A quick look at Japan’s top 10 culinary destinations (part 1)
Recently Unesco has added Japanese cuisine – or washoku – to its intangible Cultural Heritage list, an honour that has only been awarded to French cuisine till now. This decision is rather correct seeing as how going around Japan, each corner of the country has something special to eat or drink, and we’ll be taking a look at the top 10 culinary destinations of Japan.
Tokyo
The country’s capital has been playing at the top of the food game for many years, long before its restaurants started garnering more Michelin stars than any other city on the planet. This is after all the birthplace of sushi, where it is known as Edomae-zushi – after Edo, the old name of Tokyo. This is obviously still the best place to sample sushi.
This is Japan’s incredible ancient capital and any visit here isn’t complete until you’ve tried the kaiseki-ryori – a multi-course banquet of seasonal delicacies, a feast for both the taste buds and the eyes. Rest assured that non meat eaters can also dig into a vegetarian version of the banquet – which is known as shojin-ryori. The meal is more of an experience than hunger solving, featuring a subtle mix of tastes and textures alongside an arty presentation.
Osaka
Octopus balls! Not what you’re thinking about, the dish is called Takoyaki and they are very unpretentious globes of seafood and veggies dipped in batter. These balls are as emblematic of Japanese cuisine as sushi and ramen, and Osaka is where this recipe comes from. The other dish that Japan’s second largest city is known for is also something batter-related, the okonomiyaki, which is a batter pancake topped with meat, squid, shredded veggies and garnished with sweet brown sauce, mayonnaise, powdered seaweed and waver thin flakes of dried tuna…yum!
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