{"id":1624,"date":"2023-05-31T18:00:42","date_gmt":"2023-05-31T09:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/?p=1624"},"modified":"2025-07-21T18:05:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T09:05:10","slug":"23041","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/23041\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Local foods in AICHI | Hitsumabushi, Tebasaki karaage, Miso nikomi udon, Ogura toast, and Miso katsu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Luxurious Nagoya food with unagi “Hitsumabushi”<\/em><\/h2>\r\n
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Nagoya\u2019s tradition of serving hitsumabushi<\/em> (grilled eel on rice) began during the Meiji period (1868-1912). The name of this renowned dish comes from \u201chitsu<\/em>\u201d, a vessel for storing cooked rice, and \u201cmabushi<\/em>\u201d, meaning \u201cmixed\u201d, referring to the practice of mixing Kansai-style unagi no kabayaki<\/em> (grilled eel) together with rice. Originally, the grilled eel and rice were served together in a hitsu, and mixed together right before the customers\u2019 eyes. Over the years, it has become common to serve each customer their own personal-sized hitsu<\/em>, with customers now mixing the rice and grilled eel by themselves.
\r\nHitsumabushi<\/em> is not simply eaten as it is served, instead, the dish evolves as the diner adds garnishes and wasabi. To finish, the dish is rearranged as an ochazuke<\/em> (rice in hot broth) format.<\/p>\r\n\n

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Read Next<\/div>\n
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How to Eat Hitsumabushi Like a Local | A Step-by-Step Guide to Nagoya\u2019s Famous Eel Dish<\/div>\n
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How to Eat Hitsumabushi Like a Local | A Step-by-Step Guide to Nagoya\u2019s Famous Eel Dish <\/p><\/div>\n

Hitsumabushi \u2013 eel grilled with a sweet-and-savory sauce, then chopped and served atop steamed rice \u2013 is a local dish of Nagoya, Aichi prefecture. Classic accompaniments include aromatic condiments and dashi broth. While the dish resembles unajuu (grilled eel atop steamed rice in a juubako serving box), the style of enjoying hitsumabushi is a little different, and has become a tradition at specialty restaurants.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Sweet and spicy sauce is addicted! “Tebasaki karaage”<\/em><\/h2>\r\n
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The roots of this iconic Nagoya pub food trace back to the 1960s, when a restaurateur took the chicken wings used for soup stock, deep fried them, and served them dressed in sauce.
\r\nTo prepare the modern version, seasoned chicken wings are deep-fried twice without breading, then seasoned with a sweet sauce and special spices. The first stage of frying is at a lower temperature, followed by a higher temperature to finish, resulting in wings with crispy skin and tender interior. Tebasaki<\/em> are readily available at izakaya<\/em> (traditional Japanese pubs) throughout Nagoya. You\u2019ll also find tebasaki<\/em> take-out specialty stores in department store food floors and stations \u2013 this succulent local specialty makes a perfect souvenir.<\/p>\r\n\n

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Read Next<\/div>\n
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How to eat <em> tebasaki karaage<\/em>, Nagoya-style fried chicken wings | Hold the joint and go in for a bite!<\/div>\n
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How to eat tebasaki karaage<\/em>, Nagoya-style fried chicken wings | Hold the joint and go in for a bite! <\/p><\/div>\n

When you visit Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, it will be hard to miss the classic izakaya (traditional Japanese pub) dish of tebasaki karaage, Nagoya\u2019s local style of fried chicken wings. Of course, this dish can be enjoyed in Tokyo, too. The number of bones in a chicken wing may present a challenge, but with a few simple tricks, you\u2019ll be leaving nothing but the bones behind. Master the art of enjoying these wings, and friends will be asking you for tips at the next party!\r\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Haccho miso soup soaks through “Miso nikomi udon”<\/em><\/h2>\r\n
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Miso nikomi udon<\/em> is prepared in an earthenware pot, by simmering udon<\/em> noodles in a broth seasoned with hatcho miso<\/em> \u2013 a local product of Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture. This regional cuisine was originally enjoyed as a household meal in Nagoya. After Japan entered the Meiji period (1868-1912), this dish came to be served in restaurants. The noodles are simply made of wheat flour and water, and are added to the broth fresh to simmer, giving them a notably toothsome bite. It\u2019s customary to add rice to the remaining broth and enjoy finishing the meal as a porridge.<\/p>\r\n\n

