Typical cuisine in the Aichi area
Favored by the natural bounty found in the fertile plains and the clear waters of Ise Bay, Mikawa Bay, and the Kiso River, the regions in and around Aichi boast many original and memorable dishes that utilize Aichi's rich array of foods. Famous dishes that feature traditional Japanese cuisine with the unique Aichi flavors should also not be missed.
Hitsumabushi
In this dish sliced pieces of kabayaki eel are mixed into rice in a special bowl. The first bowl is eaten as is, the second bowl with pickled vegetables, and the third with tea mixed into the rice.
Misokatsu
Not found very often in other parts of Japan, this is a deep-fried pork cutlet served with a sauce using hatcho-miso (soybean paste condiment Aichi is noted for).
Miso-nikomi udon
In this noodle dish, udon is cooked and served in hatcho-miso soup.
Miso oden
In typical oden , ingredients such as vegetables, octopus, hard-boiled eggs, and tofu fritters (ganmodoki ) are simmered in a shoyu -based broth, but in miso oden , the boiled ingredients are coated with a miso sauce and then eaten. Aichi’s miso oden creates a special taste by this combination of miso with the ingredients.
Nagoya Kochin chicken
Many dishes like tori-meshi (rice cooked with chicken), tori-nabe (chicken and vegetables simmered in broth), torisuki (chicken sukiyaki), and teba-saki (fried or grilled chicken wings) use Nagoya’s special locally produced free-range chicken, Nagoya Kochin .
Kishimen
Kishimen are broad, flat noodles cooked in a shoyu -, miso -, or curry-based soup.
Taiwan ramen
Taiwan ramen is a bowl of ramen noodles topped with minced meat flavored with red pepper and miso . Originating in Nagoya, this is a spiced-up bowl of ramen.
Tenmusu
These are rice balls containing small pieces of shrimp or vegetable tempura. Tenmusu can be easily found even in convenience stores*.
*Open 24 hours a day, convenience stores in Japan offer a wide variety of items like foodstuffs, magazines, and daily goods. Franchise chain stores are opening all over Japan.
Ayu dishes
A river fish, ayu (sweetfish) is available throughout Japan from the beginning of summer to winter. Japanese people are particularly fond of this fish, which has a light, delicate taste and can only live in very clear, fresh water. The Aichi-Gifu region, with its many clear-running streams and rivers, is famous for its ayu dishes.
