3 local dishes to recommend when traveling in Fukuoka

Fukuoka Prefecture is a sunny tropical prefecture located in the southwest of the Japanese archipelago.
Fukuoka is famous for the “Hakata Dontaku” festival, in which people wear humorous masks with drooping eyes on their foreheads and dance.

Mojiko Port is also attractive for its nostalgic buildings that retain the atmosphere of the Meiji Era, when the port opened 130 years ago.

There are many delicious gourmet foods in Fukuoka!
In this issue, we will introduce some of Fukuoka’s specialties!

Mizutaki (chicken and vegetable stew) with melt-in-your-mouth flavor

Source: https://www.shinmiura-honten.com/

Have you ever heard of “mizutaki”?

Mizutaki is a one-pot dish in which vegetables and chicken are slowly simmered in hot or cold water to bring out the flavor of the ingredients. It is very similar to pot-au-feu in Western cuisine.

Shin Miura (main restaurant in Hakata), which specializes in mizutaki, has been preserving the traditional taste of mizutaki for more than 100 years by adding chicken and water only to the broth.

It takes more than 10 hours to make the soup.
The soup is made by blending a rich broth in which the chicken is simmered with its bones and the umami of the meat with a light broth made from fresh chicken meat. The chicken meat in the soup is so tender that it almost falls apart in your mouth.

Yakitori, the unpretentious taste of downtown

Source: https://hakata-fujiyoshi.com/

When it comes to chicken specialties in Fukuoka, yakitori is a must.

Yakitori” is a golden brown chicken skewered on a skewer.
One bite and you will find it crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside!

Yakitori is not a fancy dish, but it is a test of a chef’s skill, as the way it is cut and the timing of grilling can make or break the dish. The yakitori at Fujiyoshi, which is prepared by the owner, who has been a yakitori chef for 60 years, is full of the flavor of high-quality ingredients.

The wonderful thing about Fujiyoshi is that you can enjoy not only yakitori but also fresh sashimi made from freshly caught fish.
The beautifully and carefully prepared sashimi is a sight to behold.

Blessings from the Genkai Sea

Fugu (blowfish), rich in protein

Source: https://wolf.jpn.com/

Fukuoka is home to the Genkainada, a shallow-bottomed sea that is about 60 to 100 meters deep. The Genkainada Sea was once a sea gateway between Japan and other Asian countries, and is rich in seafood such as squid, puffer fish, yellowtail, and sea bream.

If you visit Fukuoka, you should definitely try fugu, a healthy fish rich in protein and low in calories.

At Urufu, you can enjoy a very rare dish of fugu called yaki fugu (grilled puffer fish).
The puffer fish is landed at Shimonoseki Port in Yamaguchi Prefecture, not far from Fukuoka.
The “yaki fugu” is a dish that includes the jaw, the meat from the backbone, and the precious skin from the belly, all of which can be enjoyed in a variety of flavors, including salt and garlic, so you will never get tired of eating it.

Suppon (soft-shelled turtle) soup, full of energy

Another recommendation is the “suppon” soup, which will leave you feeling full of energy after eating,
Suppon (soft-shelled turtle) soup, which will leave you feeling energized after eating.

Since ancient times, suppon, a turtle species that has lived in Japan, has been eaten mainly in soup form, as the extract of suppon is said to relieve fatigue. It is also rich in collagen, which makes your skin plump and beautiful. The name “Urufu” comes from the nickname of Chiyonofuji, a famous sumo wrestler in the past.

Mind, technique, and body” is a teaching of Japanese martial arts, which means to have a strong mind, hone one’s technique, and train one’s body.
It teaches the importance of having a good balance of these three elements.

There is a phrase “ishoku dogen,” which means that our bodies are made from the food we eat every day.
We should always remember this.

Conclusion

How was it?
Fukuoka is blessed with a warm climate, jidori (local chickens) that grow up well, and fresh seafood.
Fukuoka is characterized by its abundance of dishes that do not require too much work and make the best use of the best ingredients.

We hope you will try some of these specialties when you come to Fukuoka.