Uncover what to eat in Kanazawa, town of gold, the place a thriving meals tradition honors each age-old recipes and modern culinary developments. Come be a part of us as we bask in beautiful seafood, comforting ramen, and well-known gold leaf-adorned treats.

Perched alongside the Sea of Japan, Kanazawa is well-known for its wealthy cultural heritage, breathtaking landscapes, and, most notably, its distinctive delicacies. The town’s culinary scene rivals its historic attraction, providing every thing from the freshest seafood to gold-adorned sweets and regional delights like Noto Beef. Allow us to present you the 9 must-try dishes that can make your journey to Kanazawa one to recollect!

We even have a completely devoted Kanazawa journey information and a cherry blossom information that will help you plan your go to.

Gold Leaf

One of many symbols of Kanazawa is gold leaf, which is used to embellish ornaments, handicrafts, and even meals. However why is it so well-known in Kanazawa? 

A key motive is town’s excessive humidity. Positioned within the middle of Honshu and going through the Sea of Japan, Ishikawa Prefecture experiences low sunshine and frequent rain. The interaction between seasonal winds, mountain ranges, and the nice and cozy currents from seawater heated close to the equator retains the humidity above 70% all year long. These humid situations are excellent for producing gold leaf, which is delicate to static electrical energy and thrives in moist environments.

Moreover, Kanazawa has a protracted historical past of expert artisans who’ve helped develop and protect town’s prestigious gold leaf custom. At the moment, Kanazawa produces 99% of the gold leaf in Japan, which is even featured in iconic monuments corresponding to Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto.

You possibly can expertise utilizing gold leaf in varied specialty shops or bask in some gold leaf-topped treats! Whereas having fun with the attractive surroundings of one in every of Japan’s “three most lovely panorama gardens,” Kenrokuen, head to Horaido Cafe and decide up a gold leaf ice cream! Savor the earthy matcha taste with the beautiful gold leaf whereas having fun with the nighttime sakura. It doesn’t get any extra luxurious than that!

Snow Crab

Omicho Market’s vibrant community of streets has proudly stood as Kanazawa’s largest contemporary meals marketplace for over 300 years. The bustling market is lined with round 200 shops providing native items, produce, and, above all, contemporary seafood. Positioned subsequent to the Sea of Japan, the market receives freshly caught seafood each day. Right here, yow will discover every thing from oysters and scallops to the best items of sashimi.

Because the winter season begins, buri (yellowtail), amaebi (candy shrimp), and the coveted snow crab are notably fashionable amongst locals and vacationers alike. Most of the stalls and retailers not solely promote contemporary seafood to take residence but additionally supply a singular eating expertise the place you possibly can immerse your self out there’s buzzy ambiance and savor the freshness of the seafood.

Regardless of touring in spring, I discovered a stall providing parts of snow crabs. Merely boiled, the crab has a tasty sweetness balanced with a touch of ocean saltiness, a style that may solely be skilled with the freshest seafood. Its fibrous but tender and meaty texture gives a extremely satisfying mouthfeel. To stability all these flavors and their meatiness, they serve housemade ponzu, which has a nice sharp tang to it.

Should you’re feeling indulgent, you possibly can eat the crab by itself as I did, or head to one of many many kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi eating places) to strive small bites alongside Kanazawa’s different scrumptious seafood.

Nodoguro

Talking of Kanazawa’s bountiful array of seafood, nodoguro (blackthroat seapearch) is one other must-try delicacy within the space. The fish is understood for its white flesh, wealthy taste, and fats that melts on the tongue, which may be loved in a mess of how, from sashimi and shabu shabu to easily grilled over charcoal. 

At Itaru, bask in nodoguromeshi, a nodoguro-style hitsumabushi. The rice is cooked in an iron pot often known as kamameshi and topped with seared nodoguro and nori.

How you can Eat Nodoguro Hitsumabushi

• Use the picket spoon to divide the Nodoguromeshi into quarters and scoop it into the small bowl. Eat the primary portion as it’s, then savor the fragile fish’s taste by itself.
• For the second portion, add somewhat negi, wasabi, and seaweed.
• For the third portion, add negi and wasabi, and pour within the dashi broth to take pleasure in it as ochazuke.
• Lastly, benefit from the final quarter as you like.

