Place
Saitama
埼玉県
33 items
● 31 born here(Sakekasu Miso Ramen, Dojo Ni, Gyoda Furai, and more) / ● 2 prepared here(Oname, Sayama-cha) / ○ 2 known for it here
Born here31
- Sakekasu Miso Ramen酒粕味噌ラーメンMisoa miso broth enriched with sake lees from an Ageo breweryA winter-only ramen from Ageo City, where sake lees from a long-running local brewery are worked into a Chinese restaurant's miso broth. The lees' depth and aroma layer over the miso's savoriness, leaving a mellow finish that warms the body in the cold months.
- Dojo Niどじょう煮pond loach simmered with burdock in soy sauce and sugarPond loach caught in the paddies of eastern Saitama, simmered sweet and savory with shaved burdock, from a land fed by the Arakawa and Tone rivers. Rich in nutrients, it was valued as a tonic and a food for pregnant women.
- Gyoda Furai行田フライa thin griddled wheat-flour crepe, despite its "fried" name"Furai" from around Gyoda, Saitama, despite its name, isn't fried — it's grilled. Chopped scallion and pork go on a wheat-flour batter cooked on a griddle, an okonomiyaki-like snack said to have caught on with the women working the town's tabi-sock factories.
- Higashimatsuyama Yakitori東松山やきとりpork cheek skewers with spicy misoPork cheek grilled over charcoal and brushed with a spicy miso sauce.
- Hiyajiru冷や汁cold sesame-miso soup poured over noodles or rice in summerSesame and miso ground in a mortar, mixed with summer vegetables like cucumber and shiso, then chilled with cold water. It serves as a dipping broth for udon in noodle-loving Saitama, and Kawajima town calls it suttate.
- Iga Manjuいがまんじゅうsweet bean buns wrapped in red rice, named for their chestnut-burr lookA sweet bean bun wrapped in red rice and steamed, said to originate in Konosu. Named for its resemblance to a spiky chestnut burr, it balances a sweet-salty flavor with a chewy bite.
- Iimochi飯餅leftover rice mixed with wheat dough and pan-grilled into cakesLeftover rice kneaded with wheat flour, shaped and pan-grilled flat, a Saitama snack. In an era of hand-worked farming, it could be made in the morning and carried to the fields like a packed lunch. Names for it vary by area.
- Toufu Ramen豆腐ラーメンShoyu — soy saucea gentle soy broth topped with tofu and minced pork from IwatsukiSaid to have started as a cook's staff meal at a restaurant in Iwatsuki Castle Ruins Park, this tofu ramen sits in a light chicken-based soy broth, topped with a gently thickened sauce of tofu and ground pork, kept mild rather than spicy.
- Kanrobai甘露梅green plums preserved in sugar and wrapped in salted shiso leavesA plum sweet from Ogose, a town long known for plum growing since the Nanboku-cho era. Green plums are de-bittered, sugared, wrapped in shiso leaves soaked in plum vinegar, and left to mature in the fridge for about a month.
- Kazo Udon加須うどんWheat-country noodles pounded extra long for their biteSaid to have begun where travelers crossed the Tone River and at the gates of Sogan-ji temple in Kazo, Saitama. The dough is kneaded and rested longer than usual to build extra chew.
- Kuri no Shibukawani栗の渋皮煮chestnuts slow-simmered in sugar with their inner skin onA luxury sweet from chestnut-growing Hidaka. Only the outer shell is peeled, the inner skin left intact through repeated boilings, then slow-simmered in sugar. Sugar's cost once confined it to festivals and celebrations.
- Kuwai no Fukumeniくわいの含め煮arrowhead corms simmered golden with gardenia seed podsArrowhead corms, of which Saitama is the nation's second-largest producer, simmered golden with gardenia seed pods for New Year's. Its long sprouting shoot is read as a sign of career success, grown in the low wetlands along the Ayase river.
- Miso Potetoみそポテトdeep-fried battered potato glazed with sweet miso sauceBoiled potato coated in batter, deep-fried and glazed with a sweet-savory miso sauce, from the Chichibu area. It began simply as hearth-roasted potato brushed with miso, then went national after winning a 2009 local-food contest.
- Nejiねじtwisted short noodles tossed in sweet red bean pasteShort noodles twisted into a spiral and tossed with sweet red bean paste, said to originate in Ogano. A looser, soup-like version is called azuki boto; one theory holds it began as a substitute for mochi.
- Nibouto煮ぼうとうwide flat noodles simmered straight into soy brothFrom Fukaya, Saitama: a wide, flat raw noodle simmered straight into the pot without pre-boiling. The flour that washes off thickens the broth, and unlike Yamanashi's hoto, the seasoning here runs soy-based.
- Sutamina RamenスタミナラーメンShoyu — soy saucesoy ramen crowned with a spicy garlic-ginger meat and vegetable sauce, born in OmiyaSaid to have been born at a diner by Omiya Station's west exit, this is a soy ramen crowned with a spicy meat-and-vegetable sauce. Ground pork, chives, and onion are stir-fried with garlic and ginger, then finished with soy sauce, doubanjiang, and a potato-starch thickener.
- Gojiru呉汁Gojiru (Saitama) — miso soup thickened with ground soybeans and vegetablesSoybeans grown on paddy-field edges, called tanokuro mame, ground and simmered in miso soup with taro and daikon. Made at autumn harvest, it was valued as a winter protein source.
- KatemeshiかてめしKatemeshi (Saitama) — rice stretched with dried vegetables and shiitakeRice bulked out with dried taro stems and vegetables, centered on Chichibu where rice was scarce. It grew from the thrift of tenant farmers who had to sell most of their rice, and is eaten at mountain-god and Doll Festival rites.
