'' Kamameshi '' ( 釜飯 ) literally translates to " kettle rice " and is a traditional Japanese rice dish cooked in an iron pot called a '' kama '' . Kamameshi originally referred to rice that was eaten communally from the kama . Coworkers or family members either ate directly from the kama pot or by transferring the rice to individual bowls . The term emerged in the late Meiji period , and is associated with the communal eating of rice in the aftermath of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake . Later , similar to '' takikomi gohan '' , kamameshi came to refer to a type of Japanese pilaf cooked with various types of meat , seafood , and vegetables , and flavored with soy sauce , sake , or mirin . By cooking the rice and various ingredients in an iron pot , the rice gets slightly burned at the bottom which adds a desirable flavor to the rice . '' Kama '' designed specifically to prepare kamameshi appeared on the market as the dish became popular across Japan , and the prepared kamameshi is placed directly on the table in its pot for the meal . A small-scale replica of the '' kama '' is used to create an individual serving of kamameshi , and the dish is now a popular '' ekiben ''
1923 Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kantō earthquake
Kamameshi