Nabemono dishes are a hearty wintertime specialty, prepared from
fish, seafood,
chicken, meat and/or vegetables in a bubbling cauldron right at your
table. Serving trays
piled high with raw ingredients arrive at the table, then everyone
pitches in with the
cooking, finally eating together out of the communal pot. Nabemono
restaurants are
very down-to-earth places, usually with a rustic decor reflecting
nabemono's origins in
Japan's rural farming regions. Nabemono are also served in pub-style
izakaya
restaurants, in places specializing in regional cuisines, and in
private homes. There are
many different types of nabemono, depending on the ingredients used.
Oysters,
scallops, cod, salmon, turtle, and chicken are all popular. Chanko-
nabe, a variety made
with chicken, seafood, potatoes, and other vegetables, is the staple
diet of Japan's sumo
wrestlers. (It's quite filling, as you might expect.) Another special
type of nabemono is
the internationally known beef sukiyaki. Since nabe dishes are cooked
quickly, the
individual ingredients maintain their flavor and identity. Diners can
enjoy a succession
of different tastes and textures as various vegetables and pieces of
seafood are pulled out
of the pot and eaten. As the meal progresses, the cooking liquid
absorbs more and more
flavors from the foods being cooked.