A visit to the home of Japan’s traditional dietary culture
日本の伝統的な食文化を訪ねる旅
Kansai is a political, cultural and religious centre of Japan which has prospered for over a thousand years.
Its beginnings stretch back to the ancient capitals of Kyoto and Nara and nowadays, with the commercial entrepot of Osaka, the region is teeming with diversity. Ingredients cultivated from the sea, the mountains, and a natural environment in many forms – as well as the typical and ubiquitous dashi (broth), the source of Japan’s unique flavour – have created a rich and original food culture.
千有余年にわたり、日本の政治、文化、宗教などの中心地として栄えてきた関西。
都がおかれた京都や奈良、物流の拠点であった大阪をはじめ多様性に富む地域があり海あり山あり表情豊かな自然が育む食材や、日本特有の味覚を引き出すだし文化が独自の豊かな食文化を育んできました。
Various fresh ingredients and using their natural tastes
The foods used in Japanese cuisine mainly consist of rice, vegetables, mushrooms, fish, shellfish and seaweed. In recent years, Japanese beef has been added to this list. Kansai, washed by the Sea of Japan, the Pacific Ocean, and the Seto Inland Sea, and containing Japan’s largest lake and many beautiful rivers, streams, mountains and fields, has a rich natural environment in which a rich array of ingredients can flourish. Since early modern times, products from various parts of the country have been brought to Osaka, giving it the name of ‘kitchen of the world’, laying the foundations of the Japanese food culture.
多様で新鮮な食材と素材の味わいを活用
和食で用いられる食材は米を中心とする穀物や野菜、きのこ、魚介類、海藻が主たるもので、近年はこれに和牛も加わっています。関西は日本海、太平洋、瀬戸内海と性質の異なる海に接し、国内一の大きさを誇る湖や美しい河川、野山など豊かな自然を擁していることから多様な食材に恵まれています。また近世以降、「天下の台所」と称される大阪には全国各地の生産物が集まってきており、日本の食文化の基礎を築いてきました。
Kyoto
京都
KYOTO VEGETABLES
Kyoto, also known as Heian-Kyō, was the capital of Japan for over a thousand years from 794. Here was to be found the cuisine of the aristocratic class, imperial court dishes, vegetarian cooking from Buddhist temples, multi-course kaiseki cuisine refined by the world of the tea ceremony, and the feasts that were part of the lives of the commoners. It is not exaggerating to say that Japanese cuisine developed in the center of Kyoto, it is having such a long history as the capital city. The base for these various cuisines has been the vegetables of Kyoto.
京野菜
794年の平安京遷都から千年余にわたり都であった京都。そこには貴族が生み出した公家料理、有識料理、寺院の精進料理、茶の湯の世界で洗練された懐石料理、そして庶民の暮らしから生まれたおばんざいがある。日本の料理は、都として長い歴史を誇る京都を中心に発展してきたと言っても過言ではない。そしてこれらの料理を支えたのは京野菜であった
The land of three mountains and three rivers: as the name suggests, the special vegetables of Kyoto are cultivated in a fertile valley surrounded by the Western, Northern, and Eastern mountains, in the middle of which flow the Takano, Kamo, and Katsura rivers. l 三山三川の名の通り三方を東山、北山、西山に囲まれ、その中を高野川、鴨川、桂川が流れる肥沃な盆地に育まれた京都特産の野菜 ©KYONO FURUSATO SANPIN KYOUKAI
Kyoto
京都
SHOJIN RYORI(Buddhist Vegetarian Cuisine)
Passed down through Buddhist practice since the Kamakura era, this is a cuisine prepared and eaten by Buddhist monks. To avoid breaking the religious taboo against eating meat, it is made mainly with vegetables and soybeans.
