Place
Hyogo
兵庫県
37 items
● 28 born here(Akashiyaki, Banshu Ramen, Banshu Tenobe Somen, and more) / ● 5 raised here(Awaji Beef, Kobe Beef, Tajima Pork, and more) / ● 4 prepared here(Ako salt, Nada no Sake, Tanba no Sake, and more) / ○ 5 known for it here
Born here28
- Akashiyaki明石焼egg-rich octopus batter balls dipped in warm dashiOctopus folded into a batter of wheat flour, jin-ko starch, egg, and dashi, cooked and dipped in a warm broth — Akashi's own take on the round batter-and-octopus dish, distinguished from takoyaki by that broth in place of sauce.
- Banshu Ramen播州ラーメンShoyu — soy saucenoticeably sweet soy broth of NishiwakiA distinctly sweet soy broth, said to have taken root among the town's textile-mill workers.
- Banshu Tenobe Somen播州手延べそうめんHyogo's noodle industry, built on wheat, river water, and sea saltA document held at Ikaruga-ji temple in Taishi records the word 'saumen' in an entry dated 1418, the oldest known reference to somen in Hyogo. In the Edo period the Ryuno domain formally licensed and encouraged the trade, built on locally grown wheat, the clear Ibo River, and salt from Ako.
- Botan Nabeぼたん鍋Miso-basedwild boar and vegetable hot pot in a miso brothA Tanba-Sasayama hot pot of wild boar and seasonal vegetables simmered in a broth of white and red miso, often finished with a dusting of ground Japanese pepper. Some restaurants are said to arrange the sliced boar meat like the petals of a peony.
- Chobojiruちょぼ汁a sweet-free dumpling soup with cowpeas and taro-stem, made for new mothersAn Awaji Island soup of cowpeas, taro-stem, and rice-flour dumplings simmered in a thick broth — it looks like a sweet red bean soup but is not sweet at all. It has been made to help new mothers recover and to mark a child's shrine visit, it is said.
- Hamo-sukiハモすきSoy-based & yosenabeconger pike eel and Awaji onion simmered in a seasoned brothA hot pot of bone-cut conger pike eel and Awaji Island onion simmered together in a seasoned broth. Eel from the muddy waters near Numashima is said to have thin, tender skin, and the dish is eaten from early summer through autumn as the fish takes on fat and pairs with the onion's sweetness.
- Hatahata no Karaageはたはたの唐あげwhole sandfish deep-fried until the bones turn crispWhole sandfish, head and innards removed, deep-fried in the Tajima region. Sandfish are said to be scaleless and easy to prepare, and because the ones landed here migrate up from the Korean peninsula without eggs yet developing, their flesh is said to carry more fat.
- EkisobaえきそばBesides shoyu, miso, shio and tonkotsuHimeji Station's Chinese noodles in a Japanese brothA standing-noodle dish said to have started at Himeji Station in 1949. Born from postwar wheat shortages as a buckwheat-and-konjac-flour noodle, it evolved into a kansui-based Chinese-style noodle set in a Japanese broth — known in Kyoto by the alternate name kiishima.
- Tako Meshiたこめしrice cooked with octopus and dashiRice cooked with octopus landed anywhere from Awaji Island to eastern Harima. The octopus is in season through summer, and flesh tumbled by the currents of the Akashi Strait is said to gain in both bite and sweetness; some areas use it raw, others boiled or sun-dried first.
- Ibitsu Mochiいびつもちsweet bean-paste rice cake wrapped in catbrier leavesA Boys' Day sweet of bean-paste mochi steamed inside catbrier leaves, used in place of oak leaves, which are said not to grow readily in Hyogo. The same sweet goes by different names by area — ibitsu mochi on Awaji, kashiwa mochi around Kobe and Tanba.
- Ikanago no Kuginiイカナゴのくぎ煮sand lance simmered in soy sauce, sugar, and ginger until glossyA Seto Inland Sea preserve made by simmering baby sand lance in soy sauce, sugar, and ginger until dark and glossy. The curled shapes are said to resemble bent, rusted nails, and the smell of it cooking is said to mark the start of spring for many households.
- Izushi Soba出石そばSmall servings on white porcelain plates, eaten five at a timeA soba from Izushi, in Toyooka, Hyogo. It is said to trace back to a lord relocated from Ueda in Shinshu who brought a soba maker along, and is served in sets of five small plates made of local Izushi porcelain.