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Read Next<\/div>\n
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How to eat <em>miso nikomi udon<\/em> | Take off the lid to use as a dish and don\u2019t forget to finish with a helping of rice!<\/div>\n
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How to eat miso nikomi udon<\/em> | Take off the lid to use as a dish and don\u2019t forget to finish with a helping of rice! <\/p><\/div>\n

Miso nikomi udon is one of Nagoya\u2019s most famous noodle dishes. With roots in Nagoya homestyle cooking, this dish features fresh, toothsome udon noodles simmered in a broth which is based on hatcho miso \u2013 a mellow, deeply colored miso paste made in Okazaki, Aichi. For this article, we\u2019ve visited the time-honored Yamamotoya Souhonke in Nagoya in search of advice on how to savor miso nikomi udon down to the very last drop.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Popular sweets at traditional coffee shop in Nagoya “Ogura tosuto”<\/em><\/h2>\r\n
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Did you know that Aichi Prefecture is among Japan\u2019s top consumers of anko<\/em> (sweet red bean paste), and also has one of the highest frequencies of visits to cafes? Here, in 1921, Ogura toast was invented at Kissa Matsuba, a cafe in Nagoya City. It\u2019s thought that the inspiration came when a student visiting the cafe dipped buttered toast into zenzai<\/em>, a sweet red bean dessert soup. The dish eventually took shape as a thick slice of toast spread with butter or margarine, then topped with a dollop of Ogura-an red bean paste.
\r\nBy the way, Aichi Prefecture is also famous for its inventive sweets using Ogura-an, such as \u201ccoffee zenzai<\/em>\u201d and \u201cshiruko<\/em> sandwiches\u201d. (Shiruko<\/em> is another confection of sweet red bean paste, similar to zenzai<\/em>.)<\/p>\r\n

Hearty tonkatsu with a rich miso sauce! “Miso katsu”<\/em><\/h2>\r\n
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Miso katsu consists of a juicy tonkatsu<\/em> (deep-fried pork cutlet) topped with a rich sauce based on mame miso<\/em> (a dark miso paste made from only soybeans, with no added grains). There are various theories about its origin. Perhaps the best-known theory claims that after the end of the Second World War, a food stall customer accidentally dropped a kushi-katsu<\/em> (deep-fried pork cutlet skewer) into a dotenabe<\/em> (hot pot seasoned by spreading miso paste inside the pot).
\r\nNowadays, this local soul food has become so popular that it can be found on the menu of practically any tonkatsu<\/em> restaurant in Nagoya. Each restaurant has their own miso sauce, with unique flavor and style, so visitors to Nagoya can explore a wide variety of unique presentations of this classic dish.<\/p>\r\n\n

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Read Next<\/div>\n
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How to eat <em>misokatsu<\/em> (miso deep fried pork cutlet) | 200-gram portions with endless flavor variations!<\/div>\n
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How to eat misokatsu<\/em> (miso deep fried pork cutlet) | 200-gram portions with endless flavor variations! <\/p><\/div>\n

Misokatsu is a Nagoya specialty. It is a juicy tonkatsu (pork cutlet) topped with a rich miso sauce. In this installment, we went to the famous Nagoya restaurant Yabaton to ask about the smart way to enjoy their famous Waraji (means same size as wara straw sandals)Tonkatsu!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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With \u201cNagoya meshi\u201d (Nagoya food) as a foremost example, Aichi Prefecture is filled with gourmet experiences, each brimming with regional character. Aichi\u2019s unique food culture was established using ingredients available from Tokaido (the route connecting Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto) as well as the region\u2019s numerous ports. Join us to learn more about some of Aichi\u2019s most iconic foods, from unusual dishes to irresistible sweets!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1625,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[56,76,81,111],"class_list":["post-1624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-slug_articles","tag-what","tag-local-gourmet","tag-nagoya","tag-area-gourmet"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1624"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2156,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1624\/revisions\/2156"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}