Foodies on the island, mark your calendar. The World Food Festival will be serving up some delicious eats on April 12-13 in Okinawa City.
In Japan, rice has a rich history which dates back over 2000 years. It’s a staple in many traditional dishes and has become an important part of Japanese food culture.
Mainland Japan’s food culture continues to migrate to Okinawa, and every year new Japanese chain restaurants pop up on the island. Even items that were unique to the mainland like “Ehoumaki,” a sushi roll eaten on the day of Setsubun, are now common on Okinawa.
As a kid, every New Year I would look forward to a sweet jelly called kouhaku kanten. Kanten is a jelly made from boiled tengusa algae and seaweed. It is known for being low-calorie and rich in fiber, so it is often used as a healthy alternative to regular sweets.
If you have sampled the traditional sweets of Japan, you might have been surprised how different the tastes – and ingredients that include sweet potatoes, sweet beans and rice - are from Western sweets.
Foods like omurice, ton katsu and naporitan spaghetti are items you’ve likely seen on a menu if you’ve ever visited a casual dining restaurant in Japan.
On a day in mid-October, I tried cooking paella, a Spanish dish for the first time.
In Japan, pouched ready-made curries are a popular item at grocery stores for busy people with little time to prepare a hot home-cooked meal.
The recipe below is meant to replicate your favorite CoCo’s curry sauce and, best of all, it can be personalized with whatever ingredients you enjoy. This recipe is adapted from Japanese comedian Saigen Daisuke, who is known for trying to replicate dishes from popular restaurants.
Spam, Spam, Spam – lovely Spam! To most, it’s an old Monty Python skit. But if you’re on Okinawa, it’s a way of life.
Chinpin is an Okinawan sweet often described as a pancake or crepe flavored with brown sugar.
Like so many other Okinawans, I love hamburgers. When I was young, I could eat one every day.
If you’re a Japanese food fan, you may have heard of okonomiyaki; a Korean food afficionado—chijimi. But Okinawa also has its own version: hirayachi.
There are plenty of similar café-galleries on Okinawa, but Doka Doka is one of the most popular among tourists.
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