Japanese Hirayama: Kumamoto and Kyushu Island Regional Cooking · The Japanese Canon

I

Origin

Kumamoto Prefecture and Kyushu island, Japan

II

Description

Kumamoto and greater Kyushu represent Japan's most culinarily distinct island—a collection of regional cooking traditions that sits geographically and culinarily closer to China and Korea than to Tokyo, with a food culture shaped by centuries of trade, volcanic agriculture, and seafood from both the Pacific and the East China Sea. Kumamoto's specific contributions to Japanese cuisine include: basashi (raw horse meat sashimi—the most famous horsemeat culture in Japan), karashi renkon (lotus root stuffed with spicy mustard-miso paste, fried in batter—a striking regional preparation), ikinari dango (large steamed mochi dumpling stuffed with sweet potato and anko), and Kumamoto ramen (tonkotsu-base with roasted garlic oil, called mayu, and different from Fukuoka's Hakata style). Beppu (in neighboring Oita) is famous for jigoku mushi—food cooked in the natural hot spring steam of the ji-goku (hell) volcanic vents. Nagasaki Prefecture brings the most internationally influenced food culture in all Japan due to the Dejima trading history—Nagasaki chanpon (thick noodle soup with Chinese and Japanese ingredients), sara udon (crispy noodles with Chinese-style stir-fry topping), and Nagasaki kasutera (castella sponge cake from Portuguese influence). Kagoshima at Kyushu's southern tip features tonkotsu different from Fukuoka, kurobuta Berkshire pork of international renown, and distinctive black pig preparations.

III

The Thread

—Nagasaki is the direct Japanese point of entry for Portuguese culinary influence—kasutera directly descends from pão de ló, tempura from peixinhos da horta Portuguese

—Nagasaki chanpon has direct lineage to Fujianese noodle soup traditions brought by Chinese traders through the Dejima port—the Chinese ingredient integration is traceable Chinese · Fujian

—Kyushu's geographic proximity to Korea has created food culture exchange—some Kyushu preparations show clear Korean ancestry, including certain preserved vegetable techniques and roe preparations Korean

IV

Flavour Context

Kumamoto: deep charred garlic mayu in tonkotsu; basashi's clean mineral horse fat; sharp mustard in karashi renkon; Nagasaki: chanpon's rich Chinese-Japanese broth; kasutera's honey-sweet sponge; Beppu: pure volcanic steam with no added flavour—the mineral character of the spring water itself

Pillars V — VII

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