{{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 | region = | creator = | course = | type = Stew | served = | main_ingredient = Dashi or chicken broth, sake or mirin, chicken or fish, tofu, vegetables (daikon, bok choy, and others) | variations = | calories = | other = }}
thumb|right|Chanko set right|thumb|One example of chankonabe
In Japanese cuisine, '''chankonabe''' ({{langx|ja|ちゃんこ鍋}}), also known as '''chanko''' or '''sumo stew''', is a stew (a type of {{lang|ja-Latn|nabemono}} or one-pot dish) commonly eaten in vast quantities by 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|place=Tokyo|date=2023-01-08|access-date=19 May 2026}}</ref>
==Ingredients and consumption== The dish contains a ''dashi'' or chicken broth soup base with sake or ''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|access-date=30 May 2020}}</ref> the bulk is made up of large quantities of protein sources such as chicken (quartered, skin left on), fish (fried and made into balls), tofu, or sometimes beef, and vegetables (daikon, 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'' or ''udon'' noodles.<ref name="kcp" />
Despite their size, active sumo wrestlers have been found to carry unusually low levels of visceral fat — the metabolically active fat stored around the internal organs — and instead store most of their body fat as 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 foods, and added oils, which helps active wrestlers maintain near-normal blood glucose, triglyceride, and 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 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 district of Tokyo, home to many prominent sumo stables.<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|place=New York City|date=2020-02-05|access-date=19 May 2026}}</ref>
Chankonabe served during sumo tournaments 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|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 *List of Japanese soups and stews *Nabemono
==References== {{Commons category|Chankonabe}} {{Reflist}}
Category:Japanese soups and stews Category:Sumo terminology Category:Hot pot