# Chankonabe

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{{Redirect|Chanko|the village in Botlikh district in Dagestan|Chanko (village)}}
{{short description|Japanese hot pot dish}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name             = Chankonabe
| image            = Chankonabe.jpg
| image_size       = 250px
| caption          = 
| alternate_name   = 
| country          = [Japan](/source/Japan)
| region           = 
| creator          = 
| course           = 
| type             = Stew
| served           = 
| main_ingredient  = [Dashi](/source/Dashi) or [chicken broth](/source/chicken_broth), [sake](/source/sake) or [mirin](/source/mirin), [chicken](/source/Chicken_(food)) or [fish](/source/fish), [tofu](/source/tofu), [vegetable](/source/vegetable)s ([daikon](/source/daikon), [bok choy](/source/bok_choy), and others)
| variations       = 
| calories         = 
| other            = 
}}

thumb|right|Chanko set
right|thumb|One example of chankonabe

In [Japanese cuisine](/source/Japanese_cuisine), '''chankonabe''' ({{langx|ja|ちゃんこ鍋}}), also known as '''chanko''' or '''sumo stew''', is a [stew](/source/stew) (a type of {{lang|ja-Latn|[nabemono](/source/nabemono)}} or one-pot dish) commonly eaten in vast quantities by [sumo](/source/sumo) wrestlers while trying to gain weight.<ref name="japantimes">{{cite web|last=Itoh|first=Makiko|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2023/01/08/food/japanese-kitchen-recipe-chanko-nabe/|title=Recipe: Sumo hot pot|newspaper=[The Japan Times](/source/The_Japan_Times)|place=[Tokyo](/source/Tokyo)|date=2023-01-08|access-date=19 May 2026}}</ref>

==Ingredients and consumption==
The dish contains a ''[dashi](/source/dashi)'' or [chicken broth](/source/chicken_broth) soup base with [sake](/source/sake) or ''[mirin](/source/mirin)'' to add flavor. The dish is not made according to a fixed recipe and often contains whatever is available to the cook;<ref>{{cite web|title= The Boston Globe - How to eat like a sumo wrestler|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/food-dining/2017/05/08/how-eat-like-sumo-wrestler/Spy32wgdFSB9nxDBVjkxPN/story.html|publisher=[The Boston Globe](/source/The_Boston_Globe)|access-date=30 May 2020}}</ref> the bulk is made up of large quantities of [protein](/source/protein) sources such as [chicken](/source/chicken) (quartered, skin left on), fish (fried and made into balls), [tofu](/source/tofu), or sometimes [beef](/source/beef), and vegetables ([daikon](/source/daikon), [bok choy](/source/bok_choy), etc.).<ref name="kcp">{{cite web|title=Chankonabe: The Sumo Wrestler's Meal|url=https://www.kcpinternational.com/2015/11/chankonabe-the-sumo-wrestlers-meal/|publisher=KCP International|date=10 February 2021|access-date=19 May 2026}}</ref>

While considered a reasonably healthy dish in its own right, ''chankonabe'' is very protein-rich and usually served in massive quantities. Modern sumo wrestlers typically accompany the stew with copious amounts of rice — often five to ten bowls per meal — along with beer, in order to increase caloric intake.<ref name="gurunavi">{{cite web|title=Sumo Diet & Lifestyle: The Chunkiest of Chanko Nabe|url=https://gurunavi.com/en/japanfoodie/2016/09/sumo-diet-and-lifestyle.html|publisher=Gurunavi|access-date=19 May 2026}}</ref><ref name="kcp" /> Leftover chankonabe broth can also later be used as broth for ''[sōmen](/source/s%C5%8Dmen)'' or ''[udon](/source/udon)'' noodles.<ref name="kcp" />

Despite their size, active sumo wrestlers have been found to carry unusually low levels of [visceral fat](/source/visceral_fat) — the metabolically active fat stored around the internal organs — and instead store most of their body fat as [subcutaneous fat](/source/subcutaneous_fat) just beneath the skin. Researchers attribute this in part to their intense daily training and to a diet that, despite its caloric load, is relatively low in sugar, [processed food](/source/processed_food)s, and added oils, which helps active wrestlers maintain near-normal blood [glucose](/source/glucose), [triglyceride](/source/triglyceride), and [cholesterol](/source/cholesterol) levels.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Matsuzawa|first1=Yuji|title=Pathophysiology and Pathogenesis of Visceral Fat Obesity|journal=Obesity Research|date=September 1995|volume=3|issue=S2|pages=187S–194S|doi=10.1002/j.1550-8528.1995.tb00462.x|pmid=8581775}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Nishizawa|first1=T.|last2=Akaoka|first2=I.|last3=Nishida|first3=Y.|last4=Kawaguchi|first4=Y.|last5=Hayashi|first5=E.|title=Some factors related to obesity in the Japanese sumo wrestler|journal=The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition|date=October 1976|volume=29|issue=10|pages=1167–1174|doi=10.1093/ajcn/29.10.1167|pmid=973605}}</ref>

''Chankonabe'' is traditionally served according to seniority, with the senior wrestlers and any guests of the [sumo stable](/source/Heya_(sumo)) receiving first choice, and the junior wrestlers getting whatever is left.<ref>{{cite web|title= Essential Japan Guide - Chankonabe|date=16 September 2011 |url=http://www.essential-japan-guide.com/chankonabe/|publisher=Essential Japan Guide|access-date=30 May 2020}}</ref>

==Origin and customs==
Chankonabe is also a popular restaurant food, often served in restaurants operated by retired sumo wrestlers who specialize in the dish; the first of these, Kawasaki Chanko, was started in 1937 in the [Ryōgoku](/source/Ry%C5%8Dgoku) district of [Tokyo](/source/Tokyo), home to many prominent [sumo stable](/source/sumo_stable)s.<ref name="japantimes" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Korn|first=Marjorie|url=https://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/recipe-how-to-make-your-own-chanko-nabe-sumo-stew|title=How to Make Your Own Chanko Nabe (Sumo Stew)|magazine=[Men's Journal](/source/Men's_Journal)|place=[New York City](/source/New_York_City)|date=2020-02-05|access-date=19 May 2026}}</ref>

Chankonabe served during [sumo tournaments](/source/honbasho) is made exclusively with chicken, the idea being that a wrestler should always be on two legs like a chicken, and not on all fours.<ref>{{cite web|title=Independent Lens - Sumo East and West|url=https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/sumoeastandwest/chanko.html|publisher=[PBS](/source/PBS)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108093531/https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/sumoeastandwest/chanko.html|access-date=15 February 2012|archive-date=2020-11-08}}</ref>

==See also==
*[Glossary of sumo terms](/source/Glossary_of_sumo_terms)
*[List of Japanese soups and stews](/source/List_of_Japanese_soups_and_stews)
*[Nabemono](/source/Nabemono)

==References==
{{Commons category|Chankonabe}}
{{Reflist}}

Category:Japanese soups and stews
Category:Sumo terminology
Category:Hot pot

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chankonabe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chankonabe) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chankonabe?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.