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Regional food of Hokkaido & Tohoku

• Akita Babahera IceAkita

  Babahera is a light pink-and-yellow, sherbet-like frozen sweet that roadside vendors scoop and shape with a metal spatula, often forming a rose in a...

• Akita Damako MochiAkita

  Damako mochi pounds freshly cooked rice only until sticky, rolls it into bite-sized balls and usually simmers them in a chicken, mushroom and...

• Akita Hatahata-zushiAkita

  Hatahata-zushi layers salted sandfish with cooked rice, rice koji and vegetables such as turnip, carrot and seaweed, then ferments them into a gently...

• Akita Imonoko-jiruAkita

  Akita imonoko-jiru simmers creamy taro with chicken, mushrooms, konnyaku and vegetables in a warming soy-seasoned broth.

• Akita KinmanAkita

  Kinman is a bite-size round cake with a soft castella-like shell and smooth white-bean filling, stamped and baked to an even golden color.

• Akita Kujira KayakiAkita

  Kujira kayaki, also called kujira-jiru, simmers slices of whale meat with summer eggplant and sometimes mountain vegetables in a miso broth, often...

• Akita Natto-jiruAkita

  Natto-jiru dissolves finely ground natto into miso soup with tofu, wild vegetables, mushrooms and other preserved winter ingredients, creating a...

• Akita SanazuraAkita

  Sanazura concentrates the dark color, aroma and tartness of wild grapes into thin, softly set jelly sheets, often wrapped between leaves or films.

• Akita Shottsuru NabeAkita

  Shottsuru nabe seasons hatahata sandfish, tofu and vegetables with Akita's fermented fish sauce.

• Akita Tofu CastellaAkita

  Tofu castella drains and mashes tofu, sweetens it with sugar, combines it with egg and bakes it into a firm yellow slab resembling castella in...

• IburigakkoAkita

  Iburigakko is an Akita pickle made by smoking daikon over wood, then fermenting it in a rice-bran bed with salt and seasonings. The slices combine a...

• Inaniwa UdonAkita

  Inaniwa udon is a fine, flat dried noodle from southern Akita, made through repeated kneading, twisting, stretching, and drying. It is smooth and...

• Kiritanpo Hot PotAkita

  Kiritanpo is an Akita specialty made by pounding freshly cooked rice, wrapping it around cedar skewers, and grilling it. In kiritanpo hot pot, the...

• Oga Ishiyaki NabeAkita

  Ishiyaki nabe boils seafood, seaweed and vegetables in a wooden tub by dropping in red-hot stones.

• Yokote YakisobaAkita

  Yokote yakisoba combines thick, straight boiled noodles with a mild sweet-savory sauce, minced pork and cabbage, then adds a sunny-side-up egg and...

• Aomori Ginger Miso OdenAomori

  Aomori ginger miso oden covers dashi-simmered daikon, konnyaku, tofu and fish cakes with a sweet-savory miso sauce sharpened by grated ginger.

• Aomori Ika MenchiAomori

  Ika menchi mixes chopped squid, including its tentacles, with onion, carrot and other vegetables, then binds and fries the mixture into a savory...

• Aomori Jappa-jiruAomori

  Jappa-jiru cooks the head, bones and other flavorful parts of cod with daikon, tofu and vegetables in miso soup.

• Aomori Kaiyaki MisoAomori

  Kaiyaki miso uses a large scallop shell as a small pan, heating stock, miso and ingredients such as scallop, fish or tofu before softly setting beaten...

• Aomori Keiran SoupAomori

  Keiran places smooth-red-bean-filled rice cakes in a clear soy-seasoned stock, often with shiitake and mitsuba. The surprising contrast of sweet...

• Aomori Mame ShitogiAomori

  Mame shitogi combines green soybeans, rice flour and sugar into a dense, gently sweet regional confection found around Aomori and neighboring Iwate.

• Aomori Soba KakkeAomori

  Soba kakke cuts flat buckwheat dough into palm-sized triangles and boils them with daikon and tofu, then diners dip each soft, earthy piece in pungent...

• Aomori Tsugaru AmeAomori

  Tsugaru ame is a thick amber syrup traditionally made by saccharifying glutinous rice or other grain starch with malt, giving it a mellow sweetness...

• Aomori-Iwate Nambu SenbeiAomori

  Nambu senbei bake a simple wheat dough in round iron molds, leaving a crisp rim and often adding sesame seeds, peanuts or other regional ingredients.

