AICHI PREFECTURE, JAPAN – 8 July 2020 –

Smaller than the state of Delaware but larger than Rhode Island, Aichi Prefecture in the heart of Japan’s central Tokai region packs plenty of culinary treasures in its 2,000 square miles. Among them are products like probiotic miso and vitamin-rich powdered green tea that adapt well for use in western kitchens. For the homebound dreaming of their next trip to Japan, and armchair travelers keen to introduce new flavors to their cooking repertoire, Aichi tourism officials offer this roundup of tastes and topics to savor.

MISO AND TAMARI: TWO FINDS FROM THE HOME OF FERMENTATION

Aichi has a rich culinary tradition that stretches back centuries, thanks to its proximity to the medieval power centers of Nara and Kyoto. The prefecture is home to the country’s oldest maker of mirin, is Japan’s top producer of vinegars, and counts more than three dozen sake breweries in operation today. Like these examples suggest it is particularly known for its fermented products, and the intensely flavored, dark-red, earthy miso known as Hatcho—famous for its long fermentation over two to three years in massive wooden barrels—may be the most iconic Aichi flavor of them all.

Hatcho: Aichi’s Signature Miso

Firmly textured, robust, all-natural, and laden with protein and earthy umami, this immuno-boosting, cholesterol-lowering ingredient is made the traditional way today by two Okazaki brewers, Kakukyu and Maruya. Just three ingredients—　steamed soybeans, salt, and water—are blended and cured in six-ton wooden vats. Next, the all-important koji mold goes to work driving the fermentation process for two summers and two winters. Three tons of river stones are artfully placed on top as pressing weights, a stunning sight to see. History buffs, take note: the Hatcho district from which this miso takes its name is just half a mile from Okazaki Park, the site of the castle where Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the last shogunate in Japan, was born.

Kakukyu typically welcomes tens of thousands to its factory tours each year.

An on-site museum dedicated to the history of Hatcho miso explains the production methods, which are viewable online here along with a PDF of delicious ways to use the paste in salmon meunière, tuna carpaccio, canapés, and more. The Maruya brand of Hatcho can be purchased online in the U.S. through Mercato. Try using it as a rub for your next barbecue: processed in a blender with nashi pear, ginger, butter, sake, and garlic, it makes a savory tenderizer that brings added depths of flavor to grilled poultry.

White Tamari: A Magic Condiment

Recent research highlighting the role of the gut microbiome in supporting our immune system and maintaining good health affirms what the ancients always knew: fermented foods support life. The age-old wisdom of preserving foods through fermentation underlies many staples of the Japanese kitchen; a niche one sought after by chefs around the world is Aichi’s own Mikawa Shiro Tamari, a white tamari brewed by Nitto Jozo Inc. in an abandoned schoolhouse in the picturesque town of Asuke-cho on the outskirts of Toyota, in central Aichi.

Tamari is named for its precursor, the liquid that pools in the barrels of miso as fermentation proceeds. Rich in amino acids, with concentrated flavor, this condiment was embraced by macrobiotic communities in Europe and the U.S. in the 1960s. In Japan its role in promoting health was published as early as 1712 in Yojokun, a book of wellness precepts written by a samurai physician.

A blend of naturally harvested sea salt, soft well water, and a koji starter made of steamed wheat, Nitto Jozo’s white tamari is cured in wooden barrels and finished before bottling with local shochu, a rice-based distilled spirit that serves as a natural preservative. With a malty nose and miso notes, the amber-colored liquid has a delicately balanced sweet-saltiness and can be used to highlight flavors in vinaigrettes, sauces, and simmered dishes. Try blending this umami-rich flavor enhancer with tahini sesame paste and using it in place of bouillon. In the U.S., it can be purchased online at Japanese Pantry.

A TRIO OF AICHI SOUL FOODS

Miso-nikomi Udon

The secret to this Aichi specialty is the broth, made of dashi stock flavored with Hatcho miso. Typically prepared and presented bubbling hot in an earthenware pot with egg, chicken, mushrooms, kamaboko fish cake and green onions, this is hearty Aichi soul food at its comforting best. Made without salt, the noodles are firmer and springier than udon encountered elsewhere—a robustness that stands up to the dark, deep-flavored soup. The dish is so loved by locals it is found nearly everywhere across the prefecture.

In Nagoya the arch rivalry between Yamamotoya Honten, founded in1907, and Yamamotoya Souhonke, in business since 1925, is legendary, and lively debates over personal preferences are indulged in and enjoyed by noodle lovers just as much as are the two shops’ offerings. Kisan in the city of Kariya is another popular establishment. There you can switch out the udon for broad, flat imokawa noodles that are said to be the forerunner of Nagoya’s famous kishimen.