There is just one phrase to explain this dish: scrumptious. From the peerlessly cooked rice, with simply the correct amount of chew, to the nodoguro, which appears to have been kissed with a blowtorch, imparting a slight smokiness. Every mouthful retains getting higher. With the flexibility to take pleasure in Nodoguromeshi in varied methods, it by no means will get boring!

Kanazawa Curry

One dish that has not too long ago change into fashionable is Kanazawa Curry. Nonetheless, it’s exhausting to explain and outline what it really is.

The origins of Kanazawa Curry date again to 1955 when Yoshikazu Tanaka first created it in a specialty yoshoku (Western-style) restaurant. This culinary creation rapidly gained over prospects’ hearts, nevertheless it wasn’t till 2005 that the time period “Kanazawa Curry” was formally coined. Tanaka, now a curry specialist, even modified the identify of his restaurant to Champion Curry.

What units Kanazawa Curry aside is its distinctive taste profile. The thick and wealthy curry sauce boasts a deep brown colour. It’s accompanied by thinly sliced cabbage and served with tonkatsu (deep-fried pork cutlet). The style is a pleasant mix of depth, boldness, and spice that’s totally different from conventional Japanese curry that retains you craving extra with each chew. 

There are a number of Champion’s Curry chains all through town, that are very talked-about. Should you discover lengthy queues there, strive Kanazawa Curry Laboratory in Omicho Market, a small counter restaurant. Whereas the curry is historically served on a chrome steel plate, right here it’s offered in a picket bowl with varied toppings, together with karaage, ebi fry, and tonkatsu. You may as well select from small, medium, and huge parts of white, brown, or turmeric rice.

Instantly, you possibly can really feel the richness and depth of taste within the curry. It’s hearty, but with such a myriad of flavors, you gained’t wish to cease. The cabbage provides a refreshing chew, breaking the monotony of flavors, whereas the tonkatsu contributes an vital ‘meaty’ taste to the curry.

Noto Beef

Noto Beef is Ishikawa Prefecture’s premium model of beef, famously identified for its tenderness and texture, attributed to its excessive proportion of oleic acid within the fats. It achieved particular recognition for these qualities on the ninth Nationwide Wagyu Beef Competitors. Regardless of these accolades, Noto Beef is in low provide, incomes it the nickname ‘Phantom Wagyu.’

To get a style of the prized wagyu, head to Ushijyu Teraoka, the place you possibly can savor strips of completely cooked Noto beef on high of a mattress of rice. It’s luxuriously tender, with a wealthy meat aroma and taste. Atop the meat is a particular housemade sauce and an egg yolk that deliver the dish collectively, making it much more decadent and indulgent.

Oden

Kanazawa Oden was the standout dish of town for me. Oden may be discovered throughout all of Japan, however what makes Kanazawa’s model so distinctive? Whereas there isn’t a defining issue for ‘Kanazawa Oden,’ its notable function is the usage of native components and a deep dashi broth created from kombu, bonito flakes, and dried sardines. In some circumstances, Ono soy sauce from Kanazawa is added to additional enrich the broth.

In comparison with typical oden, which incorporates components like beef tendons, daikon, and konnyaku, Kanazawa oden options extra distinctive additions. The primary is akamaki, a kamaboko (fish cake) characterised by its vivid crimson and white swirl sample. One other is kurumafu, a big spherical wheat gluten resembling a donut with a gap within the center. Kurumafu absorbs lots of the broth, softening to a gooey-like texture. Different components embody Kaga greens, crab noodles (a mix of furry crab roe and meat stuffed right into a shell), and lotus root dumplings.

Restaurant Miyuki Kanazawa

Restaurant Miyuki is usually thought-about the go-to oden spot in Kanazawa. Nonetheless, it was quickly closed throughout my go to, so I made a decision on a small izakaya referred to as Bancho-san, tucked away in a small alley on the second flooring. It seems my expertise at Bancho-san grew to become the spotlight of my journey. The quaint izakaya supplied the most effective oden I’ve ever had, with its distinctive akamaki and kurumafu. The broth was wealthy however not overpowering, and it infused every ingredient completely.

