Butajiru
Tonjiru or Butajiru (豚汁,とん汁,とんじる) - both literally mean pig/pork juice — is a Japanese soup made with pork and vegetables, flavoured with miso.
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| Alternative names | Tonjiru |
|---|---|
| Type | Soup |
| Place of origin | Japan |
| Main ingredients | Pork, vegetables, miso |
Compared to normal miso soup, tonjiru tend to be more substantial, with a larger quantity and variety of ingredients added to the soup.
Common ingredients
Tonjiru is usually made by stewing thinly sliced pieces of pork, alongside vegetables, in dashi stock, and flavoured by dissolving miso.
Common additional ingredients include burdock root, konjac, seaweed, spring onions, daikon radish, carrot, tofu including fried tofu (aburaage), tubers such as potatoes, taro or sweet potato, and mushrooms such as shiitake and shimeji.
On rare occasions, mildly degreased (not crispy) bacon can be used in place of pork. Instant Tonjiru is also available.
Naming
The Japanese character for pig (豚) can be pronounced either as "buta" or as "ton" in Japanese. The name butajiru is said to be dominant in Western Japan and Hokkaidō, while the name tonjiru is said to be more common in Eastern Japan.
A version of the dish, containing sweet potatoes, as served to skiers in the ski resorts of Niigata Prefecture up until about 1960, is known as sukii-jiru ("skiing-soup").
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