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About gourmet food in Shiga Prefecture

Shiga Prefecture is a region blessed with a rich natural environment and beautiful scenery throughout the seasons, and has developed a unique food culture that takes advantage of the abundance of ingredients from Lake Biwa and other lakes and mountains. Shiga Prefecture’s specialty products, including Omi beef, are highly rated nationwide. In addition, fresh lake fish caught in Lake Biwa is deeply rooted in the local food culture.

Especially famous are “Omi Champon”, “Yakisaba Somen”, and “Junjun”. When you visit Shiga Prefecture, be sure to try these dishes and enjoy the local food culture.

3 carefully selected gourmet foods in Shiga Prefecture

1. Omi Champon 

*Exhibitor: Champon-tei

　● The charm of Omi Champon 

When it comes to Champon, Nagasaki Champon is famous, but unlike Nagasaki Champon, Omi Champon has undergone a unique evolution that is rooted in the region. The biggest feature is its soup. Rather than using pork bone as its base, it uses a light chicken or seafood broth as its base, and the addition of soy sauce and salt gives it a gentle flavor. The soup is clear and you can taste the sweetness and umami of the vegetables.

Omi Champon is served at many restaurants around Hikone City and is loved by locals and tourists alike.

　● Omi Champonhistory of 

Omi Champon is a local gourmet dish that originated in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, and was created in the early Showa era. When it comes to Champon, Nagasaki Champon is famous, but unlike Nagasaki Champon, Omi Champon has undergone a unique evolution that is rooted in the region. It was born out of the desire of the first owner to provide healthy ramen with lots of vegetables to the local people.

In recent years, its popularity has spread, and more and more stores are now serving Omi Champon outside of Shiga Prefecture.

　● If you want to eat Omi Champon, this is the place! ! 

• Store name:Champontei Sohonke main store
  
• charm:
  Champontei Sohonke Honten, located in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, is known as the birthplace of Omi Champon, which has been around since the Showa era. The “Omi Champon” served here is a dish unique to Shiga, made with a nutritious soup based on shaved bonito flakes and kelp, carefully selected homemade noodles, and plenty of fresh domestic vegetables and pork. Unlike Nagasaki Champon, its simplicity is appealing because it does not use seafood, only vegetables and pork.
  
• Access: 16 minutes walk from JR Hikone Station
• Address: 74-1 Saiwaicho, Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture 522-0021
  
• Google Map:https://maps.app.goo.gl/HKfmQnG9gxJCYkLH7
  

2. Grilled mackerel somen 

*Source: Tabelog

　● Charm of grilled mackerel somen 

Grilled mackerel somen has long been served as a dish for special occasions such as weddings, festivals, and memorial services. In parts of Shiga Prefecture, it is often served as a feast during Obon and New Year’s, and is an important traditional dish for local people.

The feature is the exquisite harmony of fragrant grilled mackerel and somen noodles with a strong dashi stock. Grilling mackerel concentrates its flavor and increases its aroma and richness. The mackerel is boiled to a sweet and spicy taste, and simple somen noodles are added to it.The somen noodles soak up the broth and provide an exquisite taste. The combination of the rich mackerel flavor and the refreshing somen noodles gives it a filling yet light aftertaste.

　● Grilled mackerel somenhistory of 

It is a local dish mainly from the Hubei region, centered around Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture. Its origins date back to the Edo period, and it is said to have been served on special occasions and special occasions. At that time, mackerel was a valuable fish for Shiga Prefecture, which had no sea, and grilled mackerel, which could be preserved easily, was especially prized. By combining this with somen noodles, a luxurious dish infused with the flavor of mackerel was created.

In recent years, menus with variations on this dish have appeared, and it is attracting attention as a local cuisine that continues to evolve with the times.

　● If you want to eat grilled mackerel somen, this is the place! ! 

• Store name:Winged Tower
  
• charm:
  Yokarou, a local restaurant located in Nagahama City, is a long-established restaurant that was founded in 1990 and is loved by locals and tourists alike. The interior of the restaurant is a renovated old folk house with a quaint atmosphere, where you can enjoy your meal in a relaxed manner while looking out at the charming courtyard. Simmered slowly for two days in a secret soy sauce-based sauce, the mackerel is tender down to the bone, and the sweet and salty seasoning permeates the somen perfectly, resulting in an exquisite flavor that melts in your mouth. The somen soaks up the mackerel broth, giving it a rich and robust taste.
  
• Address: 7-8 Motohama-cho, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture 526-0059
  
• Access: About 5 minutes walk from Nagahama Station on the JR Biwako Line
  
• Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/c3up7bWaaqSnmWYm6
  

 

 

 

3. Junjun 

*Exhibitor: Farmhouse Restaurant Daikichi

　● Junjuncharm of 

Junjun is often served at events and festivals in Shiga Prefecture, and is popular not only with local residents but also with tourists.

It is a sukiyaki-style hotpot dish made with beef and vegetables, but its distinctive feature is its cooking method and seasoning. Basically, beef, green onions, Chinese cabbage, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, etc. are stewed with sugar and soy sauce for a sweet and spicy flavor. In particular, Omi beef from Shiga Prefecture is often used, and the dish is characterized by its high-quality fat and meaty flavor.

　● Junjunhistory of 

It is mainly a local dish of Shiga Prefecture, and is a type of hot pot dish. The name comes from the sound that the ingredients make when they are simmered. This sound symbolizes the characteristics of the dish and has become popular. It is especially eaten in the Omi region of Shiga Prefecture, and has been passed down as a home-cooked dish since ancient times.

In recent years, it is often served at events and festivals in Shiga Prefecture, and is popular not only with local residents but also with tourists.

　● If you want to eat Junjun, this is the place! ! 

• Store name:Daikichi Farmhouse Restaurant Directly Managed by Omi Beef Farm
  
• charm:
  At the restaurant attached to a butcher shop directly managed by the farm, you can enjoy Omi beef, a specialty of Shiga prefecture, to your heart’s content, serving high-quality Omi beef at reasonable prices. Junjun is a traditional local dish from the Hubei region, and is a home-cooked dish similar to sukiyaki topped with egg. What’s more, at this restaurant, they add tomatoes as an arrangement to create an original flavor. This restaurant, where you can enjoy fresh, high-quality Omi beef as well as traditional local cuisine, is popular not only with locals but also with tourists.
  
• Address: 2-25-11 Imagata, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture 520-0241
  
• Access: About 8 minutes walk from Katata Station
• Google Map:https://maps.app.goo.gl/soMwtusYqFNGmtKn7