Place
Mie
三重県
35 items
● 27 born here(Arame Maki, Bon Jiru, Chagayu, and more) / ● 5 raised here(Iga Gyu, Ise Akadori, Ise Umashi Buta, and more) / ● 3 prepared here(Ahodaki, Ise-cha, Sakana no Shiokara) / ○ 3 known for it here
Born here27
- Arame Makiあらめ巻きseasonal fish rolled in dried arame seaweed and simmeredRehydrated arame, a brown seaweed once offered to Ise Shrine, is wrapped several times around sardine or saury and simmered in soy sauce and sugar. The choice of fish shifts by locality along the Toba coast.
- Bon Jiru盆汁a vegetable-packed miso soup made without fish stock for ObonA miso soup packed with seasonal vegetables such as burdock, eggplant, and pumpkin. Following Zen Buddhist practice of avoiding killing during Obon, it skips bonito or dried-fish stock, relying instead on fried tofu and a generous mix of vegetables for its savor.
- Chagayu茶粥rice porridge cooked in roasted teaRice is cooked in water steeped with a bag of roasted tea leaves. Born in Iga, where farmland was scarce and rice precious, the extra water was a way to stretch the grain further; in summer some households chill the porridge before eating.
- Chatsuちゃつjulienned root vegetables simmered in vinegar without soy sauceJulienned daikon, carrot, lotus root, kelp, and fried tofu are simmered in vinegar and sugar, a dish from Asahi town. Its name is said to come from "chatsu," the red-lacquered vessel once used to serve vegetarian temple food, and soy sauce is deliberately left out to keep the dish pale.
- Fuki Dawaraふき俵rice wrapped in butterbur leaf as a harvest offeringRice cooked with soybeans is wrapped in butterbur leaves into a small rice-bale shape, an Iga-area harvest offering. It is set before the rice-paddy deity at planting time to pray for a good crop, and doubles as a portable snack for breaks between farm work.
- Garagara Oroshiガラガラおろしcoarsely grated daikon mixed with dried sardine and misoDaikon coarsely grated with a bamboo "oni-oroshi" grater is mixed with fried tofu, fish cake, dried sardine, red and white miso, and vinegar. Some areas are said to have once paid it in place of rice tax, and it remains a palate-cleansing side at weddings, funerals, and New Year's.
- Ibara Mochiいばら餅sweet rice cake wrapped in smilax leavesSweet bean paste wrapped in rice-flour dough is enclosed in a round, smooth smilax leaf and steamed, traditionally made for the May boy's festival. Known as "ibara mochi" in Tsu, the same treat carries different names — "gandachi mochi," "dokkan mochi" — across other parts of Mie.
- Ise Udon伊勢うどんVery soft noodles in a thick, dark soy-tamari sauceServed for generations at teahouses along the approach to Ise Shrine, this udon pairs very thick, soft noodles with a dark, concentrated tamari-based sauce.
- Iwashi Zushiいわしずしpressed box sushi topped with salted sardineSalted sardine is layered over vinegared rice packed into a wooden box mold and pressed. A fixture of Mie's autumn festivals in a prefecture known for its sardine catch, it was especially prized inland in Iga and Nabari, where fresh fish was harder to come by.
- Kakimazeかきまぜa five-color mixed sushi from the Kumano coastTuna or saury cured in vinegar is folded into vinegared rice along with finely chopped, simmered ingredients, a mixed sushi from the southern Higashi-Kishu coast. Made for weddings, funerals, and other gatherings, it traditionally combines five or seven ingredients — always an odd number.
- Kameyama Ramen亀山ラーメンMisoMie's beef-and-triple-miso bowl built on local wheat and mushroomsA local ramen from Kameyama, Mie, blending red, mame, and mugi miso into a beef-bone broth. Thick noodles made from the prefecture's Nishinokaori wheat come topped with three kinds of local mushroom.
- Kokera-zushiこけらずしpressed sushi layered like cedar-shingle roofingA pressed sushi from the Higashi-Kishu coast of Mie, stacking an odd number of toppings — cured mackerel, dried shiitake, and more — three or four tiers deep in a wooden mold. Named, it's said, for the way the layers shingle like a cedar-bark roof.
- Kounago no Kuginiこうなごのくぎ煮young sand lance simmered into curled, nail-like strandsYoung sand lance from Ise Bay, called kounago locally, are simmered down with coarse sugar, soy sauce, and sake. As the slender fish curl while cooking, they come to resemble rusted nails — the source of the dish's name — and the catch is considered a herald of spring along the bay.
- Kyuri no Hiyajiruきゅうりの冷や汁a cold sesame-miso soup with cucumberGround sesame and miso are worked together, mixed with sliced cucumber, and thinned with chilled dashi, a summer soup from the Iga basin's sweltering heat. It has long been eaten as a way to keep up one's appetite through the hottest months.
