A day for dried foods

Today, and November 20th annually, is Good Dried Food Day いいかんぶつの日. In Japan, dried foods, kanbutsu (乾物)  in Japanese are a staple of the traditional pantry and are eaten daily in many households.

The date of the anniversary comes from the kanji, Chinese characters, 乾物. The "kan" 乾 contains the compounds for one (1) and ten (10) which make 11, as in the 11th month November. There are actually two tens in the kanji, which makes 20, and the character for day; thus the 20th of the month.

The anniversary was established by the Japan Kanbutsu Association in 2010. It was established to make dried food more accessible and to pass on the culture and tradition of Kanbutsu, dried food, to future generations. Do you have many dried foods in your pantry?