Place
Kanagawa
神奈川県
33 items
● 31 born here(Doria, Ebi Mayo, Gyu Nabe, and more) / ● 2 prepared here(Harihari-zuke, Odawara Kamaboko) / ○ 4 known for it here
Born here31
- DoriaドリアRice dishesbutter rice and creamed shrimp baked under white sauce and cheeseButter rice topped with shrimp in cream, covered in white sauce and cheese and baked. Said to have been improvised at a Yokohama hotel for a guest who wasn't feeling well.
- Ebi Mayoエビマヨfried shrimp tossed in a sweet mayonnaise sauceBattered, fried shrimp are tossed in a sweet mayonnaise-based sauce — said to have begun when a Cantonese chef, unsatisfied with a mayonnaise-dressed shrimp dish he'd eaten in the United States, remade it his own way.
- Gyu Nabe牛鍋Sukiyaki-style (simmered in warishita)beef, tofu and greens simmered together from the start in seasoned brothA Yokohama-born hot pot of beef, tofu and chrysanthemum greens simmered from the start in a soy or miso-based sauce. Born of the port city's encounter with Western meat-eating culture, it is said to trace to a tavern owner who opened one of the first beef-pot restaurants.
- Herahera Dangoへらへら団子flat dumplings coated in sweet bean pasteA confection from Sajima in Yokosuka City, flattened dumplings of wheat or glutinous rice flour coated in sweet bean paste. Offered at the shrine during a summer boat festival to pray for a good catch and good health, it is still shared among family.
- Hiratsuka-kei Tanmen平塚系タンメンShio — saltHiratsuka Tanmen — a clear, vinegar-edged vegetable noodle soupA clear, salt-based broth carries a faint edge of acidity, topped with wakame seaweed and chopped onion — a thinner, less thickened bowl than the typical Kanagawa tanmen, said to have taken root among Chinese-style diners in Hiratsuka.
- Iekei Ramen家系ラーメンTonkotsu — pork boneYokohama's pork-bone soy ramen finished with chicken fatPork bone and chicken carcass simmered long and finished with a dark soy tare and chicken fat, paired with thick, short noodles, spinach, and nori — traced to a shop that opened in 1974 in Yokohama's Shinsugita district and is said to have spread among workers in the surrounding industrial zone.
- Ishigaki Dango石垣団子steamed dumplings of local wheat flour and cubed sweet potatoA Sagamihara City confection of local wheat flour dough mixed with cubed sweet potato and steamed. Named for the potato cubes' resemblance to a stone wall, it is said to have long served as an okojuu, a between-fieldwork snack.
- Kate Meshiかて飯rice mixed with simmered vegetables and fish cakeA Sagamihara City dish of rice mixed with simmered shiitake mushrooms, burdock and chikuwa fish cake. Said to have grown from the need to stretch precious rice, it is reportedly served as a festive dish at festivals and equinox gatherings.
- Kenchin Jiruけんちん汁root vegetables and tofu pan-fried then simmered in dashiA Kamakura-born soup of root vegetables and tofu, pan-fried in sesame oil before simmering in dashi. One account traces it to the shojin cooking of Kenchoji temple, with a story that a monk once gathered spilled tofu into the pot rather than waste it.
- Kanagawa Tanrei-kei神奈川淡麗系Shoyu — soy saucea light, clear soy ramen built on thin noodlesA light, clear soy sauce broth paired with thin noodles, often set up in contrast to the heavily fatted iekei style as the other pole of Kanagawa's ramen culture.
- Kanko Yakiかんこ焼きwheat dough wrapped around seasonal fillings, pan-baked and steamedA dish from the Tsukui area of Sagamihara City, wheat dough wrapped around seasonal fillings such as mountain vegetables, sweet bean paste or pumpkin, then pan-baked and steamed. Born of a wheat-based diet in mountains ill-suited to rice, its name is said to come from its resemblance to a drum used in court music.
- New TantanmenニュータンタンメンBesides shoyu, miso, shio and tonkotsuegg-drop chili soup, Kawasaki styleEgg-drop soup fired with chili and garlic — Kawasaki's own thing, not a tantanmen at all.
- Maguro no Kabutoyakiマグロのかぶと焼きMaguro no kabuto-yaki — a whole tuna head slow-roasted in the ovenA specialty of Misaki in Miura City, a whole tuna head slow-roasted in the oven. Said to have begun with deep-sea fishermen steam-roasting unsellable heads aboard ship, it lets diners taste otherwise rare cuts.
