Place
Shimane
島根県
36 items
● 33 born here(Agonoko Umani, Akagai Garan Mushi, Azuki Zoni, and more) / ● 1 raised here(Shimane Wagyu) / ● 2 prepared here(Ago-yaki, Noyaki) / ○ 4 known for it here
Born here33
- Agonoko Umaniアゴの子旨煮simmered roe from egg-bearing flying fishThe roe of egg-bearing flying fish, caught only in early summer, is simmered in stock and soy sauce as an Oki bar snack. Its large grains and dense, sticky texture are prized as a delicacy said to be scarcer even than the fish's flesh.
- Akagai Garan Mushi赤貝がらん蒸しark shell steamed in its shell with soy brothArk shell clams from Lake Nakaumi are steamed in their shells in a soy-seasoned broth, also known as akagai no kara-mushi. The name 'garan' is said to come either from a slurred 'kara' (shell) or the rattling sound made while rinsing the shells — a dish long kept for New Year's.
- Azuki Zoni小豆雑煮mochi simmered in lightly sweetened red bean brothRound mochi sit in azuki beans simmered with a light hand on the sugar, closer in taste to a thin zenzai than a dessert. In the Izumo area some households eat a clear zoni on New Year's Day, then switch to this one from the second.
- Bakudan Onigiriばくだんおにぎりa rice ball wrapped whole in Oki rock noriA large round rice ball is wrapped entirely in lightly toasted, soy-brushed rock nori from Oki — its bold look earning it the name 'bakudan,' or bomb. It travels well in lunch boxes and as an everyday snack.
- Dojo Kenchin Jiruドジョウのけんちんじるloach kenchin soup from YasugiLoach is simmered with burdock, daikon, and shiitake in a clear soy broth in Yasugi, said to embody the old saying that one loach is worth one eel for stamina — traditionally eaten after washing the mud off from rice planting.
- Fukinoto Misoふきのとう味噌butterbur sprouts folded into sweetened misoButterbur sprouts, foraged along paths and hillsides as spring's first green, are chopped and blended with white or country miso. Its bitterness and aroma make it a favorite with rice or sake, and it keeps well frozen for year-round use.
- Hekaへかa sukiyaki-style seafood hot pot in a flat iron panFresh seafood is simmered sukiyaki-style with onion and other vegetables in a flat iron pan called a heka nabe in Ota — its name said to come from the plow blade once used in place of a pot. It's shared after a fishing community's New Year vigil at the shrine.
- Hoshi Daikon no Nishime干し大根の煮しめsimmered sun-dried daikon strung up to cureRounds of daikon are strung on straw and hung under the eaves to dry, then steamed and simmered sweet and savory with sardine stock and soy sauce — an Iwami preserve said to gain a concentrated sweetness and crisp bite from the drying.
- Izumo Soba出雲そばDark, whole-grain buckwheat noodles stacked in round lacquered traysA Shimane soba milled whole, husk included, for its dark color and strong flavor. It is served two ways: warigo-soba stacked in round lacquered trays, and kamaage-soba once handed out around Izumo Taisha shrine.
- Kakuzushi角ずしIwami's meatless pressed sushi of vegetables and vinegared riceAn Iwami pressed sushi made without fish or meat, called kakuzushi (a larger mold version is hakozushi): vinegared rice and simmered vegetables layered in a small square or flower-shaped wooden mold, finished with shredded egg. Households are said to have made it for festive occasions.
- Koi no Itozukuri鯉の糸造りcarp sliced into threads with its own roeLake Shinji carp is sliced into fine threads and topped with its own roe, lightly parched. Said to have once been served to emperors and shoguns, it remains a Matsue winter dish for celebratory occasions.
- Kujira Gohanくじらご飯rice cooked with whale skin, daikon, and burdockWhale skin is fried with daikon and burdock and mixed through rice in Hamada and Masuda. Children are said to eat it on Setsubun, wishing to grow as large and strong as the whale itself.
- Kuroda Seri Ohitashi黒田せりとほうれんそうのおひたしMatsue's prized watercress blanched with spinachKuroda seri, a fragrant watercress grown in Matsue's Kuroda district since the Edo period, is blanched together with spinach for a crisp, low-bitterness winter side — said to be low in astringency compared to ordinary seri.
