Overview
The cuisine of Tokushima Prefecture comes infused with a sense of the wild. Deep ravine-scoured mountains and dynamic coastal waters combine to offer its people an unspoiled fresh bounty of untamed flavours. A most unique and - just as importantly - delicious local cuisine, Tokushima dishes take what Mother Nature provides and adds a little rural twist to it. Here is a quick look at some of the local foods of Tokushima.
Sobagome zosui
Rice being difficult to grow in Tokushima, buckwheat turns out to be a more than ample substitute. And one traditional buckwheat dish here is sobagome zosui, a hearty, home-like porridge made out of buckwheat seeds. A speciality of the prefecture, the extremely healthy sobagome zosui usually features toppings local to the area it is made.
Dekomawashi
Basted with miso sauce, dekomawashi are skewers of potato, tofu and konjac grilled over charcoal flames. Named after their resemblance to traditional puppets, dekomawashi are a speciality of western Tokushima's Iya area. Often grilled alongside ayu sweetfish and sweet potatoes, the ingredients used are peculiar to Tokushima, making for a unique traditional snack.
Kaizoku ryori
Literally meaning 'pirate food', kaizoku ryori began as a fisherman dish eaten almost immediately on the beach. Hauling up fresh catches and eaten with a simple grilling, kaizoku ryori has a real touch of the wild about it and with a name like pirate food, little wonder. Featured seafood includes lobsters, shrimp, scallops and abalone.
Amego no hirarayaki
An almost primal dish, amego no hirarayaki sees its food grilled on a stone surface. In Tokushima, the amego freshwater trout is traditionally used and you'll also find other ingredients like tofu, local potatoes and other mountain vegetables added. The food, surrounded by a small wall of miso paste, absorbs the paste as it melts, creating an incredibly earthy flavour.
