Tsuruoka
UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy
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PRESERVATION OF
SPECIES
Though mechanic agriculture exists in Tsuruoka, one can witness strolling around the fields that farmers still employ manual means to cultivate their lands or prepare their food.
It is not rare to spot grandmas drying their mountain vegetables on the ground, one by one, or Japanese gooses graciously weeding the rice fields.
CULINARY CUSTOMS FORGED BY FAITH
Dewa Sanzan has largely influenced Tsuruoka's cuisine with its shojin ryori, the vegan Buddhist food. Vegetables grew to hold a very important place in Tsuruoka's cuisine, which follows Gautama Buddha's principles of non-violence through food, and that encouraged a plant-based diet.
ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY CULTURE METHODS
Though mechanic agriculture exists in Tsuruoka, one can witness strolling around the fields that farmers still employ manual means to cultivate their lands or prepare their food.
It is not rare to spot grandmas drying their mountain vegetables on the ground, one by one, or Japanese gooses graciously weeding the rice fields.
KNOWLEDGE SHARING
Knowledge sharing permits new generations to inherit from their grandparents' know-how and perpetuate centuries-old cultural traditions. It also allows the world to benefit from Tsuruoka's chefs' savoir-faire, and students worldwide to learn preparation techniques and recipes.
DISCOVER THE FLAGSHIP DISHES OF TSURUOKA'S CUISINE
SEAFOOD
Winter
Yuzu & salmon sauce radish
Hizunamasu
氷頭なます
Marinate the head of a salmon in salt and vinegar, mash some Japanese radish, and make a delicious yuzu/ikura eggs sauce, and voila! You made hizunamasu!
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Fujishima, Atsumi
Spring
Sardines marinated in pepper
Iwashi no sanshoni
鰯の山椒煮
Those sardines will surprise you with their sour-spicy taste they owe to their vinegar-pepper sauce.
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Everywhere
Summer
Rice-stuffed squid
Ika-meshi
イカ飯
Stuff a whole squid with mochi rice, grill it on a pan with some sweet seasoning, and voilà! You have Ika-meshi!
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Everywhere
Winter
Marinated dried ray
Karage-ni
からげ煮
This dish is full of proteins and collagen. The ray is dried out for a whole week then marinated for a long time in miso soup.
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Everywhere
Winter
Black cod soup
Kandara-jiru
寒鱈汁
Nobody in Tsuruoka could spend a whole winter without having a big bowl of black-cod soup. Grab a bowl during the black-cod festival!
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Everywhere
Winter
Mackerel gravlax
Shime-saba
しめさば
Salmon is not the only fish that can be "Gravlax"! The particularity of our Gravlax mackerels is that we use vinegar too.
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Atsumi, Everywhere
Summer
Seaweed noodles
Tokoroten
ところてん
These noodles look like konjac, but they are actually made out of seaweed, making them much more interesting nutritionally speaking.
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Everywhere
Winter
Anglerfish soup
Anko-jiru
アンコウ汁
How can such a horrible fish be so delicious? Have Japanese anglerfish in one of our famous fish soups. Try the liver, it tastes like foie gras!
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Atsumi
Summer
Seaweed jelly
Ego
えご
Ego is a little jelly cake made out of a seaweed called Campylaephora hypnaeoides. Like tokoroten, it contains nearly zero calories.
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Everywhere
All-year-round
Dewa Sanzan's Shojin-Ryori ascetic food
Dewa sanzan Shojin-Ryori
出羽三山精進料理
This is maybe the most emblematic food of Tsuruoka's cuisine. Tempura, soups, marinades, salads, mochi... No doubt you will leave on a full belly.
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Haguro
Spring
"Moso" bamboo rice
Moso-gohan
孟宗ご飯
Moso bamboo is also known as "the king of fibers". It is also rich is vitamin B1, B2 and proteins, despite being very low in calories.
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Yutagawa
Spring
Japanese Royal Fern in Tofu & Walnut sauce
Zenmai no shiraae
ぜんまいの白和え
A charming contrast between the bitterness of the royal fern and the sweet taste of the tofu & walnut dressing.
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Everywhere
Spring
"Moso" bamboo soup
Moso-jiru
孟宗汁
This is the traditional dish of Yutagawa Onsen. The crunchy bamboo makes a good contrast in textures with the soft mushrooms.
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Yutagawa
Spring
Sour-sweet wasabi leaves salad
Hawasabi-zuke
葉わさび漬け
Wasabi's spiciness, vinegar's sourness, the sweetness of sugar, and the umami taste of shiitake mushrooms... There's a lot of flavors in this salad!
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Atsumi
All-year-round
Mochi cake boiled in tree ashes
Sasamaki
笹巻き
This very special mochi has a yellow tint, due to being boiled with bark ashes. Grandmas wrap then in Sasa leaves to give them an extra "vegetal" flavor.
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Atsumi, Asahi
Spring
Ostrich fern topped with its sesame sauce
Kogomi no goma ae
こごみの胡麻和え
The Ostrich Fern grows on humid slopes in the forests. It is not very bitter, so it's easily eatable raw as well.
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Everywhere
MOUNTAIN VEGETABLES
Autumn
Lily bulbs in sticky sweet soy sauce
Yurine no Ankake
百合根のあんかけ
Soft, tender lily bulbs, eaten as a dessert with a sticky sweet soy sauce. Sometimes they are served together with boiled eggs.
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Haguro
Spring
Japanese mugwort mochi
Kusa mochi
草餅
Japanese mugwort is supposed to repel the evil spirits. This is why you will always find this mochi during festivals.
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Everywhere
Summer
Sweet miso paste in shiso leaves
Shiso-maki
しそ巻き
A little snack with a powerful miso taste. Have you ever tried sweet miso paste..? Time to try it out!
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Everywhere
Summer
Eggplants topped with sweet soy bean paste
Nasu no edamame ae
なすの枝豆和え
Another vegetable dessert typical of Tsuruoka's cuisine. Have you ever tried eggplants together with sweet edamame paste?
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Everywhere
Summer
Sweet soy bean paste with sweet soy sauce
Edamame no ankake
枝豆のあんかけ
Sweet edamame paste is a synonym of summer!
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Everywhere
Autumn, Winter
Atsumi's Red Turnip pickles
Atsumi kabu
温海カブ
Atsumi's red turnip is cultivated on harsh slopes in Atsumi region. The farmers use the slash-and-burn technique to feed the soil.
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Atsumi
All-year-round
Stretchy mochi
Bero Bero mochi
べろべろ餅
This long mochi was first eaten by the matagi hunters, who needed an easy-to-transport dish for when they left in the mountains.
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Atsumi
All-year-round
Stretchy mochi soup
Bero Bero mochi no sumashi-jiru
べろべろ餅のすまし汁
A very rich soup containing bits of Atsumi's stretchy mochi, chicken, carrots, leek, yams...
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Atsumi
Summer
Pond loach soup
Dojo-jiru
ドジョウ汁
Pond loach is full of vitamin A, B2, D and calcium. It gives us enough energy to go through summer.
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Everywhere
THE FOOD FROM OUR PLAINS
THE FOOD FROM OUR RIVERS
Tsuruoka City,
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