- Misaki Maguro Ramen三崎まぐろラーメンShoyu — soy sauceMisaki Tuna Ramen — soy ramen built on a maguro-based brothIn Misaki Port, a landing base for offshore tuna boats, a soy sauce ramen is built on a broth drawn from tuna trimmings and bone — a bowl said to have been served for decades at diners along the port.
- Supagetti Naporitanスパゲッティ ナポリタンKetchup-based spaghetti invented at a Yokohama hotel after the warAfter Japan's surrender, Hotel New Grand in Yokohama was requisitioned by GHQ, and the occupying troops there ate boiled spaghetti simply tossed with ketchup. After the requisition ended, Irie Shigetada, who became the hotel's second head chef, built a proper sauce around caramelized onion and garlic and fresh and canned tomato, turning the soldiers' snack into a hotel dish.
- Nara Chameshi奈良茶飯rice cooked with chestnuts and red beans in green teaA Kawasaki City dish of rice cooked with chestnuts and red beans in green tea. Said to have been served at a teahouse along the Tokaido post town of Kawasaki-juku to great acclaim from travelers, it became nationally known after appearing in the comic novel Tokaidochu Hizakurige.
- Nigomi Udonにごみうどんmountain-village udon simmered straight in the potFrom the Tsukui area of Sagamihara, Kanagawa: raw udon simmered directly in broth with vegetables like daikon and komatsuna. It's said to carry the history of land unsuited to rice, where wheat became the staple instead.
- Norabouna no Ohitashiのらぼう菜のおひたしblanched norabou greens dressed simplyA dish of norabouna, a traditional vegetable grown in the Suge district of Kawasaki City, blanched and served as a simple dressed side. Said to have helped people survive an Edo-period famine, it is enjoyed simply for its faint sweetness and tender texture.
- Odawara-kei Ramen小田原系ラーメンShoyu — soy sauceOdawara Ramen — dark soy ramen with flat, curly noodles and rolled wontonsA dark, strongly seasoned soy sauce broth paired with flat, curly noodles, often topped with slim, rolled wontons — a bowl said to have taken root at Chinese-style diners in this old castle town.
- Odawara Tantanmen小田原タンタン麺Besides shoyu, miso, shio and tonkotsua thick, sweet-spicy ankake tantanmenA tantanmen with a thick, sweet-and-spicy ankake-style sauce built on ground pork, pickled mustard greens, garlic, and doubanjiang, said to have originated in 1975 in Kamisoga, Odawara, with a heavier, sweeter profile than standard tantanmen.
- Oyama no Tofu Ryori大山の豆腐料理Oyama tofu dishes — chilled and hot-pot tofu made with Tanzawa spring waterTofu dishes from Mount Oyama in Isehara City, made with clear water from the Tanzawa mountains. Served to pilgrims visiting the mountain shrine, it became a local specialty, still enjoyed simply as chilled tofu, hot pot tofu, or grilled tofu with miso.
- Sake Manju酒まんじゅうsteamed buns leavened with a rice-koji starterA Sagamihara City confection of sweet bean paste wrapped in dough leavened with a rice-koji starter, then steamed. It reflects a land better suited to wheat than rice, and is said to have long been an essential treat at summer festivals.
- SanmamenサンマーメンShoyu — soy saucesoy noodles under a hot moyashi ankakeNoodles blanketed in a scalding bean-sprout ankake, born in Yokohama's Chinese diners.
- Shumaiシューマイground pork and onion wrapped in a thin skin and steamedA Yokohama specialty of ground pork and onion wrapped in a thin skin and steamed. Inspired by dim sum from Chinatown, a station bento version made it famous nationwide, and the city is said to still lead the country in shumai consumption.
- Tanishi no Misoni田にしの味噌煮river snails simmered with burdock in sweet misoA dish from around Iiyama hot spring in Atsugi City, river snails simmered with burdock in a sweet-savory miso. Once so common it lined festival stalls and gave the area the nickname 'Tanishi Town,' it is said to be rarely eaten today.
- Tanmenタンメンstir-fried vegetables and pork in a clear salted broth over ramen noodlesBean sprouts, cabbage, and pork stir-fried over high heat go into a clear, salted chicken broth with ramen noodles. Chinese 'tangmian' just means noodles in soup generally, but Japan's tanmen is said to have settled into its own specific dish under that name.
- Ume Gohan梅ごはんrice cooked with pickled plum and dried whitebaitAn Odawara City rice dish cooked with pickled plums and dried whitebait mixed in. In a region where plums planted around the castle town were long valued by traveling merchants, it is said to have been devised by a local food educator and spread as a home dish.