- Matsue Ramen松江ラーメンShio — salta clear soup finished with Lake Shinji clamsA Matsue-style Chinese noodle soup built on pork-bone or chicken-carcass stock, finished with Lake Shinji shijimi liquid. A clear, salt-forward broth with a faint clam note underneath is said to mark it as a taste of this city known as the "capital of water."
- Oki Arame no Itameni隠岐アラメの炒め煮stir-simmered Oki seaweed with carrot and fried tofuArame seaweed gathered from Oki's shallows is dried, softened, then stir-fried with carrot and fried tofu and simmered in dashi — said to have a chew unlike other seaweeds once rehydrated.
- Saba no Shiokara鯖の塩辛salted, fermented mackerelBeheaded mackerel, salted with the innards still in and left to ferment — a specialty of Mihonoseki, Shimane, its salt said to give way to deepening umami. It's said to have started as a fisherman's way to keep mackerel, a fish famous for spoiling fast.
- Sanbe Soba三瓶そばbuckwheat from volcanic soil at the foot of Mount SanbeAn heirloom buckwheat grown in Sanbe-cho and Yamaguchi-cho, Oda, Shimane. Small-grained and tightly formed, it's known for a deep flavor rooted in pronounced bitterness, said to be prized by millers and soba shops nationwide.
- Shijimi RamenしじみラーメンShio — salta clear broth built on Lake Shinji clamsA clear, salt-based ramen built on cooking liquid from Lake Shinji shijimi clams. The clams' round, mellow savor leads, with little reliance on animal stock — a bowl said to reflect its lake-town setting.
- Kaki Namasu柿なますdried persimmon in a vinegared daikon saladDried Saijo persimmon, a Shimane specialty, is tossed into a vinegared salad of daikon and carrot. The persimmon's red against the daikon's white is read as an auspicious pairing, and the dish is kept for banquets and New Year's tables.
- Kashiwa Mochiかしわ餅Shimane kashiwa mochi — sweet mochi wrapped in smilax leafSince true oak doesn't grow wild in Shimane, sweet bean mochi is wrapped in smilax leaf instead and steamed, going by names like katara-mochi or maki depending on the area. It's made for the Boys' Festival and for the day families rest after rice planting.
- Sasamaki笹巻きShimane sasamaki — rice-flour dumplings bound in bamboo grassKneaded rice flour is shaped, wrapped in kumazasa bamboo grass, tied with rush, and boiled for the Boys' Festival. The grass, believed to have antiseptic properties, is said to carry a wish for children's health; regional names include chimaki and maki.
- Sazae Meshiさざえ飯rice cooked with chopped turban shellChopped turban shell is cooked into rice with its own simmering liquid, a simple Oki dish rolled into nori maki with local rock nori for New Year's, festivals, and other occasions where people gather.
- Shijimi Jiruしじみ汁Lake Shinji clam soupLarge-grained Yamato clams from Lake Shinji are simmered into a soup — miso-based in winter, clear in summer. A local saying warns against overcooking the clams, so the pot is taken off the heat quickly.
- Shirauo no Kakiage白魚のかき揚げLake Shinji icefish frittersNearly translucent icefish from Lake Shinji are fried into a fritter with seasonal vegetables like bamboo shoot and rapeseed blossom. The fluffy batter is said to bring out the icefish's delicate sweetness, and it's a familiar topping on udon and tendon.
- Sumashi Zoniすまし雑煮clear New Year's mochi soupRound mochi sit in a clear soy-based broth across Shimane, though the details shift by region: rock nori and bonito flake in the east, dried ayu stock in the west.
- Sumojiすもじa scattered sushi of whole-grilled mackerelWhole mackerel, skewered and grilled over charcoal in Unnan's Kisuki and Mitoya districts, is flaked and folded into vinegared rice for this scattered sushi — grilling said to have begun as a way to keep the fish from spoiling in transit.
- Suzuki no Hosho Yakiスズキの奉書焼きsea bass steamed in wrapped mulberry paperLake Shinji sea bass, salted and wrapped in hosho paper, is steamed over the coals — said to have begun when a fisherman's ash-covered grilled fish was wrapped in paper to be presentable enough for the domain lord. It remains a dish for special occasions.
- Takenoko Sansho Niたけのこ山椒煮bamboo shoot simmered with sansho pepperBamboo shoots from Matsue's Shimada district, prized for their fine grain and tender flesh grown in clay-rich red soil, are simmered sweet-savory in bonito stock with sansho pepper — a spring fixture on the local table.
