Japanese Nagoya Meshi: Kishimen, Miso Katsu and Hitsumabushi
Japan — Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture
Nagoya-meshi (名古屋飯, Nagoya food) is a distinctive culinary identity so strong that locals use the term with genuine civic pride. The cuisine is characterised by bold, dark flavours — primarily from hatcho miso (a deeply aged, high-protein soybean miso unique to the region) — an affection for chicken (the Nagoya Cochin breed), and innovative rice-bowl formats. Kishimen are Nagoya's distinctive flat, ribbon-width wheat noodles (2–3cm wide, 2mm thick) served in a soy-and-dashi broth topped with kamaboko fish cake, narutomaki spirals, and shaved katsuobushi. Unlike the round noodles of Tokyo soba or the thick rounds of Kansai udon, kishimen's flat profile creates a different slurping sensation and absorbs broth differently. Miso katsu (味噌カツ) is a pork cutlet (tonkatsu) served not with the usual pale tonkatsu sauce but with a dark, thick hatcho miso-based sauce — sweet, fermented, and intensely savoury — a product of Nagoya's miso culture. Hitsumabushi (ひつまぶし) is Nagoya's iconic eel dish: grilled unagi, served over rice in a traditional wooden ohitsu container. The formal protocol for eating hitsumabushi involves four stages: first, eat a portion plain to taste the eel and rice quality; second, add condiments (wasabi, nori, mitsuba); third, pour hot dashi tea over the rice to make a chazuke-style dish; fourth, eat whichever stage you enjoyed most as the finale.