Regional food of Chubu

Dote-ni slowly simmers beef tendon or pork or beef offal, konnyaku, and other ingredients in a thick sweet-savory sauce centered on Aichi bean miso.

Aichi miso dengaku grills drained firm tofu on skewers, coats it with a sweet-savory glaze based on local bean miso, and briefly toasts the surface.

Oni manju binds cubes of sweet potato with a modest flour, rice-flour and sugar batter, then steams rough mounds. Protruding potato cubes evoke an...

Jojo-giri is an Atsumi Peninsula dish of short, flat handmade wheat noodles in sweet azuki soup, also called Irago shiruko. The noodles are about 3...

Hitsumabushi spreads finely cut, sauce-glazed grilled eel over rice in a wooden tub, then turns one serving into several experiences.

Kishimen are broad, thin wheat noodles associated with Aichi and Nagoya. Their flat surface catches broth and gives a smooth, supple mouthfeel...

Miso katsu tops or dips pork cutlet or skewered cutlet in a sweet-savory sauce blended from soybean miso, dashi, sugar and mirin.

Miso nikomi udon vigorously simmers firm noodles in a personal clay pot of dashi and dark soybean miso. Chicken, fried tofu, leek, shiitake, fish...

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Nishi-jiru is a rare Shinojima dish that finely pounds small shore whelks called nishi, traditionally including the shell, with grilled fish and...

Toyohashi nameshi dengaku pairs lightly salted rice mixed with finely chopped daikon leaves and skewered grilled tofu coated in sweet-savory red miso.

Echizen oroshi soba is Fukui buckwheat served cold with grated daikon, dashi, bonito flakes and scallion. Dark, often thick noodles meet the radish's...

Fukui bokkake pours a hot soy-seasoned bonito broth containing burdock and fried tofu over rice; carrot, konnyaku and mushrooms may join.

Fukui decchi yokan is a thin slab of winter water-yokan made from smooth azuki paste, sugar, agar, and plenty of water. It is lighter, less sweet, and...

Habutae mochi kneads mochi flour with sugar and starch syrup into a smooth, thin white sweet whose sheen and softness evoke Fukui's habutae silk.

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Satoimo no koroni simmers small taro from Fukui's Okuetsu area whole with soy sauce, sugar and mirin, leaving a trace of thin skin and rolling the pot...

Suko peels, cuts, heats, and sweet-vinegar dresses the red stems of yatsugashira taro. Acid brings out a vivid crimson color and the stems retain a...

Takuan no nitano rescues year-end pickled daikon that has become sharp and salty by summer. Fukui households slice and desalinate the old takuan, then...

Satsukigase is a thick, round Fukui confection packed with whole peanut pieces and baked hard in a stone oven. Although sold as senbei, it is a wheat...

Hamayaki saba is a whole, belly-opened mackerel skewered and grilled until its skin is aromatic, a hallmark of Wakasa and Obama in Fukui. Unlike...

Heshiko preserves mackerel or sardine by salting it, packing it in rice bran with chilli and maturing it through summer. Wakasa mackerel heshiko is...

Saba narezushi in Wakasa and Obama commonly begins with mackerel heshiko, desalted and packed with cooked rice and rice koji for further fermentation.

Ayu gashi folds a thin, softly griddled cake around a long strip of gyuhi and adds an eye, fins and tail to resemble an ayu sweetfish from the Nagara...

Hoba-zushi wraps vinegared rice with salted fish, river fish, mountain vegetables, ginger or shiitake in a broad magnolia leaf.

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Genkotsu is a Hida sweet made by kneading kinako with starch syrup, rolling the dough into a rope, and cutting it into bite-size pieces. Some makers...

Hoba miso grills miso, scallion and mushrooms on a dried magnolia leaf over a small tabletop flame. The leaf perfumes the bubbling miso, which is...

Takayama ramen pairs thin curly noodles with a pale-brown soy broth and restrained toppings such as chashu, menma and scallion.

Tsukemono steak sautés Hida's fermented Chinese-cabbage pickles on an iron plate, binds them with egg and often finishes them with bonito flakes and...

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Nakatsugawa kuri kinton is an autumn confection from eastern Gifu made by cooking mashed chestnuts with a small amount of sugar and shaping each...

Fugu no ko nukazuke is a licensed specialty of Ishikawa made by designated businesses from pufferfish ovaries, a part that is poisonous before...

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Ebisu is an Ishikawa ceremonial dish made by streaming beaten egg into agar seasoned with sugar and soy sauce, then chilling it in a mold. Its...

Kabura-zushi sandwiches salted yellowtail inside thick salted turnip and ferments it with rice koji. White koji, carrot and kombu surround a slice...

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Metta-jiru is Ishikawa's hearty miso soup of sweet potato, daikon, carrot, pork and optional tofu or konnyaku.