- Tobiuo no Sashimiトビウオの刺身sliced raw flying fishFlying fish, Shimane's designated prefectural fish, is sliced raw while still fresh to mark the arrival of early summer. Its lean, muscular flesh is prized for a light, refined flavor and is sometimes served as a whole platter with the head attached.
- Tsumire Niつみれ煮simmered fish balls from Shimane's daily catchWhite fish such as silver gizzard shad, horse mackerel, and flying fish are ground and simmered as fish balls with burdock and carrot — an everyday way of using up Shimane's varied catch along its long coastline.
- Unagi Dofuうなぎ豆腐Sukiyaki-style (simmered in warishita)a yanagawa-style hot pot of eel and grilled tofuLake Shinji eel is simmered with cubed grilled tofu, Kyoto leek, and seasonal mushrooms in a yanagawa-style pot — said to trace back to the era when Izumo eel was hauled overland all the way to Osaka.
- Uzumemeshiうずめ飯Tsuwano's rice hiding diced fish and vegetables under brothA Tsuwano dish where diced sea bream and vegetables are hidden beneath a bowl of rice topped with broth and grated wasabi — said to date to an era of frugality, when a family's good food was tucked out of sight. Local, spring-fed wasabi is said to be the key.
- ZenzaiぜんざいOther stylesa bowl of sweet red beans, thick and only lightly soupy, with mochiA bowl of sweetened red beans with mochi. One account traces "zenzai" to "jinzai-mochi," served at Izumo's Kamiari festival, its name slurred into "zenzai"; the definition of the dish is said to flip between chunky and smooth, thick and soupy, in Kanto versus Kansai.
Raised here1
Prepared here2
- Ago-yakiあご野焼きIzumo's fire-baked flying-fish cakeAgo-yaki is Izumo noyaki made from flying-fish paste, fire-baked without a skewer. Its crackling surface and refined sweetness make it a favorite travel souvenir from Shimane.
- Noyaki野焼きIzumo's skewerless, fire-baked fish cakeNoyaki is an Izumo-region fish cake fire-baked without a skewer. A form of yakinuki, it's said to come out fragrant on the surface and plump inside, and to keep especially well.
Known for it here6
- KinumusumeきぬむすめKnown sourcea soft, mild-sweetness variety of western JapanNamed for a silk-like sheen, said to have soft grains and a gentle sweetness; cultivation has reportedly spread in recent years across the Chugoku region. Said to tolerate heat better than Koshihikari, drawing attention as a variety suited to a warming climate.Said to be spreading as a recommended prefectural variety.
- ShirauoシラウオWhite fishicefish — a translucent, needle-thin fish of brackish lakesA translucent, needle-thin fish, sometimes eaten live or folded into egg. It schools each spring in brackish lakes and rivers, and lakeside towns there have long served it as one of their prized local 'seven delicacies'.The brackish Lake Shinji is rich in plankton feed, and icefish are one of the 'seven Shinji delicacies' woven into the city's food culture.
- NodoguroノドグロWhite fishblackthroat seaperch — a deep-red fish nicknamed 'nodoguro' for its black throatA deep-sea fish nicknamed for the black patch inside its throat. Rich and fatty, served as seared sushi or salt-grilled — ports facing the Sea of Japan's steep seabed land it by pole-and-line and trawl, selling it under regional brand names.Facing a rich fishing ground over the Sea of Japan's steep seabed, the city markets its pole-and-line and trawl catch under the 'Donchicchi' brand.
- ShijimiシジミShellfisha tiny clam that thrives where river meets seaA small clam that favors brackish water where river and sea mix. A staple in miso soup, its tiny shells still release a strong broth. Said to be in season twice a year, in summer and winter.Lake Shinji is a brackish lake where fresh and salt water mix, an environment well suited to this species, giving it one of Japan's largest catches.
- Chikuwaちくわfish paste grilled around a stickChikuwa is fish paste wound around a stick and grilled into a hollow tube. Its name is said to come from its cross-section resembling a cut bamboo stalk, and it's said to be the older of the two forms, predating board-mounted kamaboko.Using flying fish and other coastal catch from the Sanin coast, and grilling the paste directly over flame without a skewer -- the noyaki method -- is said to be a long-rooted tradition in the Izumo region.
- 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.Uppurui-nori is said to be a leading iwanori production area with roots going back to antiquity; from December to February, gatherers in slip-resistant boots pick it off the rock by hand.