The employees was extraordinarily pleasant. They defined the totally different oden components and even supplied a gin made within the Noto Peninsula! To complete, I had their really helpful matcha crème brûlée, which was topped with speckles of gold leaf to maintain with the Kanazawa theme.

Hanton Rice

Kanazawa’s soul meals, Hanton Rice, originated within the late Sixties by a Tokyo-trained chef. Impressed by Hungarian delicacies, the unique dish consisted of rice seasoned with paprika and butter, topped with fried tuna. ‘Hanton’ was derived from the Hungarian phrase ‘han’ and the French phrase for tuna, ‘ton.’ It was thought-about a handy meal for workers so they might eat each the meals and the rice on one plate, even when the kitchen was busy.

To adapt to Japanese tastes, the chef changed the tuna with deep-fried shrimp, tartar sauce, and ketchup. Grill Otsuka is the go-to place in Kanazawa, marked by its retro type and, as a rule, lengthy strains.

The hearty dish is much like omurice in some methods and is ideal if you happen to crave Western-style meals flavors. The big parts are filling, calorie-dense, and, above all, tasty!

Jibuni

For a style of Kanazawa’s historical past, bask in Jibuni, a simmered dish of duck or rooster and seasonal greens. The duck is coated in flour and simmered with the greens in a inventory product of dashi, mirin, sake, soy sauce, and sugar till tender. The flour helps thicken the inventory, seals within the meat’s taste, and offers it a tender texture.

Jibuni is believed to have been fashionable with the samurai and has been loved because the Edo interval. There are lots of theories about its origin, however many consider it was created and named after Okabe Jibuemon, who served as Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s meals service officer and launched it from Korea. Others consider its identify derives from the onomatopoeic phrase ‘jibu jibu,’ which refers back to the sound of simmering.

As Jibuni is a small dish, heading to an izakaya will help you take pleasure in varied different traditional Japanese meals. I went to Gen-zae-mon, a preferred spot within the metropolis middle. The Jibuni was wealthy, thick, and packed filled with taste. The duck was irresistibly tender and paired nicely with the chew and crunch of the taro, bamboo shoot, and shiitake mushroom.

On high was a small knob of wasabi, including a mild warmth and refined aroma to the dish. I couldn’t resist ordering a few of Kanazawa’s seafood, so I acquired a plate of sashimi and a bowl of rice!

Hachiban Ramen

Final, however not at all least, is one in every of Kanazawa’s hottest consolation meals.

On February 11, 1967, a ramen store opened in the course of a rice subject alongside Nationwide Route 8 in Kaga Metropolis. Topped with a mound of stir-fried greens, the ramen dish was successful and is alleged to have bought 1,300 bowls of ramen a day.

Hachiban (quantity 8) isn’t just a reputation; it’s an emblem of its origins in Kaga Metropolis. When turned sideways, it resembles “∞” (infinity), reflecting prospects’ want to take pleasure in it time and again, a testomony to its enduring reputation.

The shop’s signature dish is vegetable ramen, topped with stir-fried cabbage, carrots, onions, and bean sprouts. These greens are first parboiled within the broth after which stir-fried, including a satisfying crunch to the comforting noodle dish. The thick, curly noodles permit the broth to wrap round and cling to them, maximizing taste with every mouthful. To maintain with the store’s theme, it’s topped with a kamaboko that includes the quantity eight!

After chatting with a Kanazawa native, they mentioned, “If we wish to eat a scrumptious bowl of ramen, we don’t go to Hachiban Ramen. We solely go once we crave it. It’s a complete complete dish in itself.” This completely captures the expertise of having fun with Hachiban Ramen. It might not be the tastiest bowl of ramen you’ve ever had, however it’s positively a comforting dish you could possibly think about desirous to eat each from time to time.

Whereas I initially visited Kanazawa to study its wealthy historical past and well-known landmarks, it was the meals that stole the present for me. Every dish was nearly as good because the final, and I can’t wait to return and go to!