A Taste of Japan: Regional Delicacies to Try in Beijing
三重 Mie
Matsusaka gyudon松阪牛肉饭 A bowl of rice topped with sliced Matsusaka beef
The breed of cattle known as “Japanese Black” produce beautifully marbled wagyu beef. Yes, these are the cows that are raised drinking beer, getting massages and soothing music.
Get it at: Sake Manzo
和歌山Wakayama
kamo “hali-hali” nabe 鸭砂锅 duck hot pot
This warming soup also features leeks and tofu. “Hali-hali” is onomatopoeia for the sound of vegetables being tossed into the boiling soup (just like shabu-shabu is meant to evoke the “swish-swish” of hot pot cooking).
Get it at: Kurazen
大阪 Osaka
okonomiyaki 大阪烧\ Kansai-style pancake
Made from an eggy batter, cabbage, seafood and pretty much anything else you want, then topped with the bonito flakes that writhe and dance in the steamy heat of the just-grilled pancake. It’s the only food that waves at you before you eat it.
Get it at: Umikawa
兵库 Kobe
sobameshi 炒面饭 pan-fried noodle mixed with steamed rice
This starch-lover’s dream is traditionally topped with a sunny fried egg and non-traditionally spiced up with kimchi.
Get it at: Juju
香川 Kagawa
Sanuki udon 乌冬
When your region eats seven times as much udon as the national average, it’s probably fair to say that your people do noodles right. These soft and silky noodles shine in a simple bonito-and-kelp broth.
Get it at: Marukame Seimen
广岛 Hiroshima
okomiyaki 广岛烧 Hiroshima-style pancake
They build it like a layer cake – with plenty of those layers being cabbage – and then smash it down. You would know this if you’d ever visited Hiroshima’s Okonomimura, the food theme park with 26 okomiyaki restaurants.
Get it at: Gozou Roppu
北海道 Hokkaido
Hokkaido kani 北海道毛蟹 Hokkaido crab
This region is famous for big crabs with bristles on its legs. Apparently there’s a saying: “Once they eat crab, Japanese people become silent.” It’s a Zen thing.
Get it at: Edomae
miso ramen 味噌拉面 noodles in miso broth
Like other fermented foods, this soybean paste is a nutritional powerhouse. The nutrients you’re slurping up are said to cut the risk of stroke and breast cancer. Miso impressed.
Get it at: Hokkaido Ramen
福岛 Fukushima
ankou nabe安康鱼砂锅 anglerfish liver hot pot
As fish go, this is not a pretty one – but it’s beautiful on the inside. Its guts are highly prized as the “foie gras of the sea” and this winter stew of anglerfish innards and vegetables is supposed to do wonders for the skin and for anemics.
Get it at: Kurazen
福井Fukui
buri daikon鱼汤炖白萝卜 yellowtail and radish stew
Long simmering pulls flavor from the fish head and cheeks, and turns the radish from obdurate to yielding. A dish traditionally eaten in winter, when yellowtail are nice and fatty. Fantastic with rice.
Get it at: Sake Manzo
富山 Toyama
hotaruika 腌荧光鱿鱼 preserved firefly squid
Tourists flock to the spawning grounds of these bioluminescent creatures to ooh and aah at the deep-blue glow show. These squid also make an excellent beer snack.
Get it at: Sake Manzo
东京Tokyo
ningenyaki 人形烧 “face” pie with red bean filling
Every culture likes to combine faces and pie. In the West, the pie is thrust into the face. In Japan, the face is struck onto the pie.
Get it at: Kyonichi
冲绳Okinawa
torimomo tenppura 鸡屁股天妇罗 chicken butt tempura
“Guess what? Chicken butt!”Yes, exactly. Dipped in batter and deep-fried. Bring your favorite bratty kid and they’ll be so busy giggling that they’ll never get around to eating any. That leaves more for you!
Get it at: Kurazen
goya chanpuru 冲绳家常小炒 Okinawa-style stir-fry
Veggies, egg, Spam, tofu and bitter melon. Just like chop suey, chanpuru has become a metaphor of things thrown together by circumstance.
Get it at: Kurazen
This article originally appeared on page 26 in the January issue of the Beijinger.