精進料理
鎌倉時代に仏教とともに伝えられ、僧侶が調理し食していた料理。宗教的禁忌により肉食を避け、野菜や大豆を中心につくられる
Hyogo
兵庫
KOBE BEEF
One of Japan’s three most famous wagyu (beef). The delicate, refined sweetness of the red meat melts exquisitely in the mouth and contains a fragrant and flavoursome fat, delighting taste buds all around the world.
神戸ビーフ
日本三大和牛の1つ。きめ細かく上品な甘みのある赤身が脂肪の風味・香りと絶妙に溶け合い、世界の舌を魅了する
©KOBE TOURISM BUREAU
Mie
三重
ISE-EBI (Japanese spiny lobster)
The king of lobsters cultivated to perfection thanks to the rich seas of Ise Bay and the Kuroshio Current. The Ise Spiny Lobster enjoys a vibrant redness and excellent shape, making it a longstanding dish that symbolizes courage and longevity thanks to its exuberance. With its semitransparent flesh and tender texture, this lobster is great whether it is stewed, grilled, or eaten raw.
伊勢海老
伊勢湾と黒潮の栄養豊富な海が育む海老の王様。鮮やかな赤色をしており、風格ある姿形、生命力の強さから武勇と長寿の象徴として祝い膳で重宝される。透明感のある身、ぷりぷりとした歯ごたえがで、煮る、焼く生でと料理法を選ばない
©ISESHIMA TOURISM & CONVENTION ORGANIZATION
Tottori
鳥取
NIJISSEIKI NASHI(Pear)
The Nijisseiki Nashi (Pear), which fruits in summer, has a crisp, tasty balance of tartness and sweetness. It has a cultivation history of over 100 years, and measured by volume, it is the largest export shipment from Japan.
梨
夏に旬を迎える二十世紀梨は酸味と甘さのバランスやシャリ感が魅力。栽培の歴史は100年以上あり出荷量は国内1位を誇る
©Tottori Pref
Well-balanced and healthy diets
The origin of the fifth taste, Umami, is to be found in dashi. This is said to be at the root of Japanese food culture. As a culinary form passed down through history, Japanese food continues to follow the formula, ‘one soup, three dishes. It is a cuisine centered on broth and vegetables, with kombu (dried kelp) and katsuobushi (Cured bonito shavings) helping to provide the umami taste of dashi (Dashi stock), so essential to Japanese cuisine and an essential part of a unique culture, leading inevitably to the Kansai region.
Japanese cuisine, with its traditional foundation of dashi, brings out the best flavors of the composite ingredients without using too many fats or oils and is low in salt, making it appealing to those who have a healthy approach to food promoting a long life and preventing obesity.
バランスがよく、健康的な食生活
第５の味覚「うま味(UMAMI)」の起源は、日本の食文化の根幹ともいえる「だし」にあります。古くから伝わる「一汁三菜」という食事形態が承継され、汁物や野菜が中心の食事であったことから、汁物などの料理のうま味を引き出す昆布やかつお節などの「だし」が欠かせず、固有のだし文化が発展してきたとされていますが、そのルーツをたどっていくと関西が深くかかわっていることがわかります。
「だし」を基本とした伝統的な日本食は、素材の良さを活かしながら、油脂を多用せずに減塩となる調理法であることから、長寿や肥満防止につながるとして健康志向の観点からも注目されています。
DASHI STOCK だし
Osaka
大坂
KOMBU
Kombu (Dried kelp) began to be commonly used during the Edo period. As large-scale kitamae boats appeared, they rode through the Western passage opened up between Shimonoseki and through the Seto Inland Sea, reaching the production centres of Hokkaido and Tohoku. They were able to bring their products to Osaka in bulk, transporting their goods cheaply, quickly, and securely. The passage through which kombu was brought was called ‘Kombu road’. Osaka and Sakai, as the last calling points, acquired the bulk of the transported kelp. Kombu processing industries such as ‘Tororo Kombu’ and ‘Oboro Kombu’ emerged, gaining a reputation throughout the country as large production centres. Later, the ‘Kombu road’ would extend to Edo, Kyushu and even to Okinawa Prefecture.
