Eel anyone?

Welcome back to JJNN.
Today's article is from the Yomiuri Online.

Eel cooked with a sweet sauce

Doesn't that look good? In my opinion, there is nothing better on a hot summer day, especially if I am feeling drained of energy, than eel cooked in that way over rice. It tastes good and never fails to give me my energy back. I know to most people a meal of eel does not sound that appetising, but when it is cooked correctly it is amazing. Also, there is also a day that is usually at the end of July, called "doyou ushi no hi," in which eel is the food of choice. This all brings us to the picture below:

Japanese Eel Egg

As the caption says, that picture is the egg of the type of eel that can be found in the oceans around Japan. So, what is the big deal about eel eggs? Well, up until a few weeks ago no one knew where the eels actually went to lay their eggs.

Back in 2009 a group from Tokyo University were lucky enough to find 31 of the eel eggs. There were no more breakthroughs into the eel egg mystery until the 29th of last month. The same team found 147 of the eggs on the West Mariana ridge. That would normally not mean much, because tides move things rather quickly in the ocean but some of the eggs were just laid, leading the team to believe they have finally found where the eels lay their eggs. Hopefully this discovery leads to more eel production and a lower price. I love me some eel, but it is just too expensive now.

It is now time for the word of the day. Today's word is 鰻(うなぎ). It is pronounced unagi and it means Japanese eel.