Place
Miyagi
宮城県
33 items
● 29 born here(Aburafu Don, Bakke Miso, Donko Jiru, and more) / ● 1 raised here(Sendai Gyu) / ● 3 prepared here(Azara, Sasa Kamaboko, Sendai miso) / ○ 5 known for it here
Born here29
- Aburafu Don油麩丼deep-fried wheat gluten rice bowlDeep-fried wheat gluten, shaped into a log, is simmered in a sweet-savory broth and set with egg over rice, katsudon-style — a Tome City bowl said to trace to a tofu shop's shelf-stable gluten product, later turned into a bowl dish by a local innkeeper.
- Bakke Misoばっけ味噌butterbur sprout miso pasteButterbur sprouts picked in early spring — called 'bakke' locally — are boiled, chopped, and worked into a paste with walnuts and miso, said to be prized for helping clear the body of winter's buildup, spooned over rice or grilled fish.
- Donko Jiruどんこ汁miso soup with brown hakelingDonko, a brown hakeling landed at Ishinomaki and Kesennuma ports, is simmered in miso with daikon and tofu — a fish said to be considered lucky for money, given its wide mouth and narrow tail, and offered at the autumn ebisu-ko festival.
- Ebi Mochiエビ餅mochi studded with paddy shrimpPaddy shrimp caught in irrigation channels and ponds are seasoned with soy sauce and sake, then folded whole into freshly pounded mochi — a Kurihara dish said to be served, red against white, to guests over New Year's.
- Fusube Mochiふすべ餅mochi with smoke-cured loach and root vegetablesLoach, grilled plain then smoked over an irori hearth, is ground to powder and simmered with grated daikon and burdock in a soy-chili sauce, then folded into freshly pounded mochi — said to be a mochi dish born of inland Kurihara's distance from the sea.
- Ganzukiがんづきsteamed black-sugar breadWheat flour is worked with dark brown sugar, baking soda, and vinegar, then steamed into a plain sweet bread — light yet filling, said to be named for a resemblance to wild goose meat, an everyday snack in Miyagi.
- Gojiru呉汁pureed soybean miso soupSoybeans soaked overnight are ground into a paste called 'go' and stirred into a miso soup of taro, daikon, and fried tofu — said to be a winter home dish in Miyagi, the country's second-largest soybean-growing prefecture.
- Harako Meshiはらこ飯salmon and salmon roe rice from WatariRice is cooked in the broth used to simmer salmon, then topped with flaked salmon and roe dipped back into that same broth — said to have started as a fisherman's meal along the Abukuma River before being served to feudal lord Date Masamune.
- Hatto Jiruはっと汁hand-stretched wheat dumpling soupWheat dough worked with water is stretched thin and torn by hand into broth with seasonal vegetables and chicken — said to have spread through the Tome region during the feudal era, when rice fell short and this stood in for it.
- Hesodaikon no Nishimeへそ大根のにしめHesodaikon nishime — simmered sun-dried daikon roundsBoiled daikon rounds are threaded on a skewer and left to dry in the winter wind for about a month, becoming 'hesodaikon' — said to be named for the navel-like hole the skewer leaves — then simmered with carrot and frozen tofu.
- Hokki Meshiほっきめしsurf clam rice from YamamotoRaw surf clams are simmered in a soy-based sauce, and that broth cooks the rice they're served over — a home dish from clam-rich Yamamoto that's said to have grown into the town's signature food.
- Hoya Sunomonoホヤの酢の物sea squirt dressed in vinegarFresh sea squirt, shucked straight from the shell, is dressed in vinegar with cucumber, myoga ginger, and shiso — a briny early-summer dish from the ria coast of Sanriku, where Miyagi is said to account for four-fifths of Japan's farmed output.
- Ichijiku no Kanroniいちじくの甘露煮figs simmered in sugar syrupUnripe figs grown for processing are slow-simmered with nothing more than water, sugar, and lemon juice — a simple preserve said to be put up at home every September and October, mostly in southern Miyagi, and shared around in jars.
- Ishinomaki Yakisoba石巻焼きそばMiyagi yakisoba made from noodles that start out brown, twice-steamedThe dish traces to a fried-noodle menu item at a Chinese-run diner in the city around 1931. After the war, a local noodle maker developed a method of steaming the noodles twice, which turns the raw dough brown before it is ever fried; the noodles are then pan-steamed in a seafood stock.
- Iwana Shioyakiいわなの塩焼きsalt-grilled charChar, a fish found only in clear mountain streams, is skewered, salted, and slow-grilled over charcoal — Kurihara in Miyagi is said to have been the first place in Japan to farm it successfully, prized for flesh with a clean sweetness and no off odor.
- Kaki Namasu柿なますdaikon and carrot salad with dried persimmonRed-and-white daikon and carrot salad is joined by 'korogaki', astringent persimmons dried in the cold wind of Marumori and Shiroishi until sweet — a New Year's dish said to be prized for its lucky coloring and the daikon's crunch.
