Ehime is famous for its beautiful scenery, lush greenery, and seaside views, but it’s also the perfect spot to sample some of the tastiest treats in Japan. Foodies who love a bit of history and nature with their travels will enjoy discovering the unique flavors of Ehime food and drink. While seafood dishes are popular in Ehime, the prefecture also is quite warm and offers some delicious citrus fruits to sample.
What to Expect When Eating Out In Japan
Visitors to Ehime should brush up on Japanese dining etiquette before eating out in the country. While Japan does host a variety of tourists, it is still a good idea for visitors to be polite and consider local traditions and expectations before going out to eat. Here are a few tips to help visitors enjoy their dining experiences while eating out in Ehime.
- Tipping is not required in Japan.
- Sometimes small dishes, which are called otoshi, are served before meals. These small dishes are considered a part of the meal and will be added to the final bill. This is especially common in bars.
- It is very important to never place chopsticks vertically in anything, as this is considered bad luck and impolite while dining.
- Slurping is considered polite in Japan, so while eating ramen or other soup dishes, visitors can slurp and enjoy.
- Visitors should use their chopsticks to eat soup, and sip directly from the bowl once all the solid ingredients have been enjoyed.
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Top Must-Eat Food And Drink In Ehime
When traveling in Ehime, visitors can expect to eat a lot of seafood. In particular, sea bream is very popular in the prefecture. Sea bream is a fish that is notable for its delicious flavor, and in Ehime, foodies can enjoy eating this fish in a variety of ways, including with rice, which is called tai-meshi, in burgers, and with somen noodles. Some regional recipes have even been passed down through generations, so visitors can enjoy the flavors of Ehime while appreciating a piece of local history. From citrus fruits to desserts, fish dishes, and more, here are a few of the top Ehime food and drink that tourists can expect to enjoy while visiting the area.
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Uwajima Taimeshi (Raw Red Snapper Rice)
Uwajima taimeshi is a dish that’s enjoyed locally in Uwajima, a town located along the coast in the southern part of Ehime. Uwajima taimeshi is a seafood dish that incorporates local ingredients into a sauce that’s warm and comforting. The name, “tai-meshi,” means sea bream and rice. In this dish, pieces of raw sea bream are dipped into a broth that consists of egg, seasoning, sake, mirin, dashi and soy sauce. Dashi is a soup stock that’s used as a base for a variety of dishes, including miso soup, Uwajima taimeshi, and others.
Once the fish and broth have been combined, they are then poured over a hot bowl of rice and enjoyed. There are other methods of cooking the soup stock, but the most important parts, which are the sea bream, egg, and serving the fish on top of rice, remain. Seafood is an important part of the local diet in Ehime, and travelers should expect to eat a lot of seafood dishes when they travel to the area.
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Matsuyama Taimeshi (Cooked Red Snapper Rice)
Tai, or sea bream, is a fish that is served in a variety of dishes in Ehime. One such dish is Matsuyama taimeshi, a seafood and rice dish that’s popular throughout the prefecture. Certain towns have different ways of serving taimeshi, and Matsuyama is no exception. In Matsuyama, whole sea bream is grilled and served uncut on top of rice that isn’t completely cooked. The rice is flavored with soy sauce, sake and salt. After the sea bream is added to the dish, it is cooked further and then served, often in a warm, earthenware pot. This is a briny and delicious dish that is very popular with locals and a comforting dish that is large enough for a group of six or more people to share.
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Ehime Citrus
Fans of tangerines, mandarins, or other citrus fruits will love Ehime as the region is known for being an excellent area to grow citrus fruits. There are about 40 varieties of citrus fruits in the region, like satsuma mandarins, iyokan, kara mandarins, and hassaku oranges. In other words, Ehime offers a lot of citruses to sample! The most famous citrus in the region is mikan, which is enjoyed throughout the year. This delicious fruit is tasty and has several flavors ranging from sweet to sour, depending on the variety of mikan, and it is eaten in several ways. During the colder months, mikan is roasted over a fire. During the warmer months, visitors should look for mikan-flavored ice cream or other iced dishes for a refreshing, cool treat that will help ward off the heat. Mikan also is delicious when peeled and eaten fresh.
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Jakoten
Another fish-based regional dish for Ehime is jakoten. Jakoten is made from small fish that are ground up into a paste, seasoned, shaped, and then deep-fried. When it is eaten, it’s generally served with soy sauce and shredded daikon radish. Jakoten is made from a type of fish called hotarujako, which is native to the area. This dish has been enjoyed since the Edo period, or the 17th century, and is still popular today. Jakoten is a tasty snack and also pairs well with alcoholic beverages, especially beer and sake. Visitors will find this dish in local bars and restaurants.
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Ehime Tarte
Ehime is famous for its citrus, and the succulent fruits are used in a variety of dishes. Famous to Ehime is the Ehime tarte or iyokan tarte. This wonderful confection is made of a soft, spongy cake that is rolled around a bean paste filling. The bean paste is flavored with local citrus fruits like iyokan or yuzu, giving the dessert its unique flavor. This dessert closely resembles a jelly roll and is a delicious treat that makes a nice gift.
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Imabari Chicken Skewers (Yakitori)
Imabari chicken skewers, or Imabari yakitori as it’s known locally, are cooked chicken pieces, minus the skewer. In Japan, yakitori is classified as chicken grilled and served on skewers so that it can be eaten on the go or while drinking and snacking at a bar. The convenient “finger food” makes it a favorite dish for fairs and other events. In Imabari, the grilling process is sped up by putting the chicken on a hotplate without skewers. The chicken is then covered and pressed to add heat. The result is a chicken style that is unique to Ehime. After the dish is cooked, the pieces of chicken are then eaten with chopsticks. Because of its unique cooking style, Imabari yakitori is crispier than skewered varieties and is a must-try snack when traveling in Ehime.
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Yawatahama Champon
Visitors to Ehime should make a point to sample Yawatahama champon, a delicious soup. Champon, which also is known as chanpon, is a regional dish made popular in Nagasaki, though there are different varieties throughout many parts of Asia. Traditionally, the dish is made with vegetables, pork, and seafood fried in lard. After the ingredients are fried, a soup made from pork bones, and sometimes chicken bones, is added to the dish. Special ramen noodles are then added and boiled directly in the soup, which is different from traditional ramen where the noodles are cooked outside of the soup and then added to the broth. Yawatahama champon is a regional take on traditional champon noodle dishes and is most popular in the Ehime city of Yawatahama. In this version, the broth is characterized by its bright, golden color. Rather than using pork bone broth, a broth of chicken, kelp, and bonito is used. Yawatahama champon is served with thick noodles, plenty of vegetables, and regional seafood toppings. This is comfort food for the area and makes for a delicious meal on cool days.
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