torakris

yesterday I bought this at the supermarket it is called sarada goya (salad bitter gourd), it is almost white and it quite a bit fatter than the goya I am used to. An internet search didn't tell me much except they are less bitter than regular goya. Anyone ever try this?

Fukushima is the farthest north I have been in Japan and it is the only prefecture outside of Tokyo where my husband has relatives yet I can't name one dish from this area..... anyone?

FUKUSHIMA PREFECTURE (region = Tohoku) http://www.kasei.ac.jp/inst/03/0312012/newpage3.html http://www.city.aizuwakamatsu.fukushima.jp.../w_d/w_d010.htm the thread to discuss Fukushima meibutsu can be found here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST&f=19&t=50234

Do you have any favorite dishes from Fukushima? check out the meibutsu thread to find out what Fukushima has to offer: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...=0entry700779

word for 8/30: ぶり大根 buri daikon　（boo-rhee die-cone) This is also a very well know homestyle dish using buri, this time it is simmered with a pieces of daikon radish. picture and recipe: http://www.kikkoman.com/cgi-bin/rcp.cgi?re...lowtail)+Daikon

I have seen quite a few rice recipes that call for the heat to be turned up to high at the end. I also found this: You can enjoy the taste of traditional kettle cooked rice with our firewood-like high heating power! LG's IH pressure cooker operates at a firewood-like heating power twice as high as other conventional rice cookers. (from here:) http://www.dreamlg.com/en/cook/useful_features3.shtml but they list their cooking method as: soaking, heating, boiling, and steaming This Japanese site (http://mpn.cjn.or.jp/mpn/contents/00001921/html/faq.htm ) lists: （煮る）水で煮て米を立てる （蒸す）蒸気穴（浮動した空間）から上昇してくる蒸気で、蒸し水分を吸収し、膨潤してゆく。 （焼く）飽和蒸気は、焼く（強火）ことで過熱蒸気になり、ご飯粒の表面の余蒸水分を飛ばす。 　　　　水分６２～６５％含むご飯になる。 as the best way to cook rice. basically it says simmer (boil)--steam--bake Another site that was selling kamas gave different cooking processes depending on if users like okoge (crunchy "burned" rice on the outerparts), they said to either serve the rice when the steaming is done or to put it back over high heat to "bake" it a bit. So in all it sounds like personal preference to me....

IWATE PREFECTURE (region= Tohoku) http://www.pref.iwate.jp/english/food/food.html http://www.tohoku-epco.co.jp/sight_s3/fo_iw.html and the thread on Iwate can be found here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST&f=19&t=50199

for variations on the teriyaki, check out the teriyaki sauce thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=19319&st=0

word for 8/29: ぶりの照り焼き buri no teriyaki This is probably one of the best known dishes for using buri, buri grilled with a teriyaki sauce. Here is a recipe in English: http://www.bob-an.com/recipe/dailyjc/basic/buri/buri.html

AKITA PREFECTURE (region= Tohoku) http://www.city.akita.akita.jp/en/sightsee...aji/default.htm http://www.media-akita.or.jp/akita-shoku/akita-shokuE.html and the thread on Akita can be found here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST&f=19&t=50152

and don't forget to leave your vote for your favorite collar (kama) in the kama thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=16971&st=0

word for 8/29: ぶりかま焼き buri kama-yaki We discussed the kama (or collar) back when we were looking at maguro (tuna), this is often grilled (yaki) with either a soy based tare (sauce) or with salt. here is a picture and a recipe! http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~chrkaji/yasuko/recipe/067_e.html

last year there was a huge "boom" in the kama style rice cooking, the kamas (the pots) were for sale everywhere you went including tons of infomercials and may of the new rice cookers proclaimed their rice was as good as the kamado style. They do produce a very good tasting rice and my husband and I have regularly been going to a small local kamameishi-ya. Kamameishi is a type of rice dish cooked in a kama usually with a variety of ingredients added, my favorite is the crab one at this restaurant. At Imai-ya, the restaurant we had our egullet get together at, the final course of steamed rice and many small dishes was served with rice straight from the kama.

