On the Menu

On the Menu

Osakans are passionate about food. As the old saying goes, Osaka wa kuida-ore -- in Osaka you eat so much you fall over. They expect restaurants to use the freshest ingredients -- for centuries the nearby Seto Inland Sea has allowed all classes easy access to fresh seafood. Osakans continue to have discriminating palates and demand their money's worth.

Osakan cuisine is flavored with a soy sauce lighter in color and milder in flavor than the soy used in Tokyo. One local delicacy is okonomiyaki, something between a pancake and an omelet, filled with cabbage, mountain yams, pork, shrimp, and other ingredients. Osaka-zushi (Osaka-style sushi), made in wooden molds, has a distinctive square shape. Unagi (eel) remains a popular local dish; grilled unagi is eaten in summer for quick energy. Fugu (blowfish) served boiled or raw is a winter delicacy.

The thick white noodles known as udon are a Japanese staple, but Osakans are particularly fond of kitsune udon, a local dish (now popular throughout Japan) in which the noodles are served with fried tofu known as abura-age. Another Osaka invention is takoyaki, griddle dumplings with octopus, green onions, and ginger smothered in a delicious sauce. Sold by street vendors in Dotombori, these tasty snacks also appear at every festival and street market in Kansai. If you don't want to fall over, try and leave the table hara-hachi bunme, 80% full.