🕓 2023/4/12
#Gourmet
Chiba Prefecture is blessed with abundant nature and fertile land, and is a region where different agricultural products are abundantly harvested in each of the four seasons. Cuisine that makes the most of the seasonal produce unique to this region is considered one of Chiba Prefecture's most appealing features. Fresh asparagus in spring, juicy tomatoes in early summer, sweet watermelon and green peppers in summer, and sweet potatoes and pears in fall are just a few of the seasonal delights.
One particularly representative dish is funa-zushi (funa-zushi). Funa-zushi is made from fresh fish caught locally and fermented with vegetables grown in the area. This dish reflects the rich fishing and farming industry of the Boso Peninsula, and the tradition of utilizing local ingredients in abundance is strongly evident.
Namero is made mainly from bluefish, with horse mackerel being the most common, but depending on the season, sardines, saury, flying fish, and even squid and baka-gai are also used. These fish are then pounded with a knife until they become sticky, and then cooked in a bowl with condiments such as green onions and ginger, and miso (soybean paste). Miso is said to have come into use because soy sauce is difficult to use on a boat with high waves.
Typically eaten fresh, nameko is a simple yet deeply flavored dish that makes the most of the taste of the ingredients. Its appeal is widely served at set restaurants and izakayas (Japanese style pubs) in Chiba Prefecture, and it is loved by locals as well as visiting tourists.
In addition, an evolved gourmet dish based on nameko has also appeared, called sangayaki, in which nameko is softly baked on the shells of scallops and abalone, allowing visitors to enjoy a different texture.
It is said that the origin of the name "nameko" comes from the word "lick," which means "to lick," and the taste is so good that one "wants to lick even the plate after finishing it. Originally a home-style dish passed down only among fishermen, the simple yet deep flavor of the dish spread among the local people, and it gradually became known as a representative local dish of Chiba Prefecture.
It is a traditional dish for fishermen that has long been popular in the coastal areas of the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture, and was born out of an ingenious idea to efficiently cook fresh fish on board a boat, which is unstable. Originally, fishermen devised this dish as the quickest and most delicious way to eat freshly caught fish.
Traditionally, bluefish such as horse mackerel and saury are the main ingredients, and the fish is finely pounded into a paste that can be easily prepared on the boat, mixed with locally available green onions, ginger, and miso paste. This method of cooking uses miso, which is resistant to spilling even when the boat is rocked by high waves, so that the ingredients and seasonings are used efficiently.
Whale meat is known for its rich flavor and high nutritional value, and is rich in sweet and tasty fat. While low in calories compared to beef, pork, and chicken, it is rich in protein and iron, making it a healthy choice.
The whale dishes served at Wada are rich in variety. For example, whale tare, which is marinated in a special sauce and dried in the sun, is a gem with a unique flavor. You can also enjoy a wide variety of dishes such as fresh whale meat sashimi, crispy deep-fried Tatsuta-age, and smoked whale bacon.
Whale cuisine in Chiba Prefecture has a long history of being enjoyed as an everyday foodstuff. During the Showa period (1926-1989), whale meat was on the tables of many Japanese families for its rich nutritional value and unique flavor. However, when the decision was made to stop international commercial whaling in 1987, the supply of whale meat in Japan plummeted, and it gradually disappeared from the market.
Today, there are only four whaling bases remaining in Japan, and these bases fish under strict harvesting seasons and number of whales. One such base is Wada Fishing Port in Minami-Boso City, Chiba Prefecture, where a limited number of Baird's beaked whales are taken from the end of June to the end of August each year. The whales are disemboweled directly at the fishing port, and then processed and consumed as local cuisine by the local people.
Katsuura tanmen is a local gourmet dish originating from Katsuura City, Chiba Prefecture, and is a rare B-class local delicacy in Japan. This dish, born in the fishing town of Katsuura City facing the Pacific Ocean, has won the B-1 Grand Prix and is attracting attention from food connoisseurs nationwide.
The most distinctive feature of Katsuura tanmen is its originality. Unlike the typical Chinese Szechuan tanmen, which uses pepper and chili peppers in a sesame-based broth, Katsuura tanmen features a soy sauce-based broth with plenty of hot red pepper oil and a vivid orange and red hue. This brightly colored soup is not only appetizing, but its flavor is unique as well.
While the use of minced meat as an ingredient is common to most tanmen, Katsuura tanmen does not use sesame or sesame sauce, but instead features a spicy flavor that brings the hot taste to the forefront. The degree of spiciness varies from restaurant to restaurant, catering to a wide range of customers, from those who like spicy food to those who prefer less spiciness.
It began about 70 years ago in the small fishing town of Katsuura, Chiba Prefecture. The first owner of Ezawa, a Chinese restaurant established in 1954, attempted to incorporate traditional Sichuan tantanmen into the local menu. However, in doing so, he was faced with the problem of difficulty in obtaining "shiba-ma-jang," the key seasoning that gives sesame flavor.
To solve this problem, the first owner developed a new style of tantanmen using his own approach, using hot sauce and chili peppers. This new recipe later became known as "Katsuura tanmen" and spread among local fishermen and divers as a warm dish to overcome the winter cold in Katsuura City.