About Gourmet Food in Saitama Prefecture

Blessed with fertile land and a rich natural environment, Saitama Prefecture produces an abundance of agricultural products that differ from season to season. Cuisine that makes the most of seasonal ingredients unique to this region is one of Saitama Prefecture's most appealing features. Fresh wild vegetables in spring, seasonal vegetables in early summer, sweet corn and edamame in summer, sweet potatoes and pears in autumn, and many other seasonal delights.

One particularly representative dish is nibbutou, or boiled pork belly. It is made with fresh local vegetables and handmade udon noodles produced in the area and simmered in a sweet and spicy miso-based broth. This dish reflects the richness of agriculture in the Chichibu region, and the tradition of utilizing local ingredients in abundance is strongly evident in this dish.

Three Selected Gourmet Dishes of Saitama Prefecture

1. boiled butou (sweetened red-bean soup)

・The appeal of nibbutou

Nibotou" in Saitama Prefecture is a heartwarming local dish made with locally grown fresh vegetables and handmade broad noodles. It is especially representative of Fukaya City, and is deeply related to the region's history and agriculture. Fukaya City is a flourishing wheat and vegetable producing region, and nibbutou, made with generous amounts of both, is a staple winter dish for the locals.

This dish, though simple, brings out the best of the local ingredients, providing a homey yet nostalgic flavor. Vegetables and noodles simmered in a soy sauce-based broth will warm not only your body but also your soul.

 ・Nibotou History of Nibotou

Nibotou is a traditional local dish of Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture. It is a warm dish made with a wide range of fresh noodles and locally grown vegetables. This dish is closely related to the history of agricultural prosperity in Saitama Prefecture, especially since wheat was widely produced as a back crop for rice cultivation, which naturally led to the development of noodle dishes using wheat flour. Nibotou is seasoned with soy sauce and characterized by being stewed with local root vegetables and specialty Fukaya leeks.

It should be noted that Eiichi Shibusawa, a great man from this area who contributed greatly to the modernization of Japan, is said to have enjoyed nibbutou as well. Eiichi Shibusawa loved nibbutou as a "taste of home," and it is said that he always enjoyed this dish when he returned to his hometown.

 ・If you are looking for a great place to eat nibbutou, this is the place to go! The best place to eat nibbutou is here!

• Name of restaurant: Kappo Kaede
  
• Attraction:
  This restaurant serves boiled tofu made with 100% local flour and 10 local morning vegetables from Fukaya, slowly simmered in a soy sauce-based broth for 750 yen. This stewed tofu is characterized by its rich, sweet, yet refreshing flavor, and the tender stewed tofu absorbs all the flavors of the broth.
  The restaurant also recommends the "Negi no Harumaki" (spring rolls with leeks), made with an abundance of Fukaya leeks, which are available for 380 yen for two, and the sweetness of the leeks is accentuated when eaten hot. With a variety of seasonings and homemade ramen soup, udon and soba tsuyu, you can taste the essence of various Japanese dishes.
  
• Access: 3,762m from Fukaya Station
• Address: 334 Otsuka, Fukaya-shi, Saitama
  
• Official HP: https://www.kappo-kaede.jp/
• Google Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/kfTAfyadgRW3Rfz27
  

3. donburi with pork miso

 ・The appeal of Toto-miso-don

Tunamisodon is characterized by its simple yet deep flavor, and continues to be loved as a gourmet dish that combines local tradition and innovation. Especially popular in the Chichibu region, pork marinated in a homemade miso sauce is grilled over a charcoal fire to accentuate its flavor, and then served on a bed of rice cooked with Chichibu's fresh water in a hearty bowl. The juiciness of the pork is perfectly matched with the flavor of the miso, and the dish has a taste that will never get old.

It has become a Chichibu specialty due to its unique flavor and appeal as a dish that makes the most of local ingredients.

 ・History of Pork Miso Bowl

The history of pork miso donburi began with a traditional preservation technique in the Chichibu region of Saitama Prefecture. From ancient times, locals used to marinate wild boar caught by hunting in miso to preserve it, and this technique was applied to pork as well, giving birth to pork miso-don. Modern pork miso donburi is an adaptation of this traditional miso marinade. In particular, "Pork Miso Donburi Honpo Nosaka" reopened in 2008 as a restaurant specializing in pork miso donburi and has contributed greatly to the spread of this dish.

 ・If you are looking for a place to eat pork miso donburi, this is the place! Nosaka!

• Address: Nosaka
  
• Attraction:
  Nosaka, which carries on the traditions of Chichibu, is, as the name suggests, the original originator of the pork miso donburi. Here, the pork is marinated in miso in the traditional Chichibu way, grilled over bincho charcoal, and finished with an original miso sauce, and served in a hearty bowl. The rice is cooked in Chichibu's pure water and covered with a special soy sauce sauce.
  
  The loin is thick, with sweet fat that melts into the meat, and the miso flavor with a hint of burnt miso is superb. The belly has a gentle flavor without being cloying, and both are so tender that you can easily cut them with your front teeth.
• Address: 1-13-11 Nosaka, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture
  
• Access: 3 minute walk from Seibu Chichibu Station on the Seibu Railway line.
  
• Google Maps: (Japanese only) https://maps.app.goo.gl/gkrtQ3AXxaNigEvq6