Joanna James
The best things in life sometimes come in small bowls filled with flavours that have been curated and designed through many centuries of trial and error. Many people are quite familiar with Japanese cuisine, however, there are plenty of dishes that never made it to the mainstream!
It is a popular tale that the meat of the poisonous pufferfish is a delicacy that is both delicious and deadly if incorrectly prepared. This means that the chefs involved in the preparation of this dish need to undergo many years of training preparing this fish before they are allowed to serve customers. Cut into translucent slivers, Fugu is either served as sashimi, karaage or in a hot pot.
This dish is still popular in Japan and worth a pretty penny too, but well worth the experience of watching the expertise of the chefs on display as they prepare this delicious delicacy for consumption.
Chinmi is less a specific dish but more of a genre of food. Chinmi dishes are typically those that are part of Japanese cuisine that many consider to be an acquired taste. This means that you will likely need to be quite adventurous to want to try these dishes as they make even the local's squirm.
A popular example of Chinmi is the consumption of uni. This is a delicacy that is quite popular on Japanese menus and consists of delicate gold nuggets of sea urchin reproductive organs. These are typically served raw, cooked or lightly steam. They are also delicious when tossed in some fresh pasta!
Other varieties of Chinmi are mull roe pickled in salt or fermented sea cucumber guts which are reserved for those who have managed to brave the dish enough times to develop a taste for it.
Not every dish needs to be everyone's cup of tea. This just leaves more of those who are seeking delicacies in a particular region or period in Japan. If you are visiting during the winter months, Japan is well known for the 'cod milt' dish that appears on menus. This is essentially sperm from male cod and the texture does not let you forget it.
Soft, white and kind of 'squiggly', this dish is generally eaten raw with a few mild seasonings or simply added to hotpot dishes.
If you are staying at an Otaru hotel such as the Grand Park Otaru in the winter, be sure to ask the staff for a good restaurant to experience this dish!
This dish is a great example of fermentation in Japanese cuisine. This sticky dish is found on many menus and is loved and hated in equal measures. Typically, this dish is consumed over rice or mixed with sauces and spicy mustard.
This might not be the best way to introduce you to Basashi, or raw horse meat. This dish is a bit hard to swallow given the perceptions of many visitors to Japan when it comes to horses not being viewed as an animal that is typically consumed.
However, this dish is known for being healthier than beef due to its leanness and high protein content.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