昆布
昆布が広く庶民の食卓に上るようになったのは、江戸時代。大型化した北前船が登場し、下関から瀬戸内海を通る西廻り航路が開かれたことで、生産地の北海道・東北から大阪まで大量に、安く、早く、安全に物資を輸送することが可能となってから。昆布を運んだ航路の総称を「こんぶロード」と言い、最終寄港地であった大阪・堺は昆布の集積地に。とろろ昆布、おぼろ昆布など昆布加工業も発展し、一大産地として全国に名を馳せた。その後こんぶロードは江戸、九州、沖縄県へとのびていく。
Wakayama
和歌山
KATSUOBUSHI (Cured bonito shavings)
The origins of katsuobushi (cured bonito shavings) are in boiling and drying bonito in order to preserve it for longer. A fisherman, Jintaro Kadoya of Inami, Wakayama Prefecture, devised a method of smoking and drying bonito on a wood fire, creating the product we have today. It has a fine flavor and beautiful fragrance and can be preserved for a long time. With Jintaro fishing from his base in Kochi Prefecture, others learned his method, such as Yahei Mori and Yoichi Innan from Inami. Later, it spread all the way westwards to Kagoshima and eastwards to Chiba and Shizuoka. Currently, Yaizu in Shizuoka and Makurazaki in Kagoshima are the two major centers of production, but their success came about from the efforts of Wakayama locals.
かつお節
カツオの保存性を高めるために煮て乾燥させたのが始まり。和歌山県印南の漁師・角屋甚太郎が、まきを燃やして煙でいぶす「燻乾法」を考案し、現在のように香り高く、風味に富み、かつ長期保存が可能なかつお節を生み出した。のちに甚太郎が高知県を本拠として漁をした縁から製法が知れ渡り、印南出身の森弥兵衛や印南與市も、西は鹿児島県、東は千葉県や静岡県にまで伝えたとされる。現在、静岡県焼津と鹿児島県枕崎が二大産地となっているが、その背景には和歌山人の功績があったのだ。
KONAMON 粉物
Osaka
大坂
TAKOYAKI
OKONOMIYAKI
Takoyaki, octopus’ snacks and okonomiyaki pancakes, among others, are called ‘konamon’, Osaka’s wheat flour-based soul food. The base flavor is the kombu (dried kelp) and katsuobushi (cured bonito shavings) umami coming from Osaka’s soft water.
たこ焼き
お好み焼き
たこ焼きやお好み焼きなど、小麦粉を主原料とした大阪のソウル・フードの総称「粉もん」。大阪の軟水によって引き出された昆布やかつお節のうまみが味のベースとなっている
FERMENTED SEASONINGS AND PRODUCTS
発酵調味料 発酵食品
Japan’s hot and humid summers encouraged the development of a cuisine based on fermented foods. Utilizing the work of microbes such as those found in lactic acid and yeast, the level of amino acids (umami flavor) contained in foods increases. Japanese cuisine uses many fermented seasonings, with miso and soy sauce as representative examples. These
seasonings and foods are attributable to the accumulated wisdom of our ancestors, who aimed to preserve food for a long time. Nowadays they flourish in every region.
夏に高温多湿となる日本では、発酵食品が発達。乳酸菌や酵母など微生物の働きを生かして食品中のアミノ酸（うま味）を増やしています。和食にも味噌や醤油に代表される発酵調味料が多用されます。これらの調味料・食品は、食材を長期に保存するために生み出された先人たちの知恵の結晶であり、今も各地に息づいています。
Wakayama
SOY SAUCE
和歌山
First developed in Yura town, Hidaka province, Wakayama Prefecture. In 1254, Hottō Kokushi, a Zen monk from Kokoku temple, returned to Japan from Koshoji temple in Song Dynasty China where he had learned how to make na-me miso (Kinzanji miso), and brought the recipe with him. It involves adding salt, then ripened vegetables and wheat, to koji yeast made from soybeans and other ingredients. Having refined it, he popularized the recipe among the villagers of Yuasa town in Wakayama. The top layer of liquid which rises to the surface is recognised today as tamari joyu, a rich soy sauce, which was further refined as the key ingredient.
