Local Foods in Oita – Part 2

Local Foods

This page is a continuation of the following page.

omochi-jung
omochi-jung

On this page, I introduce a list of local foods (fruits, sweets, vegetables, soup) that Japanese people want to eat when sightseeing in Oita, Kyushu region.

Kabosu

  • Read in Japanese: Kabosu
  • Original name: かぼす
  • Category: Fruits

Kabosu has a refreshing aroma and is characterized by a balance of sour and sweet tastes. Most of the kabosu consumed in Japan comes from Oita. It is used as feed for kabosu buri and as an ingredient in kabosu ponzu, introduced above. It is squeezed over various dishes such as soups, noodles, sashimi, and karaage.

Kabosu
No machine-readable author provided. Danny Wilde assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Yaseuma

  • Read in Japanese: Yaseuma
  • Original name: やせうま
  • Category: Sweets

Yaseuma is made of wheat flour, flattened and boiled, then covered with soybean flour and sugar. It is deeply rooted in the region that it is served in school lunches in Oita. It is mainly enjoyed as a light meal.

Yaseuma
Nissy-KITAQ, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Caramel custard

  • Read in Japanese: Purin
  • Original name: プリン
  • Category: Sweets

Oita has the largest number of hot spring sources and the largest amount of hot spring water in Japan. But, it is also famous for the puddings made by steaming in those hot springs. There are many pudding specialty stores in Beppu, Oita.

Photo courtesy of photoAC

Dried shiitake mushrooms

  • Read in Japanese: Hoshi shiitake
  • Original name: 乾しいたけ
  • Category: Vegetables

Oita is said to be the birthplace of shiitake cultivation, and is producing the largest amount of dried shiitake mushrooms in Japan. Dried shiitake mushrooms are often eaten as steaks or used as soup stock for dango jiru, which will be introduced next.

Photo courtesy of photoAC

Dango jiru

  • Read in Japanese: Dango jiru
  • Original name: だんご汁
  • Category: Soup

Dango jiru is a miso-based soup containing dumplings made of flattened wheat flour and vegetables. Dried shiitake mushrooms and small dried sardines are used for the broth. The noodle-like dumplings are the same as those used for yaseuma, introduced above. It is familiar in Oita that it is served in school lunches.

Photo courtesy of photoAC

For local foods (seasoning, pork, noodles) that Japanese people want to eat when sightseeing in Oita, please see the following page.

Comment