Yes Hokkaido is definitely famous for its uni, but so are some other parts of Japan and of course there are tons of imports. When we are talking about meibutsu (local specialties) you have to remember that these are foods that are local to that area, not necessarily the best in the world. They are also often foods that are prepared in a certain way in that area (this is especially true when you are talking about products that can be found all over Japan). And also hundreds of years ago these really were local specialties, in today's world we can have access to almost anything with a couple strokes on a keyboard.

I have never heard of this before! I think I am shopping at the wrong places!

AOMORI PREFECTURE (region= Tohoku) http://www.city.aomori.aomori.jp/koho/shis...anako/main.html http://www.jnfl.co.jp/english/restaurants/...l-products.html http://apti.net.pref.aomori.jp/taberu-en/taberu.html Aomori thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST&f=19&t=50062

word for 8/27: ぶりあぶり buri aburi (boo-rhee ah-boo-rhee) You will probaly run across something on a sushi menu that has the word aburi following it, this means that the food has been seared or more likely torched, giving it a slightly smokey flavor. Buri takes especially well to this technique. buri aburi: http://www.globetown.net/~chineko/food/uogasizusi_4.jpg

hｈｈｍｍｍ。。。。。。。。。。 It sounds like it maybe one of those sauces that is specifically made for restaurants, convenience stores and bento places. It sounds like it maybe just be a horseradish and mayo mixture. Horseradish is called seiyouwasabi (西洋わさび) in Japanese and this translates directly as western wasabi. Though you don't see it on store shelves it is in the background everywhere, just look at your tube of wasabi paste you will see it listed as an ingredient, I have seen it on quite a few snacks as well. You could always try making your own. most international markets stock prepared horseradish and I have even seen the fresh root quite a few times. I have also seen wasabi mayo, but that is probably a slightly different taste. I will look around as well.

I am bumping this thread back up as Hokkaido is the first of the prefectures we are looking at in our discussion of meibutsu (local specialities) from all over Japan in this thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=49980&st=0

HOKKAIDO PREFECTURE (region= Hokkaido) meibutsu from Hokkaido can be found here: http://kanko.pref.hokkaido.jp/kankodb/foreign/e/trv_i002.htm http://www.daisetsu.or.jp/files/e-tokusan.html http://kanko.pref.hokkaido.jp/kankodb/foreign/e/trv_i001.htm The Hokkaido thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=19824&st=0

Meibutsu is a word that can translate as a local speciality, you will hear this word often in Japan "such and such is a meibutsu from such and a such a place". At one time meibutsu could only be enjoyed in their place of origin or if you were lucky enough to receive an omiyage (souvenir) from someone. Nowadays local specialities are popping up in stores all over Japan and with the internet they can be ordered directly from the source. I am going to use this thread to showcase the local specialities from all of the Japanese prefectures. We are going to run through the prefectures one by one and I will post links to information in English about the special foods and dishes of that region, I will then start a thread in the Japan forum so that everyone can discuss their favorite foods of the region there. If you know of any good links please send them to me to I can include them in THIS thread. A small note on prefectures, Japan is divided in 8 to 11 regions (depending on who you talk to!) and within those regions are prefectures. Most prefectures are noticable by the word "Ken" following its name, of the 47 prefectures 43 have this designation but Hokkai-DO, Tokyo-TO, Osaka-FU and Kyoto-FU are the exceptions. Now let's start exploring!

let's not forget about mekabu: http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~kairakus/mekabu.JPG and nagaimo/yamaimo: http://www.yamasyoku.net/yamakake.jpg

word for 8/26: ブリトロ　　ぶりとろ buri toro (boo-rhee toe-rhoe) Just like the toro for maguro (tuna), this is the fatty cut from the belly and is especially prized for use in sushi/sashimi. buri toro: http://www.jalan.net/kanko/SPT_177718.html

I can't believe I am posting in a beer thread..... The smell of beer makes me physically ill and it has once to pass my lips in 34 years, anway.... I can attest to theses aluminum bottles really working to keep drinks cold longer. I can't speak for beer but I drink soda in them regularly and even after an hour of walking around with it in my hand it is still wonderfully cold, much, much longer than either plastic bottles or cans. Of course if you guzzle your beer.....

Anyone interested in wagashi might want to check out the rest of the site as well: http://konny.fc2web.com/info/jsweets_e.html A lot of information!! recipes in English and descriptions of various ingredients with pictures.