Rokuta working with the flour they planted in between.

Rokuta, through which the Oshu Highway runs, prospered as a transportation hub during the Edo period (1603-1867) and was a popular inn.

The origin of Rokuta-fu is said to have been introduced by craftsmen from the Kamikata region between 1801 and 1804.

Rokuta-fu is an unusual type of baked fu that is wrapped around a long wooden stick and baked, looks like French bread.

It has three times more gluten than regular wheat, making it chewy.

It is said that it was often eaten as a substitute for meat and fish during the summer when these foods could not be preserved.

With the spread of refrigerators in the late 1950s, the number of fu shops gradually declined, and at its peak there were about 10 in Rokuta, but now there are only a few.

“Fried fu” and “Sweet and Sour Pork with fu,” which I used to eat for school lunch when I was in elementary school, are still on the menu for school lunches in Higashine City. It brings back memories!

Even today, it is used in healthy menus as a substitute for meat and fish.

What are the benefits of eating fu?

Fu is a low-calorie food with low fat and high vegetable protein.

First of all, it is a diet-friendly food!

Nutrients contained in fu include not only protein, but also many minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc.

It is also rich in proline, a type of amino acid also found in dairy products and soybeans, so it is expected to help maintain skin elasticity and prevent rough skin.

Fu is said to have one of the highest levels of this proline content.

It seems to have a lot of good things to do for the skin, so women especially want to add it to their daily diet and take in a little bit of this nutrient. ♪

There are also recipes using fu from Bunshiro fu.

Purchased the product! What do you think of the food?

I bought a fu manju and a donut made of fu, which had been on my mind since I received them as souvenirs.

This time I bought the limited time “sesame flavor” (*’▽’).

It looks like a bamboo grass package filled with acorns, which the big Totoro gave to Satsuki-chan as a thank-you for the umbrella. (I hope you get the idea from the movie Totoro.)

This one takes 2 hours to defrost (no microwave), so please take that into consideration.

I didn’t know that and thought it would be ready to eat immediately after purchase, so this was unexpected.

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A bit cold and very tasty.

As the temperature gradually rises, we will miss cold desserts.

The filling is full of nutritious sesame seeds, so it is both delicious and nutritious.

In addition to sesame, there are also other flavors such as tsubu-an (smashed bean paste) and zunda (edamame bean paste), so please check them out.

The fu donuts are slightly sweet, crispy and delicious.

I like the bite size just right and the crunchiness!

The cinnamon flavor is a really nice accent.

I would recommend this dessert to anyone who is concerned about their health.

It would also make a great little souvenir.

In addition to products that can be enjoyed as snacks, there is a wide variety of products such as fried-fu and croquettes.

They are perfect as a healthy side dish, and we have an assortment of items that are a pleasure to give and to receive.

You may take advantage of consecutive holidays and other occasions to enjoy them with your family or as a nice little snack for a cup of tea by yourself.

Bunshiro fu usually also offers a yaki-fu making experience.

However, it is possible that the event may be canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus, so it is recommended to check the official page or contact them before visiting.

You can also have fu-kaiseki cuisine at Seigo, a fu restaurant.
Reservations required.

On this day, the restaurant had a lively atmosphere with local customers.

When I asked the owner of the shop, he said that throughout the year there are many customers from other prefectures even on weekdays, but this year the number is decreasing.

He said that he believes that Higashine City has a food culture that he can be proud of, and that he would like to continue to cherish the culture of fu that has been passed down so that it is loved by everyone.

There are many rare and reasonably priced products such as fu sweets that you can casually enjoy as a snack, so you may want to buy some as you pass by (*’▽’).

Please enjoy the health-friendly sweets that represent Higashine at home as well!

This was the person in Higacha.

Click here for the Bunshiro fu website☆☆.

Click here for the website of ☆Bunshiro fu☆.