- Kishazu Iriきしゃず炒りstir-fried okara with root vegetablesOkara, the soy pulp left from tofu-making and locally called 'kirazu', is simmered with carrot, burdock, and dried shiitake in dashi — an everyday Miyagi side said to take its name from needing no knife to prepare.
- Myoga no Hayakiみょうがの葉焼きmiso-sweet dough grilled in myoga leavesWheat and glutinous rice flour are worked with sugar and miso, wrapped in myoga ginger leaves, and grilled — a plain sweet said to pick up the leaf's scent, eaten during breaks in farm work and offered at the Obon festival.
- Nameta Garei Nitsukeナメタガレイの煮つけsimmered slime flounder for New Year'sA large, notably slick flounder is cut into steaks and simmered in a soy-based sauce, eaten from New Year's Eve through the new year — said to have become a lucky dish in Sendai for its golden roe and the way it plumps up in winter.
- Nasu Iriなす炒りstir-fried eggplant with aburafu wheat glutenSendai's long eggplant is sliced and stir-fried with aburafu or fried tofu in soy sauce, finished with a light potato-starch gloss — said to trace to an eggplant a Date-clan retainer brought home, which took its distinct shape in the Tohoku climate.
- Okuzukakeおくずかけa kudzu-thickened vegetable and noodle soupTaro, burdock, and other vegetables simmer with tofu and Shiroishi's thin somen-style noodles in a shiitake-soaked broth, thickened with kudzu starch — a meat-free dish said to be served at spring and autumn equinox gatherings in southern Miyagi.
- Sanma Kigakiサンマのきがきsaury simmered with grated daikonSaury, head and scales removed, is simmered together with grated daikon and finished in soy sauce — a Kesennuma home dish said to carry the name of an older method, 'kigaki', that once used the brine from salted bonito as a fish-sauce-like seasoning.
- Sanma Surimijiruサンマのすり身汁pounded saury dumpling soupAutumn-caught saury is pounded into a paste, rolled into dumplings, and simmered with daikon and other vegetables — in the Ishikawaki area it's said to carry pine-needle-shaped daikon shreds and go by the name 'matsubajiru'.
- Sasa Kamaboko Isobeage笹かまぼこの磯部揚げfish cake deep-fried in seaweed batterMiyagi's signature sasa kamaboko fish cake is dipped in a green-laver batter and deep-fried — the cake itself said to trace to a hand-shaped, fire-grilled way of preserving flounder paste, later named for the bamboo-leaf crest of the Date clan.
- Sendai Karamiso Ramen仙台辛味噌ラーメンMisorich miso adjusted with chili miso as you eatSendai's rich miso bowl, its heat built gradually by dissolving chili miso as you eat.
- Sendai Zoni仙台雑煮New Year's mochi soup with grilled goby and salmon roeDried, grilled goby forms the broth, joined by harako salmon roe, Sendai's mitsuba-like parsley, and 'ohikina' — julienned daikon and burdock — a New Year's mochi soup said to date to the late Edo period.
- Shiso-makiしそ巻きmiso-stuffed fried shiso leafA paste of miso and walnut rolled in shiso leaf and fried, a Miyagi specialty. Said by legend to have been made for guests at Naruko hot spring under Date Masamune, later sweetened with sugar to become a snack as well.
- Takenoko Gohanたけのこご飯bamboo shoot riceSpring-dug moso bamboo shoots are cooked into rice with carrot and fried tofu — said to be harvested in such quantity in places like Marumori and Natori that it becomes a staple for rice-planting season and outings.
- Zunda Mochiずんだ餅mochi coated in sweet edamame pasteBoiled edamame is mashed into a vivid green paste sweetened with sugar and worked into freshly pounded mochi — said to have become a guest-worthy treat in a prefecture where mochi appears at New Year's, weddings, and other occasions.
Raised here1
Prepared here3
- Azaraあざらaged napa pickles simmered with rockfish and sake leesNapa cabbage pickled long enough to turn sour is simmered slowly with rockfish trimmings and sake lees — a Kesennuma dish said to taste even better cold, or reheated the next day, long loved as everyday food.
- Sasa Kamaboko笹かまぼこSasa-kamaboko — leaf-shaped, fire-baked fish cake from SendaiSasa-kamaboko is Sendai fish paste shaped like a bamboo-grass leaf and fire-baked without a skewer. The surface browns fragrantly while the inside stays plump and springy, and Sendai ranks among Japan's top producers.
- Sendai miso仙台味噌the dark, long-aged miso Date Masamune stocked for warA reddish-brown, firmly salted, long-aged miso said to trace back to a dedicated miso storehouse built by Date Masamune, founding lord of the Sendai domain. A well-known anecdote holds that during a 16th-century overseas campaign, other domains' miso spoiled in the heat while Sendai's alone kept its quality.
