すっぽんの昔話 ~ Japanese tales about a Turtle~

先日、おそらく生まれて初めてすっぽん料理を食べる機会がありまして、生のすっぽん捌きを見てしまいました。

なんとも可愛そうなすっぽんちゃん。。

でも、初めてすっぽんを観察できました。

手、足、尻尾、顔、全部尖ってて、顔はまるで人のような表情でした。

怖い怖い... 

そこで、絶対すっぽんって日本の昔話に出てくるだろうな、と思い、少し調べてみたところ、、やっぱり、狐や狸同様、すっぽんも妖怪として出てくるお話が地域によってはあるようです。

人間の子供をさらったり、吸血鬼のように血をすったりする妖怪らしい...

怖い怖い...　ひー

でも、そのすっぽんの顔には迫力がありました。

初めて生き血割りも飲みました。

え、これ飲むの？って思い、衝撃的でした。当方、何もすっぽんについて知らなかった。笑

すっぽんを食べる国って、おそらく中国と日本とかくらいなのかなと言う話をしてました。

コラーゲンたっぷり！活力増量！とってもパワーのある高級料理であるすっぽんくん！のお話でした〜。

********

Recently, I ate a soft‐shelled turtle for the first time..

It is known as one of the high-class Japanese cuisines, which has many kinds of nutritions such as Collagen, Vitamin A, and Vitamin B1 etc... Absolutely good for our skins and obtaining power!

Anyway, it was my first time to observe him, and how to be cut even he is still alive...

His face was so keen, every parts such as, legs, a head, and a tail were so sharp and I felt so scared, since his face somehow looked like human's face.

I was thinking... a soft-shelled turtle, in Japanese, "Suppon", must have been shown in Japanese tales. Indeed, like a fox and a raccoon dog, he sometimes appears in Japanese tales as a Yokai(妖怪). I totally understood once I saw his keen face. In Japanese tales, "Suppon" Yokai kidnaps a child, and more, he sometimes sucks human's blood like a vampire.

Do you know there is a drink called "Ikichi-wari"(生き血割り) which is lifeblood split with a mixture of sake? Even though I'm a Japanese, I was surprised that a chef brought us to try. He said you will be vigorous tomorrow... lol It is true though...

I assume that some people from different countries don't want to watch how he was cut, and be hesitate to eat him. But, this is one of the Japanese cultures which I would liked to introduce today. Hope you enjoyed reading this.

Miha