• Hachinohe Ika Ponpon-yakiAomori

  Ika ponpon-yaki is one of Aomori's grilled squid preparations. A characteristic version stuffs the squid body with chopped tentacles and miso before...

• IchigoniAomori

  Ichigoni is a clear celebratory soup from the Hachinohe area of Aomori made with sea urchin and abalone in a lightly seasoned seafood broth. Despite...

• Senbei JiruAomori

  Senbei jiru is a specialty of the Hachinohe area in southeastern Aomori. Pieces of firm, unsweetened Nanbu senbei are simmered with chicken, burdock...

• Shimokita BekomochiAomori

  Bekomochi in Shimokita combines white and brown-sugar-colored rice dough, often shaping it like a leaf or arranging colored dough so a flower or...

• Tsugaru KenoshiruAomori

  Kenoshiru finely dices daikon, carrot, burdock, mountain vegetables, konnyaku, fried tofu and freeze-dried tofu, then simmers them together in a miso...

• Aizu Horse SashimiFukushima

  Aizu basashi consists of lean slices of horse meat eaten raw, typically with soy sauce and a distinctive spicy miso flavored with garlic and chili.

• Aizu Nishin no SanshozukeFukushima

  Nishin no sanshozuke layers rehydrated migaki nishin dried herring with aromatic young sansho leaves and a soy, sake and vinegar marinade, yielding a...

• Fukushima Ika NinjinFukushima

  Ika ninjin marinates matchstick carrot and thin strips of dried squid in soy sauce, sake and mirin, creating a crisp, chewy and deeply savory...

• Fukushima MamadorFukushima

  Mamador wraps a moist, milk-rich white-bean filling in a soft buttery baked dough, producing a gentle Western-style sweetness.

• Fukushima Miso KanpuraFukushima

  Miso kanpura fries or simmers small skin-on potatoes, then coats them in a glossy mixture of miso, sugar and mirin.

• Fukushima OhiraFukushima

  Ohira gently simmers ingredients such as kombu, burdock, maitake, nagaimo and fried tofu and serves them with broth in a broad, shallow lacquer bowl...

• Fukushima ShimimochiFukushima

  Shimimochi soaks rice cakes, repeatedly freezes them in severe night cold and dries them in winter air until very light and shelf-stable. Rehydration...

• Fukushima ZakuzakuFukushima

  Zakuzaku is a Fukushima soup containing daikon, carrot, burdock, taro, konnyaku and other ingredients cut into small pieces and simmered in a...

• Iwaki Uni KaiyakiFukushima

  Uni kaiyaki packs fresh purple sea-urchin roe into a large surf-clam shell and grills it over charcoal, gently setting the surface while concentrating...

• Koriyama Cream BoxFukushima

  Cream box is a Koriyama bakery specialty made by spreading a thick, milky white cream over a small slice of bread. The cream is smooth and gently...

• Koriyama Usukawa ManjuFukushima

  Usukawa Manju surrounds a generous amount of smooth or coarse azuki paste with an unusually thin brown steamed skin, keeping the bean flavor dominant.

• KozuyuFukushima

  Kozuyu is a delicately seasoned ceremonial soup from the Aizu area of Fukushima. Dried scallop stock supports small pieces of taro, carrot, shiitake...

• Minamiaizu ShingoroFukushima

  Shingoro partly pounds ordinary cooked rice, forms it around a bamboo skewer, coats it with junen miso made from ground egoma seeds and miso, and...

• Sagohachi-zukeFukushima

  Sagohachi-zuke uses a fermented bed traditionally described as three parts salt, five parts rice koji and eight parts cooked rice, producing mild...

• Ashibetsu GatatanHokkaido

  Gatatan is a lightly salted, starch-thickened soup crowded with small dumplings, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, pork, konnyaku, fish cake, vegetables and...

• Bibai YakitoriHokkaido

  Bibai yakitori threads several chicken cuts, including meat, skin and organ pieces, together on a single skewer and grills them with simple seasoning.

• Hizu NamasuHokkaido

  Hizu namasu combines paper-thin slices of the translucent cartilage at a salmon's snout with daikon in a sweetened vinegar dressing. The cartilage's...

• Hokkaido AgeimoHokkaido

  Ageimo coats small whole boiled potatoes in a slightly sweet pancake-like batter and deep-fries them into golden balls with a fluffy shell and soft...

• Hokkaido Amanatto SekihanHokkaido

  Hokkaido-style sekihan uses sweet amanatto beans in place of ordinary azuki, making a noticeably sweet version of celebratory glutinous rice.

• Hokkaido Chanchan-yakiHokkaido

  Chanchan-yaki cooks salmon with cabbage, onion, mushrooms, and other vegetables under a savory-sweet miso sauce, usually on a griddle or in a large...

• Hokkaido IkameshiHokkaido

  Ikameshi is a whole squid stuffed with glutinous and regular rice, then simmered until tender in a sweet-savory soy-based broth.

• Hokkaido ImomochiHokkaido

  Hokkaido imomochi mixes hot mashed potato with potato starch, shapes the dough into flat cakes and pan-fries them until browned outside and chewy...

• Hokkaido IzushiHokkaido

  Izushi layers fish such as salmon, herring or flatfish with cooked rice, rice koji, daikon, carrot, ginger and seasonings, then ferments the mixture...

• Hokkaido Jaga ButterHokkaido

  Jaga butter is a Japanese dish of a hot steamed, boiled or baked potato split open and topped with butter. It is eaten throughout Japan but is...

• Hokkaido Kajika-jiruHokkaido

  Kajika-jiru cuts winter sculpin into bone-in pieces and cooks the fish, liver and sometimes roe with daikon, potato and other vegetables in a...

• Hokkaido KirikomiHokkaido

  Kirikomi cuts raw herring or salmon into small pieces and matures them with salt and rice koji, creating a creamy, sweet-salty fermented fish...

• Hokkaido KokuhanHokkaido

  Kokuhan is Hokkaido glutinous rice cooked with black soybeans for funerals and memorial services. Unlike red celebratory sekihan, the rice remains...

• Hokkaido Lamb Shabu-shabuHokkaido

  Lamb shabu-shabu swishes very thin slices of lamb, traditionally cut from a frozen meat roll, through hot broth and eats them with vegetables and...

• Hokkaido MamepanHokkaido

  Hokkaido mamepan folds sweet simmered amanatto beans through a soft round bun, distributing intact beans through the crumb instead of enclosing smooth...

• Hokkaido Marusei Butter SandHokkaido

  Marusei Butter Sand sandwiches rich butter cream, white chocolate and raisins between tender biscuits, balancing dairy richness with fruit acidity.

• Hokkaido Matsumae-zukeHokkaido

  Matsumae-zuke marinates finely cut kombu and dried squid, often with herring roe, in a soy-based seasoning until the mixture becomes glossy and...

• Hokkaido MefunHokkaido

  Mefun is a dark, soft shiokara-style delicacy made from the kidney running along a male salmon's backbone. Its concentrated marine flavor and strong...

• Hokkaido Nanko NabeHokkaido

  Nanko nabe slowly simmers horse intestines, and sometimes horse meat, with miso until tender, producing a rich offal stew rather than a light tabletop...

• Hokkaido NishinzukeHokkaido

  Nishinzuke ferments dried herring with cabbage, daikon, carrot, salt and rice koji. The vegetables stay pleasantly crisp while koji fermentation...

• Hokkaido RuibeHokkaido

  Ruibe freezes salmon, trout or other fish and slices it before complete thawing, creating an icy first bite followed by gradually melting fat and...

• Hokkaido Sake TobaHokkaido

  Sake toba is salmon cut lengthwise into strips, usually with the skin attached, then salted and dried in cold air. Drying concentrates the salmon's...

• Hokkaido SanpeijiruHokkaido

  Sanpeijiru simmers salted salmon or herring with daikon, carrot, potato and leek in kombu broth.

• Hokkaido SanshozukeHokkaido

  Sanshozuke ferments chopped green chili peppers, rice koji and soy sauce into a hot, salty and gently sweet condiment. Despite the similar sound, the...

• Hokkaido TakomanmaHokkaido

  Takomanma is the ovary and cluster of large white eggs from the giant Pacific octopus, a rare seafood delicacy found mainly along Hokkaido's Pacific...

• Hokkaido WakasaimoHokkaido

  Wakasaimo is a baked Hokkaido souvenir confection that uses white bean paste and strands of kombu to evoke the flesh and fibers of a small roasted...

• Hokkaido YokanpanHokkaido

  Yokanpan usually sandwiches whipped, custard or butter cream in a soft bun and coats the top with fluid azuki yokan like chocolate icing on an eclair...

• Hokkaido ZangiHokkaido

  Zangi marinates chicken thoroughly in soy sauce, ginger, garlic and other seasonings before coating and frying it until crisp.

