{"id":2605,"date":"2025-09-16T09:00:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T00:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/?p=2605"},"modified":"2025-09-11T22:57:51","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T13:57:51","slug":"okayama-local-food-guide-kibidango-bara-sushi-23081","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/okayama-local-food-guide-kibidango-bara-sushi-23081\/","title":{"rendered":"Okayama Local Food Guide \u2013 From Kibidango to Bara Sushi and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

Famous from Folktales! \u201cKibidango\u201d<\/h2>\r\n
\"Famous<\/div>\r\n

The \u201cKibidango\u201d featured in the folktale \u201cMomotaro\u201d is a traditional Japanese sweet made from glutinous rice mixed with sugar, millet, and starch syrup. In Okayama Prefecture, people also used to make dumplings or rice cakes with other grains such as millet, foxtail millet, and barnyard millet. Today, Kibidango is a popular souvenir, available in a wide variety of flavors such as brown sugar and chocolate.
\r\nAt Kibitsu Shrine, where \u201cOkibitsuhiko no Mikoto\u201d (the deity said to be the model for Momotaro) is enshrined, records show that Kibidango were sold during the Edo period as \u201cJapan\u2019s No.1 Kibidango.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Enjoy Seasonal Flavors! \u201cBara Sushi\u201d<\/h2>\r\n
\"Enjoy<\/div>\r\n

\u201cBara Sushi\u201d is a luxurious sushi topped with plenty of seafood and vegetables from the Seto Inland Sea, layered over vinegared rice. During the Edo period, a frugality law was issued requiring \u201cone soup and one side dish\u201d per meal, which restricted people from indulging in luxurious meals. In defiance of this rule, people began mixing fish and vegetables into their sushi rice, which gave birth to Bara Sushi. The ingredients used vary depending on the household and the season. Because of its colorful and festive appearance, it is often eaten on special occasions such as celebrations and festivals.<\/p>\r\n

Packed with Fresh Oysters: \u201cHinase Kakioko\u201d<\/h2>\r\n
\"Packed<\/div>\r\n

\u201cHinase Kakioko\u201d originated in Hinase Town, famous for its oyster harvests. In the 1960s, fishermen\u2019s wives started adding small or damaged oysters, which couldn\u2019t be sold, into okonomiyaki. Hinase Kakioko is made by mixing shredded cabbage into a runny batter, topping it with oysters, and grilling it. Because Hinase oysters are so fresh, they do not shrink much during cooking and retain a plump texture. The best time to enjoy them is around February, when oysters are in season!<\/p>\r\n

Local B-Grade Gourmet: \u201cHorumon Udon\u201d<\/h2>\r\n
\"Local<\/div>\r\n

Tsuyama City has long been a distribution hub for cattle and horses and therefore had meat processing plants that made it possible to supply fresh offal. Using this fresh offal, locals created \u201cHorumon Udon,\u201d in which the offal is stir-fried together with udon noodles in a miso- or soy sauce\u2013based sauce. The flavor of the sauce varies depending on the restaurant or region, so diners can enjoy a wide range of taste experiences. Its rich flavor is said to be addictively delicious once you try it!<\/p>\r\n

Tonkatsu \u00d7 Demi-Glace Sauce! \u201cDemi-Katsu Don\u201d<\/h2>\r\n
\"Tonkatsu<\/div>\r\n

\u201cDemi-Katsu Don\u201d is a dish consisting of rice topped with shredded cabbage, freshly fried tonkatsu, and demi-glace sauce. Sometimes it is garnished with egg or green peas. Interestingly, locals sometimes call green peas \u201cAlaska,\u201d which refers to a specific variety of pea (Alaska mame).
\r\nIt is said that the founder of the Katsudon restaurant \u201cAjitsukasa Nomura\u201d in Okayama City was so impressed by the demi-glace sauce he tasted at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo that he created Demi-Katsu Don to share that flavor with the people of his hometown.<\/p>\r\n\n

\n \n
Read Next<\/div>\n
\n
Okayama Local Food Guide \u2013 From Kibidango to Bara Sushi and More<\/div>\n
\n

Okayama Local Food Guide \u2013 From Kibidango to Bara Sushi and More <\/p><\/div>\n

Okayama Prefecture enjoys a warm climate with plenty of sunny days and is famous as a major fruit-producing region, especially for peaches and grapes. It is also known for its many attractions, from being the setting for old Japanese folktales to being the birthplace of domestically made jeans. In this article, we\u2019ll introduce some of Okayama\u2019s unique local dishes such as Kibidango, Bara Sushi, and Demi-Katsu Don.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n <\/a>\n<\/div>\r\n\n
\n \n
Read Next<\/div>\n
\n
5 Local foods in AICHI | Hitsumabushi, Tebasaki karaage, Miso nikomi udon, Ogura toast, and Miso katsu<\/div>\n
\n

5 Local foods in AICHI | Hitsumabushi, Tebasaki karaage, Miso nikomi udon, Ogura toast, and Miso katsu <\/p><\/div>\n

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><\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n <\/a>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Okayama Prefecture enjoys a warm climate with plenty of sunny days and is famous as a major fruit-producing region, especially for peaches and grapes. It is also known for its many attractions, from being the setting for old Japanese folktales to being the birthplace of domestically made jeans. In this article, we\u2019ll introduce some of Okayama\u2019s unique local dishes such as Kibidango, Bara Sushi, and Demi-Katsu Don.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":2608,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[56],"class_list":["post-2605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-slug_articles","tag-what"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605","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\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2605"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2607,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605\/revisions\/2607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodie-foodie.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}