This is the final installment of the Regional Foods Series by Etsuko of Tokyofoodcast that started earlier this month at The Nihon Sun and today we’ll cover the regional foods specialties of Kyushu & Okinawa…

Kyushu

Karashi mentaiko – This is my favorite breakfast item to cut up and eat raw with rice or cooked as filling of onigiri. Boxes of these precious salty and spicy pollack roe mixed with chili pepper are sold everywhere in Hakata or even at Narita to represent Fukuoka traditions.

Hiyajiru – This is a nice refreshing cold soup dish for hot summer weather that can be found near the beaches dotted with palm trees in Miyazaki. Grilled fish is mixed with miso and roasted sesame using mortar and pestle then mixed with cold broth. The cold soup mix is then poured over rice or rice and oats and sprinkled with small tofu chunks, diced cucumber, and chopped summer herbs such as shiso and myoga.

Image Credit:  Mentaiko bento 明太子&野沢菜ごはん &  Hiyajiru (冷汁)

Okinawa

Goya Chanpuru – This dish is a common home cooked meal in Japan but it originated in Okinawa and is a combination of bitter melon and tofu stir fried with pork.

Taco rice – Instead of wrapping beef with tortillas in this Tex-mex meets Japanese combination, someone decided to put the fillings over rice. This is another popular Okinawan dish that can now be found in many other parts of Japan.

Image Credit:  goya chanpuru & taco rice

To learn more about Japanese Food and regional specialties you may enjoy reading Traditional Dishes of Japan on the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) site.

While this is the last of the Regional Food of Japan series, it will be my pleasure to contribute monthly food related articles for you to enjoy here at The Nihon Sun.  In the meantime please visit me at Tokyofoodcast to follow my foodie adventures in Japan and learn more about Japanese food and food culture .

Other Regional Foods of Japan

Hokkaido
Tohoku & Kanto
Chubu & Kansai
Chugoku & Shikoku

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