Miso cutlets, miso stewed udon, miso oden — Nagoya cuisine puts miso in just about everything. There is even tube seasoning sold under the slogan "dip it in miso, pour miso on it." In Aichi Prefecture, life without miso is hard to imagine.
Among local specialties, Hatcho miso from Okazaki rode a wave of popularity thanks to the NHK morning drama Kirari (2006, starring Miyazaki Aoi). The story follows Sakurako Arimori, born into a Hatcho miso brewery family, as she strives to become a pianist through the turbulent prewar and wartime years. A regional brand from the Tokai area became a national name almost overnight.
Convenience stores are said to sell oden surprisingly well even in midsummer; in Nagoya, oden means miso oden. Pork belly on skewers, grilled tofu, eggs, daikon, konnyaku and more go into the pot. Hatcho miso and red miso are blended in a 3:1 ratio, then mixed with a startling amount of sugar or raw sugar and a splash of sake. The result is extraordinarily sweet — a shock if you are used to Kanto-style soy sauce broth.
The ideal pot for miso oden is made of gunmetal, a 90% copper and 10% tin alloy named after cannon barrels. It is tough, corrosion-resistant, and wears well.
On a hot summer day in hot Nagoya, why not try hot miso oden with warm sake?