June itinerary in Japan Day 2 (Kyoto Meal edition)
(Thursday, June 9)
Table of contents
2. Seppourai Kyoto Station Building Store
1. Soba Restaurant Aoi
For my first lunch in Kyoto, I had hamo (conger pike) somen (Yen 1,380 ) at “Soba Restaurant Aoi” located in the Kintetsu Mall Miyakomimichi in Kyoto Station. I chose the somen despite the fact that it is a soba noodle restaurant because it has Hamo no Yubiki (parboiled conger pike) on top of the somen.
Hamo (conger pike) cuisine is famous for Kyoto in summer. It has been selected as one of the “Our Regional Cuisines” by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan as “grilled hamo”. Although grilled hamo has been selected as one of “Our Regional Cuisines”, I definitely Hamo no Yubiki (parboiled conger pike) as my favorite hamo dish. I think the contrast between the white parboiled hamo and the red plum sauce is a great contrast and looks very nice. There are not many white and red dishes other than parboiled hamo, which is why it makes parboiled hamo stand out against other dishes. The hamo no somen was also a very beautifully colored dish and tasted very good. I think it is the perfect cool looking dish for the hot Kyoto summer.
I have long wondered why hamo (conger pike), which is caught mainly in the Seto Inland Sea, is so famous as a hamo dish in Kyoto. So I looked into the reasons why hamo dishes are a Kyoto specialty.
The Gion Festival, held in July, is called the Hamo Festival. Hamo (conger pike) are in season from June to July, when they are spawning. The hamo season coincides with the Gion Festival, and the hamo were used to entertain visitors with hamo dishes, hence the name “Hamo Festival”.
In addition, Kyoto, which was the capital of Japan, had fish peddlers who brought fish from Osaka and Hyogo prefectures. Because of its strong vitality, hamo was one of the few fish that could be brought to Kyoto even in the summer, when the fish tended to be damaged (rot easily). Also, because hamo belongs to the order of eels, it is rich in vitamins B12 and D, which, like eels, help prevent summer heat fatigue. For these reasons, Kyoto people began the custom of eating hamo in summer.
The reason why people outside of Kyoto do not eat hamo is because it is difficult to cut the hamo bones. Hamo need to be “bone-cutting” in order to be eaten because they have many small, hard bones. Since this “bone-cutting” requires a great deal of skill, there are few chefs outside of Kyoto, where hamo cuisine is popular, who can perform this task.
The catch of eel is decreasing every year and the price of eel is soaring. If the price of eel continues to rise, more and more cooks will learn to “bone-cutting” and people outside of Kyoto may end up eating hamo instead of eel.
2. Seppourai Kyoto Station Building Store
We had dinner at “Seppourai” in Kyoto Station Building. I interviewed for a part-time job from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and then we had dinner together at “Seppourai”. The word “Seppourai” means “do not reject anyone who comes to the restaurant”.
“Seppourai” is a restaurant serving Kyo-yasai (Kyoto vegetables). Despite its very convenient location, we were very satisfied with the affordable prices and delicious food.
I ordered “Kamo eggplant and beef grilled in soy sauce,” “grilled Manganji pepper,” “Yuba roll with Kyoto vegetables and shrimp,” “Kyoto yuba spring roll,” “Kyoto nama-fu dengaku,” “Hamo no otoshi,” “Lotus root and shrimp kakiage,” “Cold shabu-shabu salad with Japanese black beef” and “Suzuki (sea bass) carpaccio”.
The Kyoto Prefectural Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries defines “Kyoto Traditional Vegetables” as (1) those introduced before the Meiji era, (2) covering all of Kyoto Prefecture, (3) including bamboo shoots, (4) excluding mushrooms and ferns, and (5) including those grown or preserved and extinct varieties. It also defines “Kyoto brand products” as (1) having an image that is uniquely Kyoto, (2) other than (1), needing to expand sales, and (3) having the following requirements (ensuring an appropriate quantity as a shipping unit, uniform quality and standard, and having an element of superiority and originality over other production areas).
There are 13 varieties that meet the criteria for both “Kyoto Traditional Vegetables” and “Kyoto Brand Products”. Specifically, they are Kyo mizuna (potherb mustard), Kyo mibuna (variety of wild mustard), Kujo leeks, Kyo bamboo shoots, Kamo eggplant, Fushimi pepper, Kyo Yamashina eggplant, Shishigatani pumpkin, ebi-imo (shrimp-shaped taro), Horikawa burdock, Shogoin turnip, Shogoin radish, and kuwai (arrowhead). Manganji pepper is included in the “Kyoto Brand Products,” but not in the “Kyoto Traditional Vegetables”. However, together with hana-na (bud of the rapeseed) and takagamine pepper, they are considered to be “similar to Kyoto traditional vegetables”.
Kamo eggplant has been selected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as one of the “100 selections of local dishes” and “Our Regional Cuisines” as “Kamo eggplant dengaku”. It can be said that Kamo eggplant is the most famous Kyoto vegetable. This time, I ate it not as dengaku but as “Kamo eggplant and beef grilled in soy sauce”. It was my first experience to eat Kamo eggplant with beef, but it was a very delicious dish.
Manganji peppers are said to have been created by crossing Fushimi peppers with California peppers in the Manganji district of Maizuru City, Kyoto Prefecture, between the late Taisho and early Showa periods. It is characterized by its thick flesh and volume, and despite being a pepper, it is not pungent. The grilled Manganji pepper are also very tasty.
“Yuba” and “nama-fu” are often used in vegetarian cooking. “Yuba” is the thin skin that forms on the surface of heated soy milk. “Nama-fu” is wheat gluten mixed with rice flour and steamed in large blocks. They can be considered local dishes in Kyoto, where there are many Buddhist temples. “Yuba” is said to have been brought back from Tang China by Saicho during the Heian period (794-1192), about 1,200 years ago. On the other hand, the production of fu is said to have been introduced by Zen monks from Ming Dynasty China in the early Muromachi Period (1336-1573). Both of these ingredients were related to Buddhism from the beginning.
“Hamo no otoshi” is a dish made by dipping a hamo (conger pike) in boiling water. I had it for lunch with somen noodles, and I ordered it for dinner as well.
The dishes I ordered this time, “Lotus root and shrimp kakiage,” “Cold shabu-shabu salad with Japanese black beef” and “Suzuki (sea bass) carpaccio” are not Kyoto dishes. I ordered them because they looked delicious, and all three dishes were very tasty.
Note: Transportation departure and arrival times, fares, entrance fees, and meal prices listed in the text are current at the time of BLOG writing. They are subject to change in the future, so please check them yourself when you travel.