Tebasaki Chicken Wings

Deep-fried twice to render them crunchy on the outside but moist and tender inside, tebasaki chicken wings were first served in Aichi’s capital city in the 1960s. They can now be found at pubs across Japan, such as the tebasaki specialist SSekai no Yamachan, whose tasty secret sauce and dusting of piquant black pepper are addictively good. So good, in fact, that the enterprise operates also in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Tenmusu Tempura Shrimp Rice Wrap

This variation on the onigiri rice ball—Japan’s crowd-pleasing staple of snack time, picnics and lunches on the go—adds plump morsels of deep-fried shrimp to the standard rice-and-nori wrap. While tenmusu originated in Mie prefecture just across Ise Bay, it gained nationwide notoriety after the recipe was popularized in Nagoya.
The San Francisco-based home chef Namiko Hirasawa Chen, a native of Japan, walks readers through the steps of making all three of these classic Aichi dishes on her Just One Cookbook blog; see her recipes for miso-nikomi udon, Nagoya-style fried chicken wings, and tenmusu rice balls. The Nagoya Meshi Guide published online at the official Aichi Now tourism site introduces these and many other soul foods unique to Aichi and associated with its capital city.

AICHI BREWS AND TEA

Local Sake

Sake has been produced in the Aichi area since earliest recorded time, and brewers today continue to innovate their craft. Aichi sake is characteristically full-bodied with a strong finish, and in recent years new varieties of sake rice have been crossbred to maximize its regional identity. The prefectural brewers’ association lists nearly 40 breweries active today, broken down by locality:Owari in the northwest, the capital city of Nagoya, the Chita peninsula in the southwest, and Mikawa in the central and eastern areas. For sake lovers this means there is a treasure trove of labels and flavor profiles to explore. Passengers flying to and from Japan in first or business class on All Nippon Airways flights can choose among 46 sommelier-selected sake; representing Aichi is the Kamoshibito Kuheiji label, a mainstay of Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris and the product of the Nagoya-based Banjo Sake Brewery Co., Ltd..

Craft Beers

Aichi’s beer brewers are not to be undone when it comes to innovation. In fact, Aichi was one of the first localities in Japan to begin beer production after isolation-era trade restrictions were lifted in the mid-19th century. The impressive Handa Red Brick Building, a registered Tangible Cultural Property completed in 1898, housed the brand-new brewing facility of Kabuto Beer, a product launched in 1887 by vinegar-maker Nakano Matazaemon and his nephew Morita Zempei. Two short years after the construction of their modern brewery, Kabuto Beer took the gold medal at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. Today the building operates as a museum and beer hall where a modern-day revival of the Kabuto label can be tried.

In Inuyama, a picturesque castle city that draws on the rich aquifers of the Kiso River, the Inuyama Beer Company makes limited-edition brews like a sakura-honey lager and a chocolate-malt stout in addition to a pilsner and a mellow, fruity weizen. Also in Inuyama, the Morita Kinshachi Beer Co., Ltd. offers the craft-beer label Kinshachi, a lineup that complements the robust flavors of Aichi cuisine. Of note are their Hatcho-miso and Aka-miso lagers, which blend these regional specialties right into the mash. Many craft-beer bars around the prefecture serve these brews on tap.

Matcha Green Tea

The city of Nishio in south-central Aichi is one of Japan’s top three producers of matcha, the powdered green tea that is whisked to a velvety froth and served in the formal tea ceremony. The mild climate, slight elevation, and fertile soil of the Yahagi River basin yield leaves that are intensely green with a vibrant bouquet and an abundance of umami and nutrients. Nishio matcha also flavors ice cream and other sweet confections that can be enjoyed at the Saijoen Matcha Café, part of the Aiya Nishio Matcha Green Tea Museum, where visitors can see the tea being milled by stone to form the exquisitely fine powder. A mere one to two ounces are yielded by each hand-carved mill per hour. The Aoi Tea Company, also in Nishio, produces premium handpicked organic matcha as well as ingredient-grade matcha, both of which can be purchased from its U.S. arm in Huntington Beach, California. Aoi Tea offers this informative video, documenting how Nishio matcha is grown and produced.

Rich in antioxidants and high in potassium, iron, magnesium, chlorophyll, and vitamin C, matcha helps to fend off disease, slow the aging process, reduce stress, and maintain homeostasis. And while there is no substitute for experiencing a formal tea ceremony in Japan in person, preparing a freshly whisked cup for a tea break can be a quiet moment of leisure for homebound travelers, too. As an ingredient matcha also lends itself well to baked goods: add one half to two tablespoons to your favorite recipes for pound cake, cookies, cupcakes, panna cotta, or muffins for a vibrant flavor boost. A collection of tried-and-true matcha teatime recipes, including how to whisk it the traditional way or turn it into a green-tea latte, is published at Just One Cookbook here.

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One-stop flights from the US West Coast to Chubu Centrair International Airport in Tokoname, Aichi depart from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. At the time of this writing, travel restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic are still in place for much of the world. When they are lifted, the Aichi Tourism Promotion Office looks forward to welcoming visitors back. In the meantime we will issue bulletins like this one from time to time, showcasing both online and on-site ways to explore Aichi’s many offerings.