Kaga bocha sweets are a family of soft-serve ice creams, puddings, chocolates and baked goods flavored with Ishikawa's roasted stem tea. The name...

Gori ryori is a family of Kanazawa dishes rather than one fixed recipe. Small fish called gori are simmered as tsukudani, fried whole, served in...

Jibuni dusts duck or chicken lightly with flour or starch and simmers it with striped sudare-fu, mushrooms and greens in sweet-savory dashi. Wasabi is...

Kanazawa kintsuba sets whole-grained sweet azuki with sugar and agar, cuts it square, coats it thinly and sears each side.

Kanazawa nasu somen simmers eggplant until tender in sweet-savory soy dashi, then adds somen so the noodles absorb the broth.

Tai no karamushi opens a whole head-on sea bream from the back, stuffs it with okara cooked with carrot, burdock, ginkgo and other ingredients, and...

Ishiru is a fish sauce from the Noto Peninsula made by fermenting and aging squid viscera or fish such as sardine and mackerel with salt. Its brown...

Noto Shika korogaki dries the Shika-born astringent persimmon variety Saisho and repeatedly massages the fruit to form a smooth amber center. Natural...

Shibafune is Shibafune Koide's Kanazawa confection: a thin, gently curved oval wheat cracker brushed with a snow-white sugar and freshly squeezed...

Western Toyama kabura-zushi sandwiches salted yellowtail, mackerel, or sometimes salmon or trout inside salted large turnip and ferments it with rice...

Henba Mochi encloses smooth azuki paste in a flat round rice-flour cake and grills both sides, creating characteristic browned rings around a tender...

Nagamochi is a long, thin grilled mochi confection made by Sasa-iwai in Hinaga, Yokkaichi, Mie. A restrained layer of sweet azuki bean paste is...

Gohei mochi partially crushes cooked non-glutinous rice, shapes it around a skewer, coats it with a miso- or soy-based sauce containing walnuts...

Romen combines firm steamed Chinese noodles with mutton, cabbage and often wood-ear mushroom. Ina restaurants serve both broth-rich and sauce-fried...

Sunki-zuke ferments the leaves and stems of Kiso red-turnip varieties without salt, using sound previous sunki, its liquid or a prepared starter. The...

Komagane sauce katsudon layers raw shredded cabbage over rice and tops it with freshly fried pork cutlet dipped in a sweet, savory house sauce. Unlike...

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Hachinoko are edible bee larvae and pupae, especially black hornet in mountain regions, cooked as sweet-soy tsukudani or with rice. The culture...

Koori soba forms boiled noodles into small nests, freezes them in the severe winter cold around Kashiwabara and dries them over time. The light dry...

Oyaki encloses cooked nozawana greens, dried daikon, miso eggplant, pumpkin, mushrooms, beans or other fillings in a wrapper made from wheat...

Nagano shio-ika sunomono rehydrates and desalts preserved squid, briefly heats it as directed, then dresses it with cucumber, wakame and sweet...

Raicho no Sato is Tanakaya's Omachi souvenir: a long rectangular sandwich of crisp, thin European-style senbei layers and mellow cream, balancing...

Oshibori udon grates a pungent local daikon such as nezumi daikon, presses it through cloth and dissolves Shinshu miso in the raw juice. The pressed...

Koi-koku simmers thick cross-sections of carp with skin, bones and sometimes head or offal in miso for a deeply savory soup. Around Saku...

Nozawana-zuke pickles the long stalks and leaves of Nozawana, a signature Nagano green. Bright, crisp shallow pickles contrast with amber, sour...

Shinshu sanzoku-yaki marinates a large intact chicken thigh or breast in garlic-soy seasoning, coats it with starch and deep-fries it. Despite yaki in...

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Tenyose sets eggs, somen, beans, fruit or vegetables in sweetened agar or seasoned dashi. Suwa households make both dessert and savory forms.

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Wappa-ni puts grilled rockfish, filefish, greenling, or other island fish and scallion in a cedar wappa, adds hot water, drops in a red-hot stone to...

Hegi soba uses funori seaweed as a binder and arranges glossy, resilient noodles in bite-size loops across a rectangular wooden hegi tray.

Wappa meshi is Inakaya's Niigata specialty: dashi-seasoned rice and toppings are steamed in a round bentwood vessel. Salmon and ikura are the...

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Kanzuri is Kanzuri Co.'s trademarked orange-red seasoning made with Myoko-grown chilies that are salted and exposed on snow, then mixed with rice...

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Bandai Daiko is Osaka-ya's short drum-shaped baked sweet: soft ringed cookie layers surround a cream center.

Ego-neri is made by simmering edible ego red algae in water, kneading it until thick, and chilling it to set. On Sado it is commonly called igo-neri...

Kensa-yaki, also called kensan-yaki, is lightly pounded rice shaped into a flat cake, grilled, coated with sweet miso, and grilled again.

