INDULGE IN A LOCAL FOODIE TRIP IN FUKUOKA
Fukuoka is a prefecture located on Kyushu island in the southern part of Japan. Since ancient times, Fukuoka has been a major trading hub in Asia, especially with China and Korea. This is why Fukuoka is called the Entrance of Asia. Throughout its history, Fukuoka has received a rich food culture and ingredients from many countries and regions. This prefecture is known as one of the best places to enjoy gastronomy in Japan. Puerta de Asia.
A lo largo de su historia, Fukuoka ha recibido una rica cultura culinaria e ingredientes de muchos países y regiones.
Esta prefectura es conocida como uno de los mejores lugares para disfrutar de la gastronomía en Japón.
A globally famous dish from Fukuoka is Tonkotsu ramen.
Este tipo de ramen utiliza huesos de cerdo para hacer el caldo, el cual se hierve por más de 10 horas.
El sabor del tonkotsu ramen varies greatly among restaurants and regions, even within the same prefecture. Since the level of competition is very high compared to other places in Japan, each restaurant tries its best to offer the best taste, keep its quality high, and also come up with unique concepts, which makes the ramen Fukuoka ramen is improving day by day. In addition, many ramen are open late into the night, as the Japanese love to go out to eat ramen. ramen after a party or going out drinking with their friends or co-workers.
Popular Ramen Style
Kurume Ramen (久留米ラーメン)
Kurume is the name of the city which is located south of Fukuoka Tonkotsu ramen originated in Kurume, and some restaurants still preserve the original light taste and semi-cloudy soup. However, Kurume ramen is now known for its strong taste, rich and white cloudy soup. This ramen uses thicker noodles than the other type mentioned below.
Hakata Ramen (博多ラーメン)
Hataka is the ward in the biggest city(Fukuoka city) in Kyushu island. Hakata ramen is the most famous type of Tonkotsu ramen in the world. It has popularized Tonkotsu ramen both in Japan and globally. This ramen features a white cloudy soup with super thin noodles. Customers can usually choose the noodle hardness from five options: very hard (barikata), hard (kata), normal (futuu), soft (yawa), and very soft (bariyawa). Some restaurants even offer harder noodles, (harigane), than very hard, (konaotoshi). It also has a Kaedama system “refill noodles”, allowing people to refill the noodles if they are still hungry.
The local recommended way is hard noodles with one refill noodle.
These days, many Tonkotsu ramen varieties do not follow the Kurume ramen or Hakata ramen genres. For example, the new generation of Tonkotsu ramen are gaining attention with their styles of creamy, assari (light taste), and kotteri (very rich and heavy) versions.
Popular Ramen restaurant
Akanoren (赤のれん）
This ramen restaurant is one of the first Hakata ramen and has over 70 years of history. The specialties of this place are super thin noodles, soup simmered for 16 hours with pork bones, and using special soy sauce.
Address: 2-6-4 Daimyo, Chuo ward, Fukuoka city, Fukuoka prefecture.
Hakata Ikkousha (博多一幸舎)
The new genre of Tonkotsu ramen, called “Awakei” (Foam style), sounds intriguing. The combination of the rich aroma of the soup and the harmonious blend of high-quality fat and water creates a unique culinary experience, resulting in a distinctive foam on the soup. This foam not only adds an interesting texture but also enhances the overall flavor profile of the ramen, making it an outstanding dish.
Address: 3-23-12 Hakataekimae, Hakata ward, Fukuoka city, Fukuoka prefecture.
Other popular dishes in Fukuoka
Motsunabe
Another famous dish in Fukuoka is Motsunabe (offal hot pot). The specialty of this hot pot is offal, which is made with beef or pork offal, Chinese chives, cabbage, and garlic. The soup is made from bonito, kelp, chicken bones, soy sauce, or miso, which are the basic elements that create the amazing taste of Motsunabe soup.
Yamanaka
This restaurant kept the traditional taste of soup from the beginning which blended several miso from kyushu. This style of soup makes a sweet, rich and full-bodied taste. In addition, they are focusing on detailed parts( japanese craftsmanship) such as the way to cut and choice of vegetable and freshness of the offal.
Address: 2-2-12 Mukaino, Minami ward, Fukuoka city, Fukuoka prefecture.
Fukuoka is not just about ramen. The stall food culture is also famous in Fukuoka. In Japan, drinking alcoholic beverages on the street or outside is allowed, so many people in Fukuoka visit stalls to drink which is unique to this area in Japan. The atmosphere is similar to that of stalls in Mexico. The food quality is on par with that of restaurants, and the stalls only open at night. They give us a menu, so we just order what we want and usually pay later. These stalls are located next to the river, which makes for an amazing atmosphere and great photos for social media. This is one way to enjoy the nightlife in Fukuoka.Fukuoka is the best place for a foodie trip. We will curate unique trips to experience not only touristic spots, but also local life and a secret way to enjoy the real Fukuoka.
By Yuki
