Japanese cuisine has a vast array of regional specialities known as kyōdo ryōri (郷土料理) in Japanese, many of them originating from dishes prepared using local ingredients and traditional recipes.[1]
While "local" ingredients are now available nationwide, and some originally regional dishes such as okonomiyaki and Edo-style sushi have spread throughout Japan and are no longer considered as such, many regional specialities survive to this day, with some new ones still being created.
Regionality is also apparent in many dishes which are served throughout Japan such as zōni soup. For example, the dashi-based broth for serving udon noodles is heavy on dark soy sauce, similar to soba broth, in eastern Japan, while in western Japan the broth relies more on the complex dashi-flavouring, with a hint of light soy sauce.
Historical origins
Broadly speaking, the historical origins of Japanese regional specialities can be categorized into four types:
Traditional - Food originating from local ingredients before the days of refrigeration
Late 19th and early 20th centuries - The influx of foreign culture in the wake of the 1886 Meiji Restoration and the end of national seclusion led to waves of new dishes being invented throughout Japan using new ingredients and cooking methods.
In the aftermath of the Second World War - Food shortages led to new dishes being devised from existing ingredients, many by returning soldiers bringing back recipes from abroad.
Modern - Modern chefs inventing new dishes which become popular locally, as well as dishes artificially[clarification needed] proclaimed to be regional specialties by local businesses and tourist boards.
Inago no tsukudani - Inago (a type of grasshopper) stewed in sweetened soy. (rural communities in inland Yamagata, Nagano and Gunma Prefectures).
Hōtō - udon noodles stewed in a miso-based soup with vegetables such as pumpkin or potatoes, mushrooms and sometimes meat. This is usually served in a cast-iron pot.
Monja-yaki - a savoury pancake similar to okonomiyaki but much runnier and eaten directly off the grill using a metal spatula, from working-class districts of Tokyo. A nostalgic food item making a recent comeback.
Yanagawa nabe [ja] and dojō nabe - a nabemono dish of loach cooked in a pot. Yanagawa nabe also contains sliced burdock root and egg. (working class districts of Tokyo)
Sushi - What is known as "sushi" worldwide is a type of sushi known in Japan as edo-mae-zushi (Edo Bay sushi) and originates from 1820s Edo (Tokyo).
Masuzushi [ja] - Trout steamed in wrapped bamboo leaves and served on a circular bed of rice six inches in diameter (Toyama Prefecture).
Jibu-ni - Duck or chicken pieces coated in starch and stewed with wheat gluten, mushrooms and vegetables in a soy-dashi broth. (Kanazawa)
Tekone-zushi [ja] - a type of sushi where slices of raw tuna and the like are marinaded in a soy sauce based marinade and then laid out over vinegared rice and sprinkled with shredded nori etc. (southern Shima Peninsula in Mie Prefecture)
Kansai and Chugoku regions
Yudofu - tofu simmered in hot water with kombu and eaten with various dipping sauces. (Kyoto)
Osaka zushi - sushi pressed quadrangle sharp and also called Hako zushi ("box sushi"). (Osaka)
Battera zushi - a type of box sushi using mackerel and vinegared kelp. Named battera taken from the Portuguese bateria or small boat.
Obanzai - a style of cooking rather than a dish in Kyoto
Shikoku
Katsuo no tataki - finely chopped skipjack tuna mixed with chopped spring onion and seasoned with rice vinegar. (Kochi area - in other regions this would refer to sliced, seared skipjack tuna)
Sudachi - a tiny lime-like citrus, which is mixed, grated and added to fish dishes of the Tokushima area to give any dish the distinctive summertime in Tokushima taste.
Mizutaki - a nabemono dish of chicken and vegetables cooked in broth and served with a ponzu dipping sauce (Fukuoka)
Hakataramen - noodles served in a tonkotsu (pork bone stock) soup with unique toppings such as beni shōga (pickled ginger), sesame seeds and picked greens. Yatai stalls in Hakata and Tenjin are well-known. Many restaurants operate a system known as kaedama (替え玉), where customers who have finished eating can ask for cheap additional bundles of noodles to be put in their remaining soup. The noodles are typically thin and straight. Now popular throughout Japan.
sake-zushi - a type of sushi which uses rice flavored with sake instead of the usual rice vinegar. Served in a tub topped with shrimp, sea bream, octopus, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots and shredded omelette.
Toriten - a tempura chicken that can be dipped in a soy sauce based sauce. (Ōita Prefecture)
^"Encounter with Kuwana"(PDF) (in English and Japanese). Tourism Division, Industry Promotion Department, City of Kuwana. September 2006. pp. 22–23. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