- Jabuじゃぶchicken and vegetables simmered without added waterA Shin'onsen Town dish of chicken, tofu, shirataki noodles, and seasonal vegetables simmered in soy sauce and mirin without any added water. The name is said to come from the sloshing sound the vegetables' own juices make as they cook, and it has long been made in a big pot to share at festivals and family gatherings.
- Kajiya Nabe鍛冶屋鍋Soy-based & yosenabeoctopus and eggplant simmered in a sweet soy broth, a blacksmiths' dishA Miki City hot pot of octopus and eggplant simmered in a sweet soy broth. It is said to have been eaten by the town's blacksmiths, known for its metalware, to cool down after working the forge, combining octopus brought by traveling vendors from the Akashi coast with summer eggplant.
- Kasujiru粕汁a root vegetable soup simmered with sake leesA soup of daikon, carrot, and burdock simmered slowly with sake lees. Hyogo, home to the Nada sake-brewing district, is said to have long had lees close at hand, and a custom survives of making it on January 20th with stock drawn from leftover salmon or yellowtail bones.
- Katsumeshiかつめしbeef cutlet over rice with demi-glace sauce and cabbageA Kakogawa yoshoku dish of thin-pounded beef cutlet over a shallow bed of rice, topped with demi-glace sauce and boiled cabbage. It is said to have been devised at a postwar diner so it could be eaten easily with chopsticks, and each restaurant now has its own take on the sauce.
- Miso-dare Gyoza味噌だれ餃子pan-fried dumplings dipped in a miso-based saucePan-fried dumplings in Kobe, dipped in a miso-based sauce rather than the usual vinegar-soy. It is said to trace to people who ate their gyoza with miso while living in Manchuria before the war and opened a shop in Kobe after repatriating, and miso sauce is now kept on hand at the city's ramen shops too.
- SobameshiそばめしKobe's chopped yakisoba and rice fry-upA dish said to have begun at an okonomiyaki shop in Kobe's Nagata ward: sauce yakisoba and rice, both chopped fine, fried together on the griddle. It's said to trace to a factory worker who asked the shop to warm the cold rice he'd brought along with his order of yakisoba.
- Koya-dofu-ko to Yasai no Nimono高野豆腐粉と野菜の煮物freeze-dried tofu powder simmered with root vegetablesA Taka Town home dish made by simmering chicken, carrot, burdock, and dried shiitake in dashi, then stirring in the powder left over from making freeze-dried tofu. The powder still comes from the town's one remaining maker, and the dish is passed down as a family recipe.
- Nikutenにくてんa fold-in-half okonomiyaki topped with sweet-simmered beef tendonWhat Takasago, Hyogo calls "nikuten" is a fold-in-half okonomiyaki topped with sweet-savory beef tendon, konjac, potato, and tenkasu — fillings closer to oden leftovers than a typical okonomiyaki.
- Saba no Jauさばのじゃうa mackerel and vegetable hot pot cooked fisherman-styleA fisherman's dish from the Tajima region: mackerel filleted with its head and bones simmered into stock, then the flesh cooked sukiyaki-style with napa cabbage, chrysanthemum greens, and grilled tofu. It is said to have been eaten in port towns like Toyooka's Takeno, where mackerel landings were plentiful, sometimes as breakfast after a morning at sea.
- Sansho no Tsukudani山椒の佃煮Japanese pepper berries simmered down in soy and mirinJapanese pepper berries from Yabu's Asakura district or Kobe's Arima area, simmered down in soy sauce and mirin until the liquid is gone. Asakura sansho, grown on a thornless tree, is said to have once been presented to the shogunate, and the finished preserve is eaten over hot rice or as a garnish for chilled tofu.
- Tanba Kuromame Gohan丹波黒豆ごはんrice cooked with Tanba black soybeansRice cooked with Tanba-Sasayama's prized black soybeans, whose pigment bleeds out to tint the grains faintly purple. It is said the dish was once offered to a household shrine and left in the paddies during a rite praying for the rice seedlings to take.
