🕓 2025/3/13
#Gourmet
Table of Contents
About Ehime Prefecture’s Gourmet Cuisine
Ehime Prefecture is a region blessed with rich natural surroundings and beautiful landscapes. A unique food culture has developed here, making the most of fresh ingredients sourced from the Seto Inland Sea, the Shikoku Mountains, and beyond. Thanks to its mild climate and the bounty of both sea and mountains, visitors can enjoy a wide variety of gourmet dishes, with seafood taking center stage.
In particular, “Tai-meshi” (sea bream rice), “Yakibuta Tamago Meshi” (roast pork and egg rice), and “Jako-ten” (fried fish cake) are popular dishes that represent Ehime Prefecture. When visiting Ehime, be sure to savor these dishes and experience the region’s distinctive food culture.
Top 3 Must-Try Gourmet Foods in Ehime Prefecture
Uwajima Tai-meshi (Sea Bream Rice)
● The Appeal of Uwajima Tai-meshi
Uwajima Tai-meshi is a local specialty of Uwajima City in Ehime Prefecture. It features a unique style where fresh sea bream sashimi is marinated in a special sauce and then poured over piping-hot steamed rice.
To prepare Uwajima Tai-meshi, thinly sliced fresh sea bream sashimi is marinated in a sauce made from soy sauce, mirin, and raw egg. The marinated sea bream is then poured over hot rice along with the sauce, allowing the umami of the sea bream and the flavor of the sauce to permeate the rice and fill your mouth with exquisite taste. This style of combining raw fish with rice is quite rare even across Japan.
● History of Uwajima Tai-meshi
The origins of this dish trace back to Hiburi Island, located offshore from Uwajima City, which has been a key maritime crossroads since ancient times. It is said to have originated from the Iyo Suigun (naval forces) who would drink and feast aboard their ships, mixing leftover sake with rice, topping it with sashimi seasoned with soy sauce, and eating it in a hearty fashion. This eating style was passed down through fishermen and gradually refined into what is now known as Uwajima Tai-meshi.
Additionally, restaurant owners in Uwajima City have collaborated to establish the “Uwajima Tai-meshi Cooperative Association,” aiming to obtain a regional collective trademark and enhance its value as a regional brand.
● Where to Try Uwajima Tai-meshi!
- Restaurant: Hozumitei – Local Cuisine & Casual Kappo
- Highlights:
“Hozumitei – Local Cuisine & Casual Kappo” is a long-established kappo (Japanese-style) restaurant where you can enjoy Uwajima’s local cuisine made with fresh seafood. It has been selected for Tabelog’s “Top 100 Izakayas,” earning high praise for both taste and atmosphere.
The signature dish at Hozumitei is “Uwajima Tai-meshi,” one of Ehime Prefecture’s finest gourmet specialties. Unlike the typical mixed-rice style of tai-meshi, this version features fresh sea bream sashimi coated in a slightly sweet special sauce and egg, then placed over rice. The sashimi has a pleasantly firm and crunchy texture, highlighting its freshness. The special sauce perfectly balances sweet soy and dashi, creating a luxurious tamago-kake-gohan (egg-over-rice) experience when mixed with the rice. The impeccable flavor from this renowned establishment is truly unforgettable. - Access: 5-minute walk from JR Uwajima Station
- Address: 2-3-8 Shinmachi, Uwajima, Ehime
- Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ch7v4jBfVN5Tctiv6
Jako-ten (Fried Fish Cake)
● The Appeal of Jako-ten
Jako-ten is a traditional fish paste product beloved in the Nanyo region of Ehime Prefecture, particularly in Uwajima City and Yawatahama City, and it symbolizes the local food culture. Made by grinding fresh small fish — bones and all — into a paste and deep-frying it, jako-ten is characterized by its distinctive flavor and texture.
Jako-ten can be enjoyed on its own or used in a variety of dishes. For example, lightly grilling it on a frying pan or wire rack brings out its savory aroma. It is also popular as a topping for udon and soba noodles, as well as an ingredient in takikomi gohan (seasoned rice), vinegared dishes, and dressed salads.
● History of Jako-ten
There are several theories about the origin of jako-ten. One account holds that it began in 1615 when Date Hidemune, the first lord of the Uwajima domain, brought kamaboko (fish cake) craftsmen with him from Sendai. At the time, small fish that could not be used for kamaboko were put to good use by grinding them into paste — skin, bones, and all — and deep-frying them, creating the prototype of jako-ten.
There are also multiple theories about the origin of the name “jako-ten.” One suggests that because it was made from various types of small fish, it was called “zako-ten,” which eventually evolved into “jako-ten.” Another theory holds that because one of the key ingredients was hotarujako (a type of small fish), it came to be called “jako-ten.”
● Where to Try Jako-ten!
- Restaurant: Neriya Masayuki
- Highlights:
Masayuki is an extremely popular shop that sells out within just a few hours of opening every day, with lines forming even before the doors open. The counter is lined with freshly fried jako-ten, jako-katsu (fish cake cutlets), and tempura with shrimp and wood ear mushrooms. Customers grab tongs and pick their favorites in a takeout style. The shop owner, Masayuki Sakai, uses techniques passed down through generations of fish paste artisans. His jako-ten, carefully crafted with select ingredients using a traditional stone mortar, is a masterpiece of concentrated umami. The nutritious flavor that comes from using every part of the fish, including bones and skin, is truly exceptional. - Address: 1-5-3 Sumiyoshi, Matsuyama, Ehime
- Access: 110m from Mitsu Station
- Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/NbtMDB6Mhs26RYEa7
Yakibuta Tamago Meshi (Roast Pork and Egg Rice)
● The Appeal of Yakibuta Tamago Meshi
“Yakibuta Tamago Meshi” is a local gourmet dish from Imabari City in Ehime Prefecture that captivates many with its simple yet deeply satisfying flavor. It consists of thinly sliced roast pork placed on white rice, topped with a soft-boiled fried egg, and drizzled with a sweet-savory sauce. The charm of this dish lies in the exquisite harmony created when the runny yolk mingles with the roast pork, sauce, and rice.
The “Imabari Yakibuta Tamago Meshi World Promotion Committee,” formed by local volunteers, won first place at the “Western Japan B-1 Grand Prix in Akashi” held in 2017, boosting its nationwide recognition.
● History of Yakibuta Tamago Meshi
The origins of Yakibuta Tamago Meshi date back roughly 50 years. It was born as a staff meal at “Gobankaku,” a Chinese restaurant that once operated in Imabari City (now closed). Tired cooks would quickly put together a nourishing meal by placing leftover roast pork scraps and a soft-boiled fried egg on rice and drizzling it with the braising liquid from the roast pork. Later, cooks who had trained at Gobankaku opened their own restaurants and served this dish, gradually spreading it until it became established as the soul food of Imabari.
● Where to Try Yakibuta Tamago Meshi!
- Restaurant: Shigematsu Hanten
- Highlights:
“Shigematsu Hanten” is known as the pioneer of Imabari City’s beloved B-grade gourmet dish, “Yakibuta Tamago Meshi,” and is cherished by locals and tourists alike. Located about a 15-minute walk from Imabari Station, the restaurant draws lines even on weekday lunches.
The roast pork features two types of meat — rich, flavorful belly and light, lean thigh — offering different textures and umami. Furthermore, the secret sauce, which has been replenished and refined for over 30 years, melds perfectly with the rice, roast pork, and the silky runny yolk, creating an irresistibly addictive taste. - Address: 5-4-47 Taisho-machi, Imabari, Ehime
- Access: 813m from Imabari Station
- Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/9aqiRg7RaGmyuS2T9