Salmon yakizuke grills fresh salmon without glaze, then soaks the hot cooked pieces in soy, sake and mirin seasoning.

Sasa dango is a deep-green mugwort rice dumpling wrapped in several bamboo leaves and tied with rush or sedge cord. Modern versions usually enclose...

Niigata tare katsudon dips freshly fried thin pork cutlets in a sweet-savory soy glaze and lays them directly on white rice.

Noppei-jiru is a family of regional soups simmering taro, daikon, carrot, burdock and konnyaku with a light thickening.

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Yukiguni Arare is not a generic name for every snow-country rice cracker. It is tied to Yukiguni Arare Co. in Niigata City and its product range...

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Ageshio is Marutaya's small craggy cookie combining cornflakes, raisins, walnuts, and orange peel. It is baked, not deep-fried, and the maker does not...

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Suppon cuisine is a family of dishes using Japanese soft-shell turtle: hot pot, clear soup, fried pieces, aspic and rice porridge. Around Lake Hamana...

Unagi kabayaki is split eel grilled on skewers while repeatedly glazed with a sweet-savory sauce of soy, mirin and sugar. The charred aroma, eel fat...

Unagi Pie is Shunkado's long, layered sweet pastry, launched in Hamamatsu in 1961. Butter-rich dough is seasoned with eel extract and other flavoring...

Mariko tororo-jiru is a specialty of the old Mariko post town in Shizuoka. Strongly viscous jinenjo wild yam is grated and gradually loosened with...

Abekawa mochi is a Shizuoka sweet of soft mochi coated in sweetened roasted soybean flour. Many modern shops serve or pack kinako mochi together with...

Kuro hanpen is a thin, half-moon fish cake associated with Yaizu and central Shizuoka. Mackerel, sardine, and similar fish are ground with skin and...

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Wasabi-zuke combines salted, finely chopped wasabi stems and roots with sake lees. Sweet fermented aroma and creamy lees give way to the plant's sharp...

Sakura shrimp kakiage gathers dozens of tiny Suruga Bay shrimp in a thin, crisp fritter. Their shells provide aroma and a delicate crunch, while the...

Tara-jiru cuts pollock into chunks and simmers flesh, head, bones, liver, milt or roe in Echū miso, sometimes with scallion and burdock.

Buri daikon braises yellowtail heads, collars and bones with thick daikon in soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar. The radish becomes amber and the fish...

Fuwa Fukujudo's Kanoko Mochi is a square-edged white Takaoka sweet made with Toyama Shintaisho glutinous rice and egg white, dotted with candied...

Hangontan is Kasho Mitsuya's small spherical Toyama sweet, wrapping white bean paste in a moist cocoa baked shell shaped after a traditional pill.

Shiro-ebi are slender shrimp, usually five to eight centimeters long, whose translucent bodies carry a faint blush. Known as the jewel of Toyama Bay...

Hotaru-ika are small squid associated with Toyama Bay's spring, blue-white displays and regional dishes such as boiled squid with vinegared miso...

Ika no kurozukuri matures squid flesh and liver with salt, then adds squid ink to make Toyama's glossy black fermented delicacy. Traditional...

Kankontan encloses smoothly cooked custard in a pale round steamed sponge made with Toyama water.

Kombu-jime sandwiches sashimi or another ingredient between sheets of kelp. The kombu draws off surface moisture while transferring aroma and umami...

Masu-zushi layers vinegared rice and salt-and-vinegar-cured trout in a round bamboo-leaf-lined wooden container, presses the wheel and cuts it into...

Toyama's tororo-kombu onigiri replaces the usual nori wrapper with a thick coat of finely shaved, seasoned kombu. Plum, grilled salmon, bonito flakes...

Tsukisekai is Tsukisekai Hompo's white rectangular Toyama confection. Its finely aerated surface first feels crisp, then dissolves lightly in the...

Buri shabu passes thin yellowtail slices through simmering kombu broth until the surface turns pale, then pairs them with ponzu and condiments.

Kofu tori motsu-ni quickly cooks chicken liver, gizzard, heart, and sometimes immature egg yolks in a sweet soy reduction. Its lacquered glaze and...

Seida no tamaji cooks small skin-on potatoes, first sautéed or fried, in dashi, miso and sugar until a glossy sauce clings.

Houtou simmers broad fresh wheat noodles directly with pumpkin, roots, greens, mushrooms, and fried tofu in miso broth, letting the flour thicken the...

Ozara, also called odara, is a Yamanashi dish of wheat noodles slightly narrower than hoto, boiled separately, rinsed cold and dipped into warm...

Yamanashi's Shingen-mochi sweets pair small soft mochi pieces with abundant roasted soybean flour and separate dark sugar syrup. Kinseiken's product...

Yoshida no Udon from Fujiyoshida uses unusually thick, hard noodles in soy, miso or blended broth, commonly with boiled cabbage and sweet-savory horse...