- Manbo Sumiso Aeまんぼう酢味噌あえlightly boiled ocean sunfish dressed in vinegar-misoOcean sunfish, torn by hand into pieces, is briefly boiled and dressed in vinegar-miso, a dish from the Higashi-Kishu coast. The trick is a short boil, since the flesh shrinks away with prolonged cooking, leaving a texture said to resemble chicken tenderloin.
- Aimazeあいまぜjulienned vegetables dressed separately then tossed togetherDried shiitake, lotus root, burdock, and freeze-dried konjac are each simmered and seasoned separately, then tossed together in a sweetened vinegar dressing. It is said to have begun as a way to use up leftover simmered dishes from funeral gatherings, and the name changes by locality.
- Tofu Dengaku豆腐でんがくskewered tofu grilled with sweet miso in Iga styleFirm tofu is skewered, grilled, brushed with a sweet miso glaze, and grilled again, an Iga-basin dish. In a landlocked area with little access to seafood, tofu was a vital protein source, and the dish was traditionally served at New Year's and mountain-deity rites.
- Zoni雑煮New Year's mochi soup where eastern and western customs meetA New Year's soup with mochi, made distinct by Mie's position at the meeting point of eastern and western Japan — square and round mochi, clear broth and miso broth, vary by district. A prefectural museum survey found the custom splits into nine regional patterns across Mie.
- Naisho Mochiないしょ餅half-pounded rice cake made quietly without a mortarSteamed glutinous and non-glutinous rice are half-pounded together in a pot, then finished with mugwort and sweet bean paste, a specialty of Odai town. The name, meaning "secret mochi," is said to come from making it quietly in a pot rather than with a mortar and pestle, whose thumping would carry to the neighbors; it is also called "nabe mochi."
- Noppeiのっぺいa thick root-vegetable stew that settles into a simmered dishTaro is always among the vegetables, simmered with carrot, daikon, and konjac without pan-frying first, a winter dish from landlocked Iga. Without easy access to seafood, processed goods like fish cake and kamaboko were treasured additions.
- Rakkasei no Nimame落花生の煮豆peanuts simmered sweet-savory in place of black beansShelled peanuts, grown well in the sunny south of Higashi-Kishu and the Chunansei area, are simmered soft in dashi, sugar, and soy sauce. Made in place of black soybeans at New Year's, the dish carries a pun-based wish for a healthy year ahead.
- Sakana no Jifu魚のじふa fisherman's sukiyaki-style hot pot of blue-backed fishSeasonal blue-backed fish such as saury or mackerel are simmered with vegetables, tofu, and konjac noodles in a soy-based broth, a fisherman's hot pot from the Higashi-Kishu coast. Also called "fish sukiyaki," it is a staple that can easily stretch to feed a crowd.
- Sakana no Tataki魚のたたきsmall blue-backed fish minced fine with a knifeSmall fish such as horse mackerel or grunt, bones and skin included, are minced fine with a knife and finished with shiso leaf, a dish from the Kumano-nada coast. Born from a fisherman's way of enjoying the day's catch at its freshest, in parts of the Shima area it is also called "namero."
- Same Namasuさめなますthinly sliced shark blanched and dressed in fermented misoShark meat, sliced thin, is briefly blanched and dressed in a strongly fermented, salty miso sauce distinctive to the Shima area. Because the character for shark contains the character for "intersection," the fish is considered auspicious and traditionally served at weddings and other celebrations.
- Sanma-zushiさんまずしvinegar-cured saury sushi tracing to a Kumano shrine offeringA rod-pressed sushi from Kumano, Mie, made by butterflying saury along the back and curing it in citrus vinegar. Said to trace to a shrine ritual for children's growth, and made widely along the Kii Peninsula coast.
- Tako Meshiたこ飯rice cooked together with fresh octopusFresh octopus is cooked directly into the rice with a seasoning liquid, a dish from Adako on Toba's Toshi Island. Octopus firmed by the fast currents at the mouth of Ise Bay is known locally as "shiosai dako," and has long been offered at Ise Shrine's ritual meals as well as eaten at home.
- Tekone-zushiてこねずしfisherman's mixed sushi of soy-marinated bonitoSoy-marinated bonito sashimi mixed straight into vinegared rice — a fisherman's dish from Shima and Kumano Bay, Mie. Said to be named for sailors who cleaned their catch and mixed it in by hand on deck; no mold, no pressing.
