To help those who are having difficulties chewing, an increasing number of well-established restaurants are serving Japanese “unagi” eels so tender that they melt in the mouth.

The secret is a specialized cooking appliance developed to help the elderly and sick people who have chewing difficulties enjoy the same meals as their family members.

CONTRIBUTING TO SOCIETY

The restaurant Yanagi no Banba Umenoi was founded more than 90 years ago in Kyoto’s Nakagyo Ward.

It prides itself in preparing carefully selected eels to a beautifully tender state with a proprietary secret sauce.

But Keita Miyoshi, 43, the fourth-generation owner, and Yukiko, 53, his wife and the proprietress, decided in August to serve unagi that was even more tender.

Two years ago, Teruyuki, Keita’s father and the third-generation owner, died of cancer at age 72.

Previously, Teruyuki used to eat unagi prepared in the restaurant, albeit cooked to an even tenderer state than usual and cut into small pieces.

Some time after his father passed away, Keita and Yukiko heard there was a home appliance that could soften food.

When the couple contacted Tokie Mizuno, 57, one of the developers behind the machine, she was kind enough to pay a visit to Umenoi.

She told them unagi was one of the most popular food that Japanese wish to have as the last meal of their lives. She then put unagi into the cooking appliance she brought with her.

When it was taken out 30 minutes later, it melted on the tongue.

Because there was no need to cut it into small pieces, it looked no different from regular unagi served to customers.

Amazed, the couple decided on the spot to serve “unaju” (grilled eel on rice) so tender there’s no need to chew it for 2,900 yen ($21), including tax.

They also use the appliance to soften rice or cook porridge to produce the desired texture.

“We delivered it to a 94-year-old woman the other day. We heard she enjoyed the dish a lot,” Yukiko said with a big smile. “I never thought even an unagi restaurant can contribute to society.”

CATERING TO ALL

This past summer, Uoshige Daioden, a Japanese restaurant in Higashi-Omi, Shiga Prefecture, also started serving softened eels as a bowl dish and other menu items.

It was originally a reservation-only establishment, but demand for parties disappeared due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Masaru Iwasaki, 44, the second-generation proprietor, decided to try a last-ditch effort to cater to all customers.

“There are people who have difficulty chewing and swallowing in this community,” he said. “I want to support them.”

For those with diminished chewing and swallowing abilities, their food must be processed in a mixer or prepared as meals specifically designed for them.

The cooking appliance that does the trick is sold under the name DeliSofter.

The DeliSofter uses the same technique as can be found in a pressure cooker--cooking food in high pressure steam and heat to soften ingredients without altering their shapes.

It was developed by Kyoto-based Gifmo Co., a startup founded by former Panasonic Corp. employees in 2019.

Mizuno works as a sales representative and nursing-care meal adviser at the company.

“It can soften any dish, but it brings particular joy to people when they eat unagi because they can savor the taste they have gotten used to for many years,” she said. “I want to extend the map of restaurants that serve softened unagi to cover all 47 prefectures and help create more smiles.”

The restaurant Honke Shibato started serving softened unagi dishes first. It was originally established more than 300 years ago and is currently operating in Osaka’s Chuo Ward.

Each month since April, the restaurant has received several orders for the unagi dishes that are softened with DeliSofter.

“Nothing is sadder than learning that some customers have given up coming to us because they can’t chew their food,” said Kei Shibato, 47, the young proprietress.

She produced fliers to promote the softened dishes in mid-October.

“I will be so delighted if I see softened eels served at any unagi restaurant,” she added.

In mid-November, the restaurant Numazu Unayoshi, which was founded more than 60 years ago in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, also followed suit.

Hiroyuki Nagoya, 62, the second-generation proprietor, decided to introduce the cooking machine after attending a trial session held in October and seeing the results.

“It looks the same (as a regular eel) and tastes no different. I thought it would sell, and I see orders coming in,” he said.

Nagoya said he intends to approach other restauranteurs in the prefecture to expand a network of support and remove barriers for all diners.