Nagoya
Hitsumabushi: grilled eel, savory rice.
Hatchō miso
Hatchō miso, a robust red miso, defines Nagoya's cuisine with its deep umami and hearty flavor.
View page →Nagoya, in central Japan, builds much of its cooking on hatcho miso, a dark, intense soybean paste aged for years. It shows up in miso katsu, a breaded fried pork cutlet under a thick, sweet-savory miso sauce, and in miso nikomi udon, chewy noodles simmered in a miso broth. The local style is collectively nicknamed Nagoya-meshi and includes tebasaki, fried chicken wings glazed and dusted with pepper; hitsumabushi, grilled eel over rice eaten in three stages, the last poured over with broth; and kishimen, a flat udon in dashi. Sweet-savory red-bean touches turn up too, as in ogura toast, buttered toast spread with sweet azuki paste.
The Palate
Start Here
Hitsumabushi is a multi-sensory delight where grilled eel is savored in three distinct ways.
Why start here · Hitsumabushi encapsulates Nagoya's unique approach to transforming a single ingredient into an entire experience.
Miso Katsu is a crispy pork cutlet draped in rich, umami-laden Hatcho Miso sauce.
Why start here · Miso Katsu showcases the region's signature use of Hatcho Miso, a cornerstone of Nagoya's flavor profile.
Kishimen offers a silky noodle experience with a gentle, dashi-infused broth that soothes the palate.
Why start here · Kishimen highlights the balance between richness and subtlety, central to Nagoya cuisine.
The Pantry
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Fruits
Dairy & Fats
Sauces & Condiments
How They Cook
Techniques that define this cuisine
Other regions
Siblings within Japanese — each its own tradition.