- Konnyaku no Miso OdenこんにゃくのみそおでんOdenKonnyaku no Miso Oden (Saitama) — skewered hand-made konjac glazed with sweet misoKonjac made by hand from raw tubers in Yorii's Fu-nuno district and Chichibu, skewered and eaten hot with a miso glaze through winter. Home-made from raw tubers, it has a distinct texture unlike the store-bought powder version.
- NeginutaねぎぬたNeginuta (Saitama) — steamed leek dressed in sweet vinegar-misoLeek from Saitama, the country's second-largest producer, especially the sweet Fukaya variety, steamed and dressed in sesame vinegar-miso for celebrations. At banquets its appearance can signal the meal is winding down.
- SumitsukareすみつかれSumitsukare (Saitama) — grated daikon simmered with dried soybeans and vegetablesCoarsely grated daikon simmered with leftover Setsubun soybeans and fried tofu, a ritual dish from northern Saitama. Offered to the fox shrine alongside kinpira on the first Horse Day, with kindred versions in neighboring Tochigi and Ibaraki.
- Saitama no Udon埼玉のうどんa family of local wheat noodle styles across the prefectureAn umbrella term for the wheat noodle traditions of Saitama, a leading wheat-growing prefecture. Firm hand-cut noodles in the northeast, strong dipping broth in the west, wide noodles along the rivers — more than twenty local styles exist.
- Shio Anbin塩あんびんmochi filled with salt-seasoned red bean pasteMochi filled with red bean paste seasoned with salt instead of sugar, a new-rice harvest treat from northeastern Saitama. It dates to the mid-Edo period when sugar was scarce, and also marks children's growth celebrations.
- Shoten Zushi聖天ずしtakeout inari and rolled sushi sold at a temple gateA set of inari and rolled sushi sold before the gate of Shoden-zan Kangi-in temple in Menuma, Kumagaya. Made with rice and once-precious fried tofu for festive occasions, villagers used to trade their own rice for it.
- Tarashi-yakiたらし焼きa farm-break wheat pancake ladled thin onto the griddle"Tarashi-yaki," eaten as a mid-morning break snack in Saitama's Chichibu area and around Kazo, is a wheat-flour batter — sometimes with miso worked in — ladled onto a griddle, a quicker alternative to udon or steamed buns for farm workers between tasks.
- Tsumikkoつみっこhand-torn wheat dough simmered in a vegetable soupSaitama's take on suiton, made by tearing off pieces of wheat dough into a simmering pot. The name comes from a Honjo-area dialect word for tearing off, and it fed busy farmers between silk-raising and weaving work.
- Cha Ramen茶らーめんShio — saltnoodles kneaded with Sayama tea from TsurugashimaIn Tsurugashima, a Sayama tea-growing area, powdered tea leaf is kneaded into the noodles for this local ramen. The pale green noodle releases the scent of tea the moment you bite in, set off by a light, low-tannin salt or thin-soy broth.
- Tsutokkoつとっこsweet rice parcels steamed in horse chestnut leavesSweet rice and red beans wrapped in horse chestnut leaves, tied with straw and steamed, a portable food from Chichibu. Said to trace back to samurai field rations, it is made for the May Boys' Festival with fresh green leaves.
- Ude Manjuうでまんじゅうwheat dumplings boiled rather than steamed, plain or bean-filledA bun boiled rather than steamed, its name a slurring of yude manju, boiled bun. Wheat-farming areas like Tokorozawa savored the aroma of new-harvest wheat, making it as an offering for Obon and the equinox.
- Yatsugashira no Kuki no Itameni八ツ頭の茎の炒め煮dried taro stem simmered with soy sauce and shiitakeDried taro stems, called imogara, rehydrated and stir-simmered with shiitake and fried tofu. It served as a side dish and drinking snack in lean times, and was thought to be good for women's health.
- Zerii Furaiゼリーフライa deep-fried patty of okara and potato, coin-shaped and saucedA coin-shaped patty of okara and potato mixed with carrot and leek, deep-fried without batter and dipped in sauce, a Gyoda snack. Its name is said to be a slurring of zeni furai, meaning coin fry.
Prepared here2
- Onameおなめa fermented barley-and-soybean relish eaten with riceA fermented relish of barley malt and soybeans that keeps for months in the fridge, a pantry staple centered on Chichibu. Salted eggplant or shiitake are mixed in, and its saltiness coaxes appetite through the summer heat.
- Sayama-cha狭山茶By growing region'the taste settled by Sayama'A Saitama tea-growing region celebrated in the old saying 'color from Shizuoka, fragrance from Uji, taste settled by Sayama.' A distinctive finishing roast called Sayama-biire is said to give the tea a sweet, rich flavor.
Known for it here2
- NamazuナマズFreshwater fishcatfish — a whiskered river fish revived as a regional specialtyA whiskered river fish, long associated in folklore with causing earthquakes. Served as tempura or grilled kabayaki-style, sometimes as an eel substitute — canal-laced water towns offer easy farming conditions, spurring local revival efforts.Carrying on the river-fish food culture of this canal-laced region along the Naka River, the city farms catfish under the banner 'namazu no sato'.
- Yakitori焼き鳥chicken, or sometimes pork, grilled on skewers by cutChicken, mostly, cut by part and skewered over charcoal or a wire rack — prime cuts like thigh and breast take heat very differently from offal such as neck meat, gizzard, or liver. In some regions the skewers hold pork instead, yet the dish keeps the name yakitori.In the 1950s, pork cheek meat — then low-value as meat — is said to have become cheaply available from a nearby meat-processing center, leading street vendors to start skewering and grilling it. What is said to be Japan's first "yakitori union" formed to keep supply and prices stable, preserving a culture built around a white-miso-based spicy sauce.