The Roots
Have you ever seen Osaka on the map? The Black Stream from the Pacific Ocean flows into the Osaka Bay and Seto Inland Sea. And the Osaka Plains spreads out in a fan-like form, surrounded by mountains. Its unique land features allowed goods from both sea and land to gather here, and that's how this area has become rich in products all the way back from the ancient times. For instance, Konbu or kelp that can only be gathered in Hokkaido or Touhoku was shipped to Osaka by the Kitamae-bune after the Edo period. This became an important ingredient to make soup stock which is the treasure of Osaka flavor. Usu-aji, deep but light tasting soup that blends with any kind of ingredient and is also beautiful to the eye was created. In this chapter we introduce the history and background of the food culