Okinawan delicacies is exclusive and completely different from what you would possibly discover in the remainder of Japan. It’s formed by Okinawa’s subtropical local weather and a mixture of influences from China, Southeast Asia, and America, attributable to its historical past as a buying and selling hub and the American army presence.
As a substitute of rice or noodles, that are frequent in mainland Japan, Okinawans typically eat candy potatoes and taro root. These turned staples as a result of they develop properly in Okinawa’s local weather and have been necessary for the weight loss plan for hundreds of years.
Throughout our Okinawa itinerary, we got here to understand that meat and seafood aren’t as frequent in conventional Okinawan dishes as you would possibly anticipate for an island delicacies. That is partly as a result of, previously, it was troublesome to maintain fish contemporary within the heat local weather. So, Okinawans developed dishes that rely extra on greens, seaweeds like kombu, and tofu. They make plenty of salads, soups, and even tempura with these substances.
Okinawan meals additionally consists of some distinctive gadgets like goya (bitter melon), umibudo (sea grapes), and dishes made with SPAM, displaying the American affect. The delicacies is thought for being wholesome, with loads of antioxidants and fewer processed meals, which some individuals suppose is one purpose why Okinawans reside such lengthy lives. Listed below are the highest Okinawan meals you should strive when visiting the islands.
Okinawa Soba
Okinawa Soba is a staple noodle dish from Okinawa produced from wheat flour (sure, actually!), leading to a thicker, chewier texture paying homage to udon however barely thinner. These noodles are served in a transparent broth produced from pork or hen, seasoned with bonito flakes and konbu (kelp), for that wealthy umami depth all of us love.
A standard bowl of Okinawa Soba is garnished with slices of tender braised pork, referred to as soki, kamaboko (fish cake), inexperienced onions, and a marinated soft-boiled egg. The pork used is usually stewed in a candy and savoury sauce, making it melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Okinawa Soba is a cultural image within the area, celebrated yearly on October seventeenth, which is designated as Okinawa Soba Day.
Gōyā Champuru (Bitter Melon Stir Fry)
ōyā Champuru is a well-liked Okinawan dish that options goya, or bitter melon, as its primary ingredient. The goya is stir-fried together with tofu and pork, making a savoury and barely bitter style profile. The dish is seasoned with bonito flakes and soy sauce, which add depth and umami to its flavour. Goya is sometimes called the ‘king of summer time greens’ in Okinawa attributable to its excessive vitamin content material and its bitterness, which is believed to stimulate the urge for food through the sizzling summer time months.
The tofu utilized in Gōyā Champuru is usually Okinawan-style, recognized for its agency texture and wealthy soy flavour. This kind of tofu can keep its form through the cooking course of, making it an excellent element for stir-fried dishes. The flexibility of Gōyā Champuru permits for numerous diversifications, resembling incorporating somen (Japanese skinny flour noodles) to create Somen Champuru, or including fu (wheat gluten desserts) to make Fu Champuru.
Beni Imo
Beni Imo is a particular number of purple candy potato native to Okinawa. Essentially the most distinctive characteristic is its deep purple flesh. The pores and skin is normally purple too. These candy potatoes have a candy and barely nutty flavour. But it surely’s milder and fewer sugary than common orange-fleshed candy potatoes.
You will discover Beni Imo integrated in nearly the whole lot, starting from primary dishes to desserts and ice cream. Frequent preparations embody mashed candy potatoes, tempura, fries, and even desserts like pies and ice cream. After we had a conventional Okinawan lunch we even acquired it served as a scrumptious mini smoothie.
You will discover it roasted and able to eat as avenue meals or, my favorite, as Benimo Tart which is the primary Okinawan candy deal with and snack from Okashi Goten.
Jūshī (Rice Dish)
Jūshī, often known as Jūshi, is a traditional Okinawan rice dish recognized for its simplicity and comforting flavours. It’s primarily a seasoned rice dish, typically in comparison with the Japanese pilaf, cooked with a mixture of substances that may embody greens, meat, and generally seafood. The bottom of Jūshī is a flavourful broth produced from dashi (a Japanese inventory) and awamori (an Okinawan distilled liquor), which infuses the rice with a deep umami style.
The dish could be ready with no matter substances are readily available, making it a staple in Okinawan households. Frequent additions embody carrots, inexperienced beans, konbu (kelp), and pork, however some native eating places make it with something from hen to tofu, and even Spam.
Rafute (Shoyu Pork)
Rafute, often known as Shoyu Pork, is a well-liked dish from Okinawa made with pork stomach. The preparation of Rafute begins with the pork stomach being rigorously braised till tender. The braising liquid is the important thing element and is produced from a mix of shoyu (soy sauce), mirin (a candy rice wine), sake, sugar, and awamori.
The cooking makes the pork actually tender, so it nearly falls aside. It’s served with rice and greens, making a filling meal. Rafute is a favorite in Okinawa, particularly at particular occasions, displaying how a lot individuals there love this dish. It’s recognized for its wealthy style and the way it melts in your mouth.
Taco Rice
Taco Rice is an creative dish from Okinawa that mixes parts of Mexican tacos with Japanese delicacies. It was created to cater to the tastes of American army personnel stationed in Okinawa, mixing the acquainted flavours of taco fillings with a staple of Japanese meals: rice. It would sound uncommon however stick with me, it’s truly a scrumptious meal!
The dish begins with a mattress of steamed rice, topped with seasoned floor beef much like what you’d discover in a taco. That is then garnished with shredded lettuce, cheese, and diced tomatoes. Some variations may additionally embody salsa, bitter cream, and even guacamole to reinforce the taco expertise.
Minudaru (Steamed Pork Loin)
Minudaru is a conventional Okinawan dish that includes steamed pork, recognized for its tender texture and refined flavours. The pork is gently seasoned after which steamed, a way that preserves its pure juiciness and permits the seasoning to infuse deeply into the meat.
The seasoning for Minudaru consists of a mixture of soy sauce, sake, and native Okinawan spices or sugar. The gradual steaming course of ensures that the pork stays moist and tender, making it simple to slice and serve. The most effective half? Minudaru is normally lined in black sesame sauce, then served with rice and greens.
Soki Soba (Pork Ribs Soba)
Soki Soba is a beloved noodle dish from Okinawa that options tender, slow-cooked pork ribs (soki) served on high of Okinawa-style soba noodles. Bear in mind, as talked about above, Okinawa-style noodles are produced from wheat flour and resemble udon of their thickness and chewiness.
The pork ribs are stewed till they’re so tender that the meat simply comes off the bone. Identical staple native substances are used for the broth: soy sauce, mirin, and generally sake or awamori. The broth is then used for the noodle soup. Yum!
Soki Soba is garnished with inexperienced onions and pickled ginger.
Mimigā (Pig’s Ear)
Mimigā is an Okinawan dish produced from thinly sliced pig’s ears, which have a really distinctive crunchy and chewy textures. The pig’s ears are boiled to melt them after which marinated in a mix of soy sauce, vinegar, and both sesame oil or peanut sauce. This preparation offers Mimigā a savoury and barely tangy flavour.
Served as a facet dish or appetizer, Mimigā exhibits that Okinawan individuals like using all components of the pig.
Umi-budō (Sea Grapes)
Umi-budō, referred to as sea grapes or inexperienced caviar, is a sort of seaweed that’s a delicacy in Okinawa. It appears to be like like small inexperienced beads clustered collectively, resembling tiny grapes. It’s my high Okinawan meals to eat, so I like to recommend it with nearly the whole lot. Umi-budō has a contemporary, salty style and a popping texture whenever you eat it.
This seaweed is served uncooked as a garnish or in salads, and is loved with a dip of soy sauce or vinegar to reinforce its pure ocean flavour. There’s an Okinawan retailer in Tokyo known as Ginza Washita that normally sells it as properly.
Hirayachi
Hirayachi is an Okinawan pancake that’s easy and savoury. It’s made with a batter of eggs, flour, water, and chopped inexperienced onions, Hirayachi is much like a thicker model of a crêpe or a much less fluffy model of an American pancake. The batter is seasoned with salt, then fried in a pan till golden brown on either side. Our lodge served it for breakfast, and chances are high, most inns in Okinawa could have it as a breakfast dish.
Tofuyo
Tofuyo is a fermented tofu dish, with a robust, cheese-like flavour and creamy texture. It’s made by fermenting tofu with crimson koji mould, awamori, and salt. The fermentation course of transforms the tofu right into a smooth, spreadable delicacy with a definite style that’s typically in comparison with a fantastic cheese.
Tofuyo is particularly scrumptious for breakfast, when unfold on a bit of toast with an egg on high. No less than that is how I prefer to eat it.
Sukugarasu
Sukugarasu is produced from tiny salted fish, particularly the fry of the rabbitfish, that are fermented and served as a topping on tofu or blended into dishes for added flavour. The fish are intensely salty and have a robust oceanic flavour, with a texture that contrasts with the smooth tofu they’re sometimes paired with. Sukugarasu is a facet dish, good when accompanied by a drink of awamori.
Yushi Dofu
Yushi Dofu is a really smooth sort of tofu from Okinawa. It’s not pressed like common tofu, so it stays actually creamy and smooth. Folks in Okinawa prefer to eat it in a easy method, typically simply with some soy sauce or in a lightweight soup, to take pleasure in its contemporary soy style.
It’s a particular type of tofu that’s completely different from the firmer tofu you is perhaps used to. You will discover this offered in nearly each Okinawan meals retailer.
Abura Miso
Abura Miso is a particular paste from Okinawa made by cooking miso (a type of fermented soybean paste), pork, and sugar collectively. After they cook dinner it, the pork will get actually smooth and the sugar provides a bit of sweetness to the miso, making a thick, tasty paste.
The precise recipe and consistency can fluctuate from one family to a different, with some variations together with extra substances like sake, mirin, and awamori to reinforce the flavour. Abura Miso is used as a hearty unfold over steamed rice, as a filling for onigiri (rice balls), or as a flavourful dip for uncooked or cooked greens.
Chinsuko (Okinawan Cookie)
Chinsuko is a conventional Okinawan cookie that’s much like shortbread. It’s produced from flour, sugar, and lard, giving it a lightweight, crumbly texture. These cookies are sometimes loved as a snack or served with tea. Chinsuko has a gentle sweetness and a buttery flavour, making it a preferred deal with in Okinawa and a frequent memento for guests to the islands.
You will discover pineapple Chinsuko on the Nago Pineapple Park and mango Chinsuko on the Okinawa World. I like to recommend each as scrumptious presents on your loves ones.
Fuchagi
Fuchagi is a conventional Okinawan candy deal with produced from mochi (a Japanese rice cake) formed as an rectangular then topped with sweetened crimson bean paste. It’s much like the well-known Japanese dessert daifuku, however Fuchagi has its personal distinctive Okinawan twist, incorporating native substances resembling purple candy potatoes or black sugar to reinforce the flavour.
The outer layer of Fuchagi is produced from glutinous rice that’s pounded right into a smooth and chewy texture, formed into an rectangular, creating an ideal clean canvas for the candy bean topping. Fuchagi is often loved throughout celebrations and festive events in Okinawa when locals supply it to the Gods.
Jīmami Dōfu (Peanut tofu)
Jīmami Dōfu is a novel Okinawan dish that resembles tofu however is definitely produced from peanuts. It’s a easy, jelly-like meals that mixes the creamy texture of tofu with the wealthy, nutty flavour of peanuts. To make Jīmami Dōfu, peanut paste is blended with water, sugar, and a coagulant, then set till it achieves a agency, custard-like consistency.
This dish is loved as a dessert and it’s unbelievable particularly in the summertime when Jīmami Dōfu is served chilled, with a drizzle of syrup or kinako (roasted soybean flour).
Sata Andagi
Sata Andagi are primarily Okinawan doughnuts. They’re deep-fried balls of dough, with crispy outer layer and dense, cake-like inside. The fundamental substances embody flour, sugar, and eggs, that are blended collectively to type a thick batter. This batter is then formed into small balls and deep-fried till they flip a golden brown color.
You’ll discover that Sata Andagi are a typical characteristic at native festivals and celebrations in Okinawa, however they’ve turn out to be a preferred snack. To eat them, head to Ryukyu Kashi-Dokoro Ryugu in Naha or Matsuhara Confectionary situated within the Makishi Public Market.
Muchi
Muchi is a Japanese candy, completely different from mochi. It’s from Okinawa and made with a particular type of rice flour. It’s chewy and normally stuffed with candy crimson bean paste. Muchi is wrapped in shell ginger leaves that give it a pleasant scent.
Okinawan Brown Sugar
Okinawan brown sugar, recognized regionally as “kokuto,” is a novel type of sugar made in Okinawa. Not like common brown sugar, which is produced from sugar cane juice with molasses added again, kokuto is made by slowly cooking sugar cane juice till it crystallizes. This course of retains extra of the pure minerals and vitamins present in sugar cane.
Kokuto has a deep, wealthy flavour, much less candy, with a slight molasses style, and hints of caramel. It’s utilized in Japanese sweets and cooking, and believed to have well being advantages, like aiding digestion and offering minerals.
Chinbin
Chinbin is a conventional Okinawan crepe-like dish, like a sort of candy pancake. It’s made with easy substances: wheat flour, sugar, and water or milk. What makes Chinbin distinct is its texture and style. It’s thinner than a typical pancake however thicker than a French crêpe, placing a stability between the 2. It’s like a candy model of the Hirayachi.
The sweetness of Chinbin comes from the sugar added to the batter, and it’s typically loved as a snack or dessert. In some variations, Okinawan brown sugar (kokuto) is used, giving the Chinbin a wealthy, caramel-like flavour distinctive to Okinawan delicacies.
Okinawa Ice Cream
Blue Seal Ice Cream is a well-known model originating from Okinawa and sure, you’ll be able to actually discover it in every single place right here. It’s recognized for its enjoyable vary of flavours that replicate Okinawan tradition and substances. Blue Seal started as an ice cream model for American army bases in Okinawa, however finally turned a beloved ice cream model among the many Okinawan individuals and all through Japan.
The flavours supplied by Blue Seal are distinctive. They embody Okinawan candy potato, tropical fruit flavours like pineapple and mango, and even quirky ones like beni-imo (purple candy potato), shikuwasa (a citrus fruit native to Okinawa), and salt cookies.
Shikuwasa Juice
Shikuwasa juice is a well-liked beverage often known as Hirami lemon. Shikuwasa is a small, inexperienced citrus fruit native to Okinawa. The juice is tart and refreshing in flavour, like a cross between a lime and a mandarin orange.
Shikuwasa juice will not be solely appreciated for its distinctive style but in addition for its well being advantages. It’s wealthy in vitamin C and different vitamins, and is believed to assist in digestion and increase immunity. In Okinawa, shikuwasa juice is a staple in lots of households, used as a condiment, in cooking, and as a well being drink. You’ll find it on the Nago Pineapple Park.
Pineapple Wine
Pineapple wine is a novel alcoholic beverage produced from pineapples. Whereas not as extensively referred to as grape wines, it’s a speciality in areas the place pineapples are grown abundantly, together with Okinawa. In Okinawa, the tropical local weather is good for pineapple cultivation, resulting in the manufacturing of this distinctive wine. You possibly can pattern some on the Nago Pineapple Park, and buy it as a memento from there or from any Okinawan main grocery store.
Pineapple wine is lighter and sweeter than conventional grape wines, with a fruity and refreshing style that captures the essence of pineapples. It has a decrease alcohol content material in comparison with grape wines, making it a preferred selection for a lightweight, tropical drink.
Orion Beer
Orion Beer is without doubt one of the hottest and iconic beer manufacturers from Okinawa. It has a big presence within the Japanese beer market, and as you’ll be able to think about, it’s related to the tropical and laid-back environment of Okinawa.
The style of Orion Beer is mild and crisp, making it particularly refreshing in sizzling climate. It’s praised for its smoothness and straightforward drinkability, with a comparatively delicate flavour profile that appeals to a broad vary of beer drinkers. You’ll find it in every single place in Okinawan, in nearly each restaurant, store and izakaya.
Awamori
Awamori is a conventional alcoholic beverage from Okinawa, distinct from sake, which is extra generally recognized all through the remainder of the nation. Comprised of long-grain indica rice, awamori is exclusive in that the rice is first fermented with black koji mould, which originates from Thailand. This fermentation course of is what units awamori aside from different Japanese rice-based spirits.
The drink has a robust flavour and a excessive alcohol content material, starting from 30% to 40% alcohol by quantity. Awamori could be loved in numerous methods: straight, on the rocks, diluted with water, or as a part of a cocktail.
A considerably controversial sort of awamori is the Habushu. Habushu is made by infusing awamori with a pit viper snake. The snake is submerged complete within the awamori, and the drink is left to steep for an prolonged interval. This course of is believed to impart medicinal properties to the liquor, a perception rooted in conventional Asian medication.
The snake utilized in Habushu is normally a habu viper, a venomous snake native to the Okinawan area. The alcohol neutralizes the venom, making it secure to drink.
