Where to Buy Wild Boar Meat for Botan Nabe in Kyoto 猪肉 ぼたん鍋
The mountains surrounding Kyoto are rich with game, some of which are a traditional part of the culinary culture. Wild boar nabe is a winter delicacy. Usually people visit a restaurant that specializes in the dish when they want to enjoy this cuisine. It is a rarity and most Japanese have never had it. However it can easily be made at home without a major expenditure and Kaishintei is a shinise butcher in the Demachiyanagi neighborhood sells wild meat from rural Kyoto, including wild boar through out the winter.
The Place to Buy Wild Boar ‘Shishiniku’ Meat in Kyoto: Kaishintei
Kaishintei is shinise butcher in Kyoto that opened about 90 years ago when eating beef started to become popular with commoners in Japan. Kaishintei has sold deer, bear and wild boar in limited quantities for much of it’s history. Currently only wild boar meat, shishiniku 猪肉, is offered.
Shishiniku is available in the winter months from November to March. As it is harvested from the wild, it may not be available sometimes. Kaishintei of course sells wagyu beef and pork as well.
Kyoto’s Famous Wild Boar – Kaishintei Label
Botan Nabe ぼたん鍋
The meat of the wild boar in winter is very fatty, like pork belly. When it is served for nabe thin slices of the meat is arranged on a plate like a flower. The meat is red and the fat is white and does indeed make quite a convincing flower. Botan nabe gets it’s name from this. Botan is the Japanese word for peony.
Botan nabe can easily be made at home. The soup stock is miso based and you just add the usual vegetables that go into nabe. Kaishindo sells small packets of dark ‘red’ miso specially formulated for botan nabe
Wild Boar for Sale – Sign
Shishi Niku: Wild Boar Meat
Shishi Niku: Wild Boar Meat
Shishi Niku: Wild Boar Meat
Kaishintei Storefront: Teramachi Inoshishiya
Links
OpenKyoto Kyoto Support forum: Kyoto Wild Boar Post
京都改進亭総本店 猪肉 猪肉専門店
English and Access
Kaishintei 京都改進亭総本店 猪肉専門店
English service: Probably no English, but the owner is friendly (Tell him KyotoFoodie sent you.)
Hours: 9:30am-7pm, closed Wed
Location and Access:
Address
: Kyoto, Kamigyo-ku, Teramachi-dori Imadegawa-agaru Omote-cho 35 (京都市上京区寺町通今出川上ル表町35)
Telephone: 075-231-1480
Map
View Larger Map
I always envy the asian market meat-cuts!! it is sometimes SO hard to find certain sections of meats cut in the correct way when making particular Asian foods especially Japanese 🙂
The meat looks splendid even raw !! Most people talk about wild boar as being rough and dry but there’s something about it that I love!
Must be just like the wild pig/boar back home in Hawaii!
Hello Momo, Yes, as you have probably seen in Japan, Japanese butchers offer beef, pork and chicken in nearly countless cuts. I tried to make sukiyaki in the US a few years ago but couldn’t find the thin sliced beef that we can get anywhere in Japan. The butcher kindly cut as thin as he could by hand, but it was still way too thick.
I have stayed with relatives in the Southwest in the US and there were lots of wild boar type creatures, actually, I think they were a kind of overgrown rat, and they said that the meat is dry and stinky. Well, I guess if you eat cactus for a living, you can’t expect to taste very good.
The wild boars around Kyoto have plenty of yummies to eat, I understand a lot of their diet comes from what they can dig out of farmers’ fields, hence many of them end up in nabe — and taste pretty good!
Hello Nate, In Hawaii too? I bet they would taste pretty good!
Oh woooww those cuts of meat look gorgeous mmmmm! I want to go Japan again XD The meat there is soooooooo good!
Hang on, not a major expenditure? 1800 yen/100g = ~5600 yen/pound, currently a little over $60/lb. That’s kind of pricey, says I!
Shaved beef for sukiyaki and such in America isn’t that difficult to come by if you look in an Asian market, as it’s quite popular with Chinese and various Southeast Asian groups as well. If you still can’t get it, buy a small roast, fatty but not gristly if possible. Put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes, and then slice crosswise as thin as you can. You’d be surprised: the brief freezing will make it possible to shave the beef very thin indeed. If the roast is narrow, you may be able to slice it (semi-frozen, again) on a mandoline or benriner, but I am told that this can be frustrating. Your very best bet is to beg your butcher to slice it on a deli slicer, but this can be tricky, as you’re not supposed to cut deli meats on something that has had raw meat on it.