Nihon Chomiryo Tabi
Josen Honba Sendai Miso (ジョウセン 本場仙台みそ)
The story behind it
Sendai miso begins with Oensogura, the official brewery that Lord Date Masamune established in his castle town. That was roughly 400 years ago.
Carried to Edo during the lords' mandatory residence there, Sendai miso earned a reputation as good enough to eat straight from the tub as name-miso, and it came to be brewed at the Edo residence as well. Long-aged, red, and salty-forward, it carries the savoriness of soybeans packed tight into a powerful flavor.
Sendai Miso Shoyu, which carries this line forward, still stands in Kojo in Wakabayashi Ward, the district tied to the original Oensogura. The flavor Masamune refined as provisions for his troops is still working on tables 400 years later.
How to use it
For everyday miso soup, and for Sendai's grilled miso rice balls. Spread it on cucumber and eat it as is, or use it in salmon chanchan-yaki. The salty savoriness brings out the sweetness of vegetables.