- Kuromame Ni黒豆煮Tanba black soybeans simmered sweet for New YearTanba-Sasayama's prized black soybeans, simmered slowly and sweetly in soy sauce and sugar with care taken to keep the skins from wrinkling — a New Year dish. The beans are said to be large, sweet, and slow to split, and more households are said to now eat it year-round for its polyphenols.
- Tofumeshiとふめしmashed tofu, canned mackerel, and root vegetables steamed into riceA mixed rice dish from the Oyama district of Tanba-Sasayama, made by simmering mashed tofu with canned mackerel, burdock, and carrot in a sweet soy seasoning, then folding it into freshly steamed rice. It is said to have been devised by a village elder to simplify preparing food for community gatherings.
- Tororo Gohanとろろご飯grated mountain yam over rice, eaten to settle the stomachGrated mountain yam thinned with dashi and poured over rice, a Tanba-Sasayama dish said to aid digestion. A custom survives of eating it on January 2nd to rest the stomach after New Year's feasting, and the grated yam is sometimes worked into soba dough or okonomiyaki batter too.
- Yaki Anago焼きアナゴskewered conger eel basted and grilled over charcoalSkewered conger eel, split open and basted with a soy, mirin, and sugar glaze as it grills — a specialty of the Harima district. Conger raised in the nutrient-rich Harima Sea is said to be tender and well-fatted, and is eaten straight off the skewer or folded into rolled and scattered sushi.
- Yude Matsuba-ganiゆで松葉ガニsnow crab boiled whole in seawater-strength brineSnow crab, called matsuba-gani on the Sea of Japan coast, boiled whole in brine slightly weaker than seawater — a winter taste of the Tajima region. The meat is said to keep a faint sweetness even once cooled, and is dipped in vinegar-soy or worked into rice porridge and croquettes.
Raised here5
- Awaji Beef淡路ビーフpure Tajima-line cattle chosen for balance rather than marbling alonePure Tajima-line cattle raised on Awaji Island, a brand producers founded in 1986 — selected for balance between lean and fat rather than marbling volume, with a small annual output.
- Kobe Beef神戸ビーフa title only the best Tajima cattle may bearA title, not a herd: only Tajima cattle meeting strict marbling standards may bear the name.
- Tajima Pork但馬ポークpork certified under Hyogo's own quality-food programRaised in the Tajima region of northern Hyogo, and positioned as one of the prefecture's certified foods after meeting standards that include record-keeping from breeding through shipping.
- Tajima Ushi但馬牛the root stock behind Kobe Beef and othersThe root stock behind Kobe Beef and many other brands, its bloodlines long kept valley by valley.
- Tanba Jidori丹波地どりraised on the wooded plateau spanning two provincesA jidori breed raised across the Tanba plateau spanning Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures, said to be improved from French-origin breeding stock; reportedly reared to the jidori JAS standard, about 1.5 times a standard broiler's rearing period.
Prepared here4
- Ako salt赤穂の塩the salt that built Japan's first commercial saltfieldsA salt tied to Japan's earliest full-scale commercial saltfields, using the irihama tidal-field method perfected in the Edo period. Controlling seawater with channels and embankments let work continue regardless of the tide, and the method is said to have remained Japan's main salt-making approach for some 300 years.
- Nada no Sake灘の酒Nada sake — the hard-water style of Kobe and NishinomiyaSake brewed in the Nada-Gogo district of Hyogo Prefecture, built on a mineral-rich, low-iron water called miyamizu that's said to drive vigorous fermentation, traditionally earning it the name 'Nada's masculine sake' for its dry, robust style.
- Tanba no Sake丹波の酒Tanba sake — the toji guild that staffed Nada's breweriesThe home ground of the Tanba toji, centered on Tanba-Sasayama in Hyogo Prefecture. Said to be a brewing guild raised up by Nada's own breweries, by the Tenpo era it's said that most Nada breweries were staffed largely by Tanba toji.
- Usukuchi shoyu淡口醤油the pale, aroma-forward soy sauce born in TatsunoA pale-colored soy sauce said to have been devised in the Kanbun era (1660s) in what is now Tatsuno, Hyogo. Soft water from the Ibo River and easy access to local soybeans, wheat, and Ako salt let it develop alongside a Kansai food culture that prizes ingredient color and dashi flavor.