醤油
発祥地は和歌山県日高郡由良町。1254年、興国寺の禅僧、法燈国師が宋の径山興聖寺で習い覚えた「なめ味噌（金山寺みそ）」の製法を持ち帰り、大豆等で作った麹に塩を加え、麦や野菜を熟成させる製法を同地の湯浅の村人に広めた。その際、湧き出た上澄み液が現在の「たまり醬油」となり、さらに醬油の製造へと発展していった
Shiga
滋賀
FUNAZUSHI (Carp Sushi)
Funazushi is a traditiona l dish where Nigorobuna is pickled in salt and then fermented in rice. This was considered a way of preserving fish, a precious source of nutrition, for a long period of time. A hint of cheese and a slightly acidic taste creates a deep and satisfying flavour.
鮒寿司
塩漬けにしたニゴロブナを利用しご飯と一緒に発酵させた「鮒（ふな）寿司」。貴重な栄養源である魚を長期保存する方法として考え出されたもので、チーズの風味と少しの酸味の効いた深い味わいが魅力
Emphasis of the beauty of nature in the presentation
Japan is unparalleled in the world for its four clearly defined seasons. Japanese cuisine adopts the use of seasonal ingredients. From the plates on which food is served, to the furniture or fixtures, service etiquette and the layout of the dining area, all are designed with the current season in mind. It is a special feature of Japanese cuisine that the experience is adapted to provide a sense of the changing seasons and the beauty of nature. Japanese confectionary, which delicately expresses seasonal change, is another essential feature of Japanese cuisine.
自然の美しさの表現
日本は世界に類を見ないほど四季がはっきりしており、和食には、その季節でしか味わえない旬の食材が取り入れられます。料理を盛るための器づかいやあしらい、調度品など、しつらいにも季節を感じさせる工夫がされ、自然の美しさや四季の移ろいを感じさせる工夫が施されるのも特筆すべき点です。季節の移ろいを繊細に表現する和菓子もまた、和食に欠かせない要素の一つです。
Kyoto
京都
京の和菓子 KYOTO’S CONFECTIONARY
New Year 正月
New Year l New Year’s petal rice cakes
A soft and moist confection of sugared burdock and white miso bean paste wrapped in red or white mochi or gyūhi.
正月葩餅（はなびらもち）
甘く味付けしたごぼうと白味噌餡を赤や白の餅や求肥で包んだ生菓子
©kyoto-design.jp
Spring 春
Spring l Cherry Blossom rice cakes
A rice cake sweet made from steamed dōmyōjiko (coarse rice powder) formed into a soft dough which is then wrapped around adzuki bean paste and encased with cherry blossom leaves.
春 桜餅
道明寺粉を蒸したモチモチの生地で小豆餡を包み、桜の葉で巻いた餅菓子
©kyoto-design.jp
Summer 夏
Summer l Minadzuki (sweet rice jelly triangles)
A confection of sweetened adzuki paste sprinkled on top of white rice jelly. Eaten at the beginning of summer, they originated with the Nagoshinoharai summer purification rites at which people in Kyoto would gather together to wish for good health on the 30th of June (according to the old calendar).
夏 水無月
白いういろうの上に小豆の粒餡を散らした菓子。京都で旧暦6月30日に無病息災を
祈願して行なわれる夏越祓になぞらえて初夏の頃に食べる
©kyoto-design.jp
Autumn 秋
Autumn l Autumn Leaves
At the time of year when the autumn leaves are beautiful, sweets are arrayed in shop windows. Through their various shapes and colours and in all manner of ways they express the images of maple, ginkgo, and other leaves.