- Wakasagi no Kanroniワカサギの甘露煮smelt from Lake Ashinoko candied to a glossy finishA Hakone dish of smelt from Lake Ashinoko, first dry-grilled and then simmered to a glossy finish with starch syrup. Seasoned firmly sweet and salty to keep well, it is said to be a standard dish on the New Year table.
- Yokohama Ramen横浜ラーメンTonkotsu — pork bonethick pork-and-soy broth with spinach and noriA thick broth of pork bones and soy sauce with thick noodles. The familiar bowl is topped with spinach and sheets of nori.
- Yokosuka Kaigun Curryよこすか海軍カレーYokosuka navy curry — thickened curry recreating the old Imperial Navy recipeA Yokosuka City dish of beef or chicken and vegetables simmered in a thickened curry and served over rice. It recreates the curry once served in the old Imperial Japanese Navy to combat beriberi, and is said to have become a local specialty through a Heisei-era town revival effort.
- Yude Rakkasei茹で落花生peanuts boiled in their shells with saltA dish from around Hadano City, peanuts boiled in their shells with salt. In the region where peanut cultivation first began in Japan, farmers are said to have boiled unripe, unsellable pods as a snack, a practice that spread widely once it was turned into a frozen product.
Prepared here2
- Harihari-zukeハリハリ漬けthick-cut dried daikon pickled crisp in soy and kelp, from MiuraDaikon cut thicker than ordinary kiriboshi strips, dried, then pickled in a soy-based sauce — a Miura Peninsula specialty. Its name is said to echo the crisp "hari-hari" bite, developed in Miura, a daikon-growing region since the Edo period.
- Odawara Kamaboko小田原かまぼこsteamed fish cake from a Tokaido post townOdawara kamaboko developed from fresh white fish landed in Sagami Bay and this town's role as a Tokaido post stop. It's known for a crisp bite and a refined white color, with long-established makers still lining the street.
Known for it here8
- MaguroマグロKnown sourcetuna — the modern king of sushiToday's king of sushi, served soy-cured in old Edo. Oma, Nachikatsuura, Misaki and Yaizu are its famed landing ports.
- SabaサバBlue-backed fishmackerel — an everyday fish prized when the fat runs highA blue-backed fish fattest from autumn into winter, grilled with salt, simmered in miso, or vinegar-cured. Fish held still by fast currents rather than migrating firm up and fatten further, giving rise to named, pole-and-line branded catches.'Matsuwa saba', taken in set nets off the Matsuwa district, runs notably fatty and is prized as a premium Edomae mackerel.
- KamasuカマスWhite fishKnown sourcebarracuda — a slender fish best known driedA slender coastal fish whose watery flesh spoils quickly, so drying it into himono is said to concentrate its flavor. Places able to process the catch near the fishing grounds tend to earn the strongest reputation for their dried fish.
- ShirasuシラスBlue-backed fishKnown sourcewhitebait — the tiny, translucent juveniles of sardineThe tiny, translucent juveniles of sardine and related fish. Kettle-boiled or sun-dried, served over rice or with grated daikon — bays where seabed topography drives upwelling currents draw the densest shoals and anchor the main fisheries.
- KawahagiカワハギWhite fishKnown sourcefilefish — a thin-skinned fish famous for its liverA fish whose skin is peeled off whole in preparation — the source of its name. Its mild flesh is famously mixed with its rich liver as 'kimo-ae', and the liver swells largest in colder months, when winter catches fetch the highest prices.
- Curry Riceカレーライスa British-route curry sauce ladled over Japanese riceA wheat-thickened curry sauce ladled over white rice, a yoshoku staple said to have arrived via Britain rather than directly from India, with the roux and toppings varying home to home and place to place, in some towns tied to a naval or industrial past.A former Imperial Japanese Navy base city, it promotes "Yokosuka Navy Curry," recreated from an old naval cookery manual, as a local specialty. The Maritime Self-Defense Force is said to still serve curry every Friday, a custom the city's tourism site introduces through its own curry guidebook.
- Shirasu-donしらす丼raw whitebait rice bowlRaw shirasu served over rice with egg yolk and condiments. Both Shonan on Sagami Bay and Shizuoka on Suruga Bay are cited as major sources, with eating it raw said to have taken hold only as refrigeration advanced.Shonan has fished for shirasu since the Edo period, and raw shirasu is said to have taken root as a local specialty only once boiling and refrigeration technology advanced.
- Kamabokoかまぼこmolded, steamed fish-paste cakeKamaboko is white fish paste mounded on a wooden board and steamed into a springy cake with a faint sweetness. Regions differ mainly in whether they steam it or fire-bake it without steaming.Landing fresh fish from Sagami Bay and sitting on the Tokaido highway's post-town trade route are said to be why kamaboko-making took root here from the Edo period.