• Ishikari NabeHokkaido

  Ishikari nabe is a Hokkaido hot pot built around fresh salmon, including rich belly meat, bone-in cuts, and sometimes the head or other parts...

• JingisukanHokkaido

  Jingisukan is Hokkaido's communal lamb or mutton barbecue, commonly cooked with onions, bean sprouts, cabbage, and other vegetables on a domed metal...

• Nemuro EscalopeHokkaido

  Nemuro escalope places a thin pork cutlet over butter rice and covers it with demi-glace sauce.

• Nuta Miso-Vinegar SaladHokkaido

  Nuta dresses blanched scallions, greens, seaweed, shellfish, squid or fish with a thick mixture of miso, vinegar, sugar and sometimes mustard.

• Obihiro ButadonHokkaido

  Obihiro butadon covers rice with thick slices of pork grilled and repeatedly brushed with a sweet-savory soy tare.

• Shiroi KoibitoHokkaido

  Shiroi Koibito is a famous Hokkaido confection consisting of chocolate sandwiched between thin, crisp langue de chat cookies. The white-chocolate...

• Southern Hokkaido Gokko-jiruHokkaido

  Gokko-jiru simmers pieces of lumpsucker, its thick gelatinous skin and, when available, roe with kelp stock, soy sauce, green onion, tofu or seaweed.

• Squid OkizukeHokkaido

  Ika no okizuke marinates whole cleaned squid or cut squid for hours or days in soy sauce seasoned with boiled-off sake, sometimes mirin, stock or...

• Iwate GanzukiIwate

  Ganzuki is a moist steamed confection made mainly from wheat flour and brown sugar, often finished with black sesame seeds and found in both darker...

• Iwate Gomasuri DangoIwate

  Gomasuri Dango seals a rich, flowing black-sesame syrup inside a small soft mochi dumpling, releasing an intense roasted aroma in one bite.

• Iwate HittsumiIwate

  Hittsumi rests a simple wheat-and-water dough, stretches it thin by hand and pinches off irregular pieces directly into a broth with chicken, fish...

• Iwate Imonoko-jiruIwate

  Imonoko-jiru is an autumn soup built around tender local taro, simmered with meat, mushrooms, tofu or konnyaku in a soy- or miso-seasoned broth...

• Iwate Kamome no TamagoIwate

  Kamome no Tamago encloses yellow bean paste in a thin castella-like layer and white chocolate coating, forming a smooth egg-shaped confection.

• Iwate Mamebu-jiruIwate

  Mamebu-jiru is a soup from Yamagata-cho in Kuji, Iwate, containing small flour dumplings wrapped around pieces of walnut and brown sugar alongside...

• Iwate Miso Bakke MochiIwate

  Miso bakke mochi mixes finely chopped spring butterbur buds and crushed walnuts with miso, sugar and wheat flour, adds water until mochi-like, then...

• Iwate Nuppei-jiruIwate

  Iwate nuppei-jiru pours plenty of grated nagaimo over tofu, dried shiitake and scallion in a soy-seasoned clear soup, giving the broth a smooth...

• Morioka JajamenIwate

  Morioka jajamen pairs broad, chewy wheat noodles with a dense meat-miso sauce, cucumber, and green onion. Diners customize the bowl with grated...

• Morioka ReimenIwate

  Morioka reimen is a cold noodle soup known for translucent, exceptionally chewy starch-enriched noodles, a clear beef-based broth, kimchi, sliced...

• Wanko SobaIwate

  Wanko soba is an Iwate dining tradition in which an attendant repeatedly adds bite-size portions of soba to a guest's small bowl. It is especially...

• Harako MeshiMiyagi

  Harako meshi is an autumn specialty from the Watari area of Miyagi. Rice cooked in a seasoned salmon broth is topped with tender slices of salmon and...

• Kesennuma AzaraMiyagi

  Azara slowly simmers bony scraps and chunks of menuke rockfish with well-aged pickled napa cabbage and sake lees, producing a warming stew whose sour...

• Miyagi Abura-fu Rice BowlMiyagi

  Abura-fu-don simmers rings of abura-fu, a deep-fried wheat-gluten specialty, with onion in a sweet-savory broth, binds them with egg and serves the...

• Miyagi Hagi no TsukiMiyagi

  Hagi no Tsuki is a round Sendai souvenir cake with smooth custard cream enclosed in a pale, airy sponge, its shape and color evoking a full moon.

• Miyagi Hokki MeshiMiyagi

  Hokki meshi cooks rice in a sweet-savory broth made by briefly simmering sliced surf clam with its liquor, soy sauce, sugar and often carrot, then...