Raised here5
- Iga Gyu伊賀牛fattened where a basin's sharp winters and summers once tempered ninja rationsVirgin heifers of Japanese Black fattened for at least 12 months in Mie's Iga basin, where sharp seasonal swings are said to suit fattening — its dried meat reputedly served as Sengoku-era rations.
- Ise Akadori伊勢赤どりa French red-fowl cross raised in open shedsA branded chicken said to be developed from imported French Redbro stock, reared in open sheds with room to move for around 70–75 days, longer than standard; registered as a regional collective trademark.
- Ise Umashi Buta伊勢うまし豚pork finished on citrus peel and flaxseed oilBorn in 2016 from a further refinement of the feed behind Mie's earlier unified brand, Mie Buta. Raised on a formula said to include peel from the local citrus Niihime and flaxseed oil.
- Kumano Jidori熊野地鶏a high-end fowl fed on locally grown feed riceSaid to be crossed from Yagito, a Mie-native shamo fowl, Ise Akadori and Nagoya Cochin, and still raised only around Kumano city; reportedly reared for an average of 115 days at low stocking density.
- Matsusaka Ushi松阪牛the byword for marbling, from virgin heifers onlyOnly virgin heifers, fattened long — the byword for marbling, called “a work of art in meat.”
Prepared here3
- Ahodakiあほだきdesalted old takuan pickle simmered in soy sauceOld takuan pickle, once its flavor and aroma have faded, is desalted and simmered again in soy sauce, a pantry staple from the Hokusei area. Its name — playfully self-deprecating, roughly "doing a foolish thing" — nods to eating it well past its prime, a frugal way to waste nothing.
- Ise-cha伊勢茶By growing regionMie's top producer of kabusechaA Mie Prefecture tea region said to rank among the country's largest in both growing area and production. Kabusecha in particular, centered on the northern Hokusei area, is said to lead the nation in output, prized for its rich umami and sweetness.
- Sakana no Shiokara魚の漬物（塩辛）whole fish salted and cured for monthsWhole sardine, saury, mackerel, or bonito are packed in salt and cured for months, typically salted in autumn or winter and eaten in spring. Born before refrigeration, the practice made full use of the abundant catch from the rich fishing grounds off the Kumano-nada coast.
Known for it here6
- Ise Ebi伊勢海老Shrimp and crabKnown sourcethe long-whiskered lobster of celebration tablesA large spiny lobster with thick, long antennae and a red shell. Its firm flesh carries strong sweetness and a crisp bite raw. Its showy form makes it a centerpiece for New Year's and wedding meals alike.Fished mainly in the ria-coast waters around Toba.
- SazaeサザエShellfishKnown sourcea spiny turban shell that snaps its trapdoor shut when threatenedA turban-shaped sea snail with spiny shell projections, sealing itself shut with a trapdoor operculum when threatened. Grilled whole in the shell, it steams in its own juices, its briny aroma and crunch standing out, in season spring through summer.The rocky reefs of Shima, worked by ama divers, are a notable fishing ground.
- HamaguriハマグリShellfisha clam whose two shells fit no other pair, hence its wedding roleBecause each shell fits only its original pair, this clam symbolizes marital harmony and appears in wedding-banquet soup. Grilled, it releases a rich broth the moment it opens, with plump, deeply savory meat, in season through spring.Raised in the brackish waters where the Kiso Three Rivers meet Ise Bay, giving thin shells and plump meat — famous since the Edo period.
- HijikiヒジキKnown sourcea black, mineral-rich seaweed dried into small dark strandsA brown seaweed that grows on rocky shores, brown when fresh but drying and processing into small black strands and pellets. Simmered, it carries a distinct briny aroma and a mineral-rich crunch, classically cooked with soybeans and carrot.The rocky Ise-Shima coast has long been worked for this seaweed.
- Sukiyakiすき焼きSukiyaki-style (simmered in warishita)thin-sliced beef simmered in sweetened soy sauce with vegetablesThin-sliced beef seared in an iron pan, simmered in sweetened soy sauce with vegetables and dipped in beaten raw egg. Eastern Japan simmers everything in a pre-mixed sauce while the west sears the meat first and seasons as it goes.Matsusaka beef comes only from virgin heifers raised over a long span, and the city's tourism association lists several long-established beef restaurants dating to the Meiji era. Sukiyaki is said to be the signature preparation at many of these shops, chosen to showcase the fat's quality.
- Takuanたくあんsun-dried daikon pickled in rice bran, Japan's everyday yellow pickleSun-dried daikon pickled in rice bran and salt — the pickle most identified with the whole nuka-zuke family. Widely credited (among other accounts) to the early-Edo monk Takuan Soho, it takes a different shape in each region depending on the local daikon.Takuan made from Mizono daikon, grown in the sunny Chunansei district, is known locally as "Ise takuan."