Shizuoka oden is a variation of oden, a stew-like Japanese food consisting of fish paste cakes, boiled eggs, daikon, potatoes, kelp rolls, konnyaku, and other ingredients that are first boiled then kept simmering in a broth until consumption.

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Shizuoka oden differs from other types of oden in two ways: the preparation of the broth and the way every ingredient is skewered on a stick. The broth is made with beef sinew (instead of the dried skipjack flakes used in other types of oden) and seasoned with strong soy sauce. Because the simmering broth is only replenished rather than discarded, it takes on a very deep, brown-black color; but this process of adding new broth to old is what gives Shizuoka oden the distinctive flavor that many people find so delicious.

Like other types of oden, Shizuoka oden is particularly suitable for consumption in the colder seasons because of the warming effect it has, much like hot soups and stews served in other countries with cold seasons. Shizuoka oden is best eaten and paired with a hot (spicy) karashi mustard.

Originating in the 14th century during the Muromachi period, shizuoka oden initially began as a dish called dengaku, which consisted of grilled tofu skewered topped with miso sauce.^[1] It is believed that oden was created to make use of the leftover fish and vegetables. The name was eventually shortened to “den” with an honorific “o” at the beginning, creating the name “oden”.^[1] During the Edo period, tofu stew was mainly cooked with a robust soy sauce and a soup made from a blend of konbu (seaweed), whale meat, and beef tendons, but later on, whale meat was not used anymore.^[2] After the Meiji period, people started adding ingredients like konnyaku and eggs into the mix.^[1] Shizuoka oden is a popular dish at festivals and stalls throughout Japan. Oden was initially offered at street stalls, but nowadays it can be found in izakaya, restaurants, convenience stores, and even in canned products in vending machines.^[1]

Although different regions of Japan say they all have unique ways of making shizuoka oden broth, variations could be divided into 3 main categories:^[2]

1. In the Kansai region or Western Japanese, the broth is more likely to be seen as light.
2. In the Nagoya area, oden is served with miso soup.
3. In the Kanto region or Eastern Japan, their oden is cooked in a dark broth.

Top 10 favorite ingredients and their popularity:^[4]

1. Boiled egg: 28.3%
2. Radish (daikon): 27.2%
3. Beef tendon (gyusuji): 8.4%
4. Mochi purse (Kinchaku): 5.9%
5. Hanpen:5.5%
6. Atsuage: 4.6%
7. Chikuwabu: 4.2%
8. Konjac (Konnyaku): 3.6%
9. Ganmodoki: 3.4%
10. Others: 3.2%

Alternative ingredients:^[3]

1. Boiled egg (chicken or quail)
2. Firm tofu
3. Potato
4. Carrots
5. Tsukune (Japanese chicken meatball)
6. Tsumire (Japanese fishball)
7. Rolled cabbage (seasoned pork wrapped in cabbage)
8. Boiled octopus
9. Hot dog sausage

Aoba Koen Park Street used to be lined with food stands that served oden and drinks from the afternoon into the morning time.^[2] It is an excellent way to enjoy a unique Japanese dish while enjoying the park street atmosphere. Since the hygiene law in the 1960s were passed, these stands were forced to move indoor and eventually becoming the Aoba Oden Alley.^[2] This alley is a popular street food area that's known to serve traditional Japanese dish, consisting of various ingredients that are simmered in dashi broth. The Aoba Oden Alley is great place to visit for those looking for a unique and tasty snack. Each shop is able to seat about 6-9 customers at a time and many customers are regulars, meaning they eat at the shop often.^[5] In the oden alley, some serve oden and others serve a more homemade type of food. Usually when the owner retires, a younger person looking to start a small business or a former customer will take over the business.^[5]

Shizuoka oden is a type of Japanese dish that is prepared in a dashi broth. To make it, start by boiling the oden ingredients in a large pot with enough dashi stock to cover them. Since different ingredients need different times to absorb the broth, allow the hard ingredients like the eggs to simmer in the broth for about 30 minutes before placing the other ingredients for another 15 minutes.^[2] Once the oden ingredients are cooked through, add more dashi stock and season with soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to taste. Leave the oden to be simmering at low to medium-low heat so the ingredients don’t break, which will make the broth cloudy.^[2] Finally, serve the oden with condiments such as grated daikon, chopped green onions, and/or aonori (dried seaweed).

• List of Japanese soups and stews
• List of soups
• Oden