Known for it here10
- MadaiマダイWhite fishred seabream — the celebratory fish of JapanThe red fish central to Japanese celebrations. Its mild white flesh appears raw, in taimeshi rice, or salt-grilled — wild fish firmed by fast currents and farmed fish raised in calm bays earn distinct reputations by region.'Akashi tai', firmed by the fast currents of the Akashi Strait, is a premium branded wild seabream.
- Yamada Nishiki山田錦Known sourcethe ‘king of sake rice’, prized for its large coreOften called the 'king of sake rice', said to have a large starchy core that withstands heavy polishing, prized above all for ginjo and daiginjo sake. Said to have been registered as a variety in Hyogo in 1936, and still accounts for the largest sake-rice output.Hyogo is said to be the leading production area, especially the noted 'special A' district around Yokawa.
- HamoハモOther stylespike conger — the summer fish of Kyoto's Gion FestivalA fish so fine-boned it demands the knife skill of hone-kiri, said to fatten on the rains of early summer. Essential to Kyoto's Gion Festival, nearby coastal grounds able to supply the city quickly saw demand concentrate and the craft sharpen.Sandwiched between the Akashi Strait and the Kii Channel, this island supplies much of the pike conger sold into Kyoto and Osaka.
- HatahataハタハタWhite fishKnown sourcesandfish — the winter fish that gives Akita its name-day thunderA fish that surges toward shore with the first winter thunder — Akita's official prefectural fish. Eaten in shottsuru hot pot, deep-fried, or as izushi, its shoreward spawning run gave rise to its 'fish-thunder' kanji and its status as Akita's winter icon.
- ManagatsuoマナガツオWhite fishKnown sourcebutterfish — a flat, silvery fish for Kansai's New Year tableA flat, diamond-shaped white-fleshed fish. In the Kansai region it serves as a celebratory fish, miso-glazed or featured at New Year — easy to prepare thanks to few bones and delicate fat, long valued as an auspicious catch along the Seto Inland Sea.
- Yari IkaヤリイカSquid and octopusKnown sourcea slender squid shaped like the spear it is named forA slender squid named for its spear-like shape. Its flesh is thinner and softer than surume-ika, prized raw for a delicate sweetness and melting texture, in season winter through spring, and slow to toughen when cooked.The fast currents around the Akashi Strait are among its fishing grounds.
- MadakoマダコSquid and octopusan octopus whose legs toughen against the strongest currentsThe most commonly eaten octopus in Japan. Raised against strong currents, its legs are said to firm up thick and taut, boiled into a springy, deeply savory bite. Used everywhere from vinegared dishes to takoyaki filling.The fast currents of the Akashi Strait are rich in crab and shrimp prey; bracing against the flow is said to give the octopus thick, short, firm legs.
- OdenおでんOdendaikon, fish cakes, and eggs simmered in a light dashi brothA simmered dish of daikon, konjac, fish cakes, and eggs slow-cooked in dashi. Even under one name, the broth's color, the ingredients, and how it's eaten vary sharply from place to place, shaped in part by where it was traditionally sold.Himeji oden is eaten dipped in, or drizzled with, ginger soy sauce, a style said to trace back to the early Showa era when vendors in the city's waterfront district adjusted the flavor of a sweet-savory Kanto-style broth with ginger soy. A local revitalization group formally named it "Himeji Oden" in 2006.
- Nihonshu日本酒Japan's traditional rice-brewed sakeJapan's traditional brewed drink, made mainly from rice, koji, and water. Milling ratio, how the starter mash is raised, and whether the sake is pasteurized all branch it into a wide range of styles, and differences in water and climate are said to have shaped distinct regional characters.Nada draws on a mineral-rich, low-iron water called miyamizu, said to speed fermentation and give rise to a robust, dry style known as Nada no Kiippon.
- Iwanori岩のりKnown sourcewild rock-grown noriWild seaweed gathered from coastal rock, said to run thicker and have a stronger sea aroma than farmed nori. Regional versions, each with its own name, include Uppurui-nori and Kinosaki-nori.Kinosaki-nori is said to be an iwanori-producing area known since the Edo period as a souvenir of Kinosaki Onsen.
Food experiences here
- Kobe NankinmachiFood townsOpen year-round (closing days vary by shop). Especially lively around Lunar New Year — check the official site for dates before visiting.
- Sake brewery tours in Nada GogoBrewery toursHours and closing days vary by brewery. Check each brewery's official website before visiting.