On Wednesday, November 20th, as part of the second-year Global Food Business Program (GFBP) course "PBL-A," a cooking class was held in the kitchen on the second floor of Building 3, where officials from the Tsunagi Town Hall in Kumamoto Prefecture and people involved in agricultural processing in the town visited and learned about local cuisine from the Minamata and Ashikita areas of the prefecture.
The practical training began with a presentation by Mr. Yoshida from the town's Policy Planning Division on food-related initiatives in Tsunagi town, after which the participants actually cooked "Dago soup," "Niitakana rice balls," and "Botamochi," foods that are eaten in Tsunagi town.
While listening to stories about how these local dishes have been made through the generations and on what occasions they are eaten, the students received instruction on how to knead the dumplings and how to shape the pickled mustard greens and wrap them neatly into rice balls, and then had the chance to try cooking. Afterwards, the students enjoyed the finished dishes with the local people who had been teaching them.
GFBP (Faculty of Commerce) second-year student Koga Kae (Clark Memorial International High School) said, "It was a very valuable experience to learn local cuisine directly from local people. I listened to various stories while cooking and was told that 'There are many delicious things to eat in Faculty of Collaborative Regional Development Murayama Souya (Hashima Kita High School) said, "I was able to cook with energetic and friendly people and it was my first time making botamochi with a skin made of glutinous rice mixed with sweet potato, and it was delicious."
[Global Food Business Program]