• Miyagi OkuzukakeMiyagi

  Okuzukake simmers short Shiroishi umen noodles with taro, eggplant, carrot, green beans, dried shiitake, wheat gluten and fried tofu in a soy broth...

• Miyagi Sasa KamabokoMiyagi

  Sasa kamaboko shapes seasoned white-fish paste into a flat bamboo-leaf form and grills the surface, producing a springy bite and clean seafood flavor.

• Sendai GyutanMiyagi

  Sendai gyutan is thick-cut beef tongue seasoned, rested, and grilled over high heat. A classic set pairs it with barley-mixed rice, clear oxtail soup...

• Sendai Hasekura-yakiMiyagi

  Hasekura-yaki wraps a moist white-bean filling enriched with chopped walnuts in a tender Western-style baked dough.

• Sendai KikufukuMiyagi

  Kikufuku wraps cream and flavored bean paste such as matcha, zunda or hojicha in a thin, soft mochi skin for a cool, creamy daifuku.

• Sendai ZoniMiyagi

  Sendai zoni is Miyagi's richly garnished New Year soup, traditionally using a clear stock from grilled and dried goby with mochi, frozen tofu, daikon...

• Shiroishi UmenMiyagi

  Shiroishi umen are fine somen-family noodles made in Shiroishi without applying oil while stretching the dough. Their bundles are only about 9 to 10...

• Tome Hatto-jiruMiyagi

  Hatto-jiru stretches rested wheat dough into thin irregular pieces and simmers them in soy broth with seasonal vegetables, mushrooms and sometimes...

• Zunda MochiMiyagi

  Zunda mochi is soft rice cake coated with a bright green paste made from cooked young soybeans, usually edamame, mashed with sugar and a little salt...

• Inago no TsukudaniYamagata

  Inago no tsukudani cooks cleaned rice grasshoppers in soy sauce, sugar and mirin until glossy, sweet-salty and crisp-chewy. The insects remain visibly...

• Shonai Dongara-jiruYamagata

  Dongara-jiru cuts a large fatty winter cod into flesh, head, bones, liver, milt and other usable parts, then cooks them with daikon, scallion and tofu...

• Yamagata Chrysanthemum OhitashiYamagata

  This autumn dish briefly blanches edible chrysanthemum petals and seasons them with vinegar, soy sauce or dashi, preserving their floral aroma, color...

• Yamagata DashiYamagata

  Yamagata dashi is a refreshing relish of finely chopped cucumber, eggplant, myoga, shiso, green onion, and other summer vegetables seasoned with soy...

• Yamagata Fuki MameYamagata

  Fuki mame gently cooks peeled green peas with sugar until each bean is tender and floury but still recognizable, creating a pale green, mildly sweet...

• Yamagata ImoniYamagata

  Imoni is an autumn hot pot centered on taro and shared outdoors with family, friends, coworkers, or community groups. In inland Yamagata, the familiar...

• Yamagata Kujira MochiYamagata

  Kujira mochi is a firm, chewy steamed sweet made from rice flour, sugar and often walnuts, with soy sauce or miso creating brown savory-sweet...

• Yamagata Natto-jiruYamagata

  Natto-jiru grinds fermented soybeans into a paste and dissolves it into miso soup with tofu, konnyaku, fried tofu, seri water dropwort and other...

• Yamagata Noshi UmeYamagata

  Noshi ume spreads a smooth jelly made from ripe plum puree and agar into a thin sheet, traditionally held between dried bamboo leaves for a bright...

• Yamagata OmizukeYamagata

  Omizuke finely chops Yamagata seisai greens with daikon, carrot, perilla seeds and other available vegetables, then pickles the mixture with salt and...

• Yamagata Seisai-zukeYamagata

  Seisai-zuke pickles the large, thick and gently pungent leaves of Yamagata seisai, a mustard green related to takana. Leaves are lightly dried...

• Yamagata Tama KonnyakuYamagata

  Tama konnyaku simmers small round konnyaku balls in a dark soy seasoning, often with dried squid added to deepen the savory flavor.

• Yonezawa HiyajiruYamagata

  Yonezawa hiyajiru combines blanched seasonal greens, especially yukina, with rehydrated dried ingredients simmered in a seasoned stock, then cools and...

• Zao Onsen IgamochiYamagata

  Igamochi wraps smooth red-bean paste in a tender dough blended from non-glutinous and glutinous rice, then places two or three yellow rice grains on...