秋 紅葉
美しい紅葉の時期には、具象から抽象まで、紅葉や銀杏などをモチーフとした様々な色や形の和菓子が店先に並ぶ
©kyoto-design.jp
Connecting to annual events
Food and sake together widen our connections with others. New Year, seasonal festivals, annual events, coming-of-age ceremonies, weddings, and rituals which mark turning points in people’s lives, local festivals and the celebratory parties which take place after social activities. With everyone sharing nature’s bounties, the traditions of Japanese cuisine are passed on.
年中行事との関わり
食事や酒を共にすることで、人はつながりを深くしてきました。正月や節句など、毎年同じ時期にめぐってくる年中行事。成人や結婚など、人生の節目にあたる人生儀礼。地域の祭りや共同作業の後の打ち上げ。皆で自然の恵みを分かち合うなかで、和食は継承されてきました。
NEW YEAR 正月
ZONI (rice cake & vegetable soup)
The zoni soup supped at New Year varies tremendously according to region. In Kansai it is common to eat zoni containing a round mochi to symbolise the spirit, as though consuming the power of the Gods.
お雑煮
お正月にいただくお雑煮は各府県によって様々。関西では神の力をいただくとして、魂の象徴である丸餅を入れた雑煮を食すところが多い
Osaka
大坂
WHITE MISO ZONI SOUP
White miso mixed with a dashi broth made from kombu (dried Kombu kelp) and katsuobushi (cured bonito shavings), create rich flavours. The rice cake is circular in shape, with kintoki carrots, radishes, and shrimp-shaped taro cut as round as possible so as to avoid leaving any corners (a pun in Japanese meaning to avoid stormy personal relationships).
白味噌雑煮
昆布と鰹節でとった出汁に白味噌を合わせ、風味豊かに仕立てる。餅は丸餅で、金時人参・大根・海老芋も「角が立たないよう」なるべく丸く切る
Tottori
鳥取
ADZUKI ZONI SOUP
New Year’s zoni in Tottori is usually sweet and contains a round rice cake which has been lightly boiled in adzuki broth. In the mountains, it is also common to find the round rice cake in miso or soy sauce-flavoured broth.
小豆雑煮
鳥取の正月は、小豆の煮汁に柔らかく煮た丸餅が入っている甘いお雑煮が主流。山間部ではしょうゆ味や味噌味の汁に丸餅のところもある
©Tottori Pref.
January 25th TENJINKO
1月25日 天神講
Fukui
福井
BAKED GAREI (Flathead flounder)
The death anniversary of the God Tenjin (the revered nobleman Sugawara no Michizane) is on the 25th of January and is called Tenjinko. At New Year, Tenjin images decorate the tokonoma alcoves in people’s homes and baked flounder dishes are dedicated in his honour.
焼ガレイ
天神様（菅原道真公）の命日である1月25日を「天神講」として、正月から床の間に飾っていた天神様に、焼きガレイ（焼いたアカガレイ）を供える
FESTIVALS 祭
Nara
奈良
PERSIMMON LEAF SUSHI
A summer festival feast dating to the mid-Edo period. Made with mackerel caught in local waters and pickled with salt, then wrapped in a persimmon leaf, which has a preservative effect.
柿の葉寿司
江戸時代中期から伝わる夏祭りのご馳走。近海で獲れた鯖を塩でしめ、防腐効果のある柿の葉で包んで作られる
Tokushima
徳島
TARAIUDON
Taraiudon is the local cuisine of Awa city. It is said to have its origins in the treats people had at the end of a day’s work in the mountains of the Miyagouchidani river area, where forestry work was once a major activity. Handmade udon noodles boiled in a big pot are transferred to a large tumbler (hanbo), served and eaten in large quantities. The broth that goes with the
noodles are made from river fish.
たらいうどん
阿波市の郷土料理。かつて林業が盛んだった宮川内谷川流域で山仕事をする人たちの仕事納めのふるまい料理がルーツと言われる。大釜でゆでた手打ちうどんを大きなたらい（はんぼ）に移し、大勢で囲んで食す。つけ汁の出汁は川魚からとる
SAKE
The change from making unrefined doburoku sake to making what is called sumizake, similar to today’s refined sake, went hand-in-hand with alcohol production moving from the court to the temples in the Muromachi period. Said to have originated either in Hyogo or Nara, in both places there are commemorative memorial stones. Nowadays, the two production centres of Nada in Hyogo and Fushimii in Kyoto between them brew together the 44% of the national sake production (as of 2016). Kansai is the country’s largest producer of Japanese sake.
日本酒
どぶろくのような酒から「すみざけ」ともいわれる現在のような清酒が造られるようになったのは、酒造りが朝廷から寺院に移る室町時代。発祥の地は奈良とも兵庫ともいわれ、両地に清酒発祥の碑が建っています。現在、兵庫県の灘、京都府の伏見という二つの酒どころだけで、その生産量は全国シェアの44% (2016年調べ)を占めるなど、関西はわが国最大の日本酒の産地となっています。
Kyoto
京都
FUSHIMI
Water and rice: the key ingredients crucial for sake’s flavour
Japanese sake is made of water and rice. Just as it is said that where there is good water there is good sake, mineral rich underground water called fukuryū-suiis the main ingredient in the sake-making process. Kansai is the home of a large number of excellent local brews: fairly well-known, with underground water representative of Japanese taste, are Nishinomiya’s miyamizu water, which contain the flavours of Nada Gogō and fushimizu water, which provides the base for Fushimi’s sake. Kansai’s abundance is attributable to the large mountainous areas in the middle of the region, such as Fukui’s Hakusan range, Shiga’s Hakodateyama range, Nara’s Katsuragisan range, Osaka’s Satsukiyama and Hyogo’s Chūgoku mountains, and also to various places famous for their water, such as Wakayama’s Kino River and Tokushima’s Yoshino River.
The rice, which forms the key ingredient for Japanese sake is called ‘sakamai’. Depending on which type of sakamai is used, the taste of the sake changes: there are almost an infinite number of varieties. The most well-known sakamai in Japan is ‘Yamada Nishiki’, from Hyogo prefecture, a sake with a regal fragrance and full-bodied taste, which is the king of sakamai.
伏見の酒
日本酒の味を決める原料「水」と「米」
日本酒は水と米でつくられる。「名水があるところに名酒あり」といわれるように、日本酒づくりに主として使われるのは豊富なミネラルを含む「伏流水」と呼ばれる地下水だ。関西には、日本を代表する伏流水、「灘五郷」の味を支える西宮の宮水や伏見の酒に使われる伏水はもちろんのこと、福井の白山山系、滋賀の箱館山系、奈良の葛城山系、大阪の五月山、兵庫の中国山地、揖保川、鳥取の大山をはじめとする中国山地、和歌山の紀ノ川、徳島の吉野川など、名水を持つ地域が多数あり、優れた地酒を輩出している。また、日本酒の原料となる米は「酒米」と言われ、使われる酒米によって酒の味は千変万化する。日本で最もよく知られているのが、兵庫県の「山田錦」。香り高くコクのある味わいの酒ができあがる酒米の王様である
Hyogo
兵庫
YAMADA NISHIKI
山田錦
Hyogo
兵庫
NADA
灘の酒
Reference: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Japanese food guide-book ‘Japanese cuisine: Japan’s traditional food culture’; Union of Kansai Governments website, ‘Kansai’s food culture’. l 参考：農林水産省 和食ガイドブック「和食 日本人の伝統的な食文化」
関西広域連合ウェブサイト「関西の食文化」
http://www.kouiki-kansai.jp/koikirengo/jisijimu/nosui/kansainosyoku