Known for it here13
- Magaki真牡蠣Known sourcethe winter oyster, farmed in calm baysThe winter oyster, mostly farmed. Hiroshima alone grows some 60% of Japan's crop, with Miyagi and Okayama following.
- HitomeboreひとめぼれKnown sourcea cold-hardy Koshihikari relative from MiyagiA cold-hardy Koshihikari relative with a light taste, said to have been advanced in earnest by Miyagi after the record cold-damage harvest of 1991. Now grown well beyond Miyagi, reportedly across Tohoku and the Kanto region as well.Said to have been bred at Miyagi's Furukawa agricultural station.
- SasanishikiササニシキKnown sourcethe once-dominant, delicate low-stickiness varietyPrized by sushi and washoku chefs for its light stickiness, said to have declined sharply in acreage after the severe cold-damage harvest of 1993. Recent shifts in cultivation technique are said to be bringing renewed interest in the variety.Bred in Miyagi and said to have once been a leading variety across eastern Japan.
- Date Masayumeだて正夢Known sourceMiyagi's rich-tasting successor to SasanishikiSaid to be Miyagi's brand rice developed as a successor since Sasanishiki, with large grains, umami and stickiness; its name nods to Date Masamune. Said to be the first Miyagi rice to earn 'special A' ratings in multiple consecutive years.Said to be the brand rice Miyagi released after long preparation.
- KatsuoカツオRed-fleshed fishKnown sourcebonito — the fast-swimming icon of early-summer JapanA migratory fish riding the Kuroshio current north each spring, lean in early summer and richer once it turns south in autumn. Seared with straw as tataki or served raw, with flavor prized most near the ports the current runs closest to.
- MekajikiメカジキWhite fishswordfish — a lean, steak-like fish landed on Japan's Sanriku coastA large fish with a sword-like snout, cut into thick steak-like fillets and glazed teriyaki-style or fried. Ports facing the Sanriku fishing grounds, worked by coastal longline, land the most and rank among Japan's top sources.Facing the rich Sanriku fishing grounds, this port is known for landing among Japan's most swordfish, mainly by coastal longline.
- AinameアイナメWhite fishKnown sourcefat greenling — a rocky-shore fish whose liver is a local delicacyA white-fleshed fish of rocky shores, served raw or simmered in old Edomae style. Sedentary by nature, it varies by region, and in some Tohoku ports its liver is eaten too — a fish long prized as a local catch.
- HoyaホヤOther stylesa sea squirt whose iodine-sharp flavor divides opinionAn invertebrate that lives fixed to rocks. Its distinct aroma, somewhere between brine and pineapple, and a lingering sweetness make it a delicacy people either love or avoid, eaten raw or vinegared, in season through summer.The intricate ria coastline and the mixing of the Oyashio and Kuroshio currents suit aquaculture here, making it Japan's main farming center.
- Akagai赤貝ShellfishKnown sourcea blood-red bivalve prized in Edo-style sushiA bivalve whose blood contains hemoglobin, tinting its flesh red. A traditional Edo-style sushi item, with a crisp bite and an iron-tinged flavor; even its frilled mantle edge is eaten, often vinegared.Sendai Bay, including the Yuriage area, is a notable landing area.
- 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.A rich fishing ground off Sanriku combined with the rise of the fire-baked sasa-kamaboko style is said to have made this one of Japan's leading regions for kamaboko output and consumption.
- Hiyashi Chuka冷やし中華chilled ramen noodles topped with shredded egg, ham, and vegetables in a tangy sauceChinese-style noodles are chilled in water and topped in neat rows of shredded egg, ham, and cucumber, then finished with a tangy sauce — a summer dish said to take its cue from China's liangban mian but to have grown into its own soy-vinegar form in Japan.Ryotei, a long-running Chinese restaurant, says its founder Yoshio Shikura developed 'ryanban-men' in 1937 to answer the summer sales slump shared by Chinese restaurants of the day, building a nutritionally balanced, tart cold noodle — and the shop still calls itself the originator.
- TarakoたらこKnown sourcesalted pollock roeWalleye pollock roe cured in salt alone — the base ingredient behind karashi mentaiko. Its mild saltiness and popping texture come through whether eaten raw or grilled, alongside rice.Around Ishinomaki's fishing port, a base for deep-sea fishing, many seafood processors clustered — the town was once said to lead Japan in tarako output.
- Natto納豆fermented soybeansSteamed soybeans fermented with natto bacteria, known for their sticky threads and distinctive aroma. Long popular across Kanto and points north, with producing areas like Mito and Sendai each carrying their own version.Miyagi is said to have the second-largest soybean acreage in Japan after Hokkaido, and in 1920 a modern method using pure-cultured natto bacteria was established in Sendai — giving the region a reputation built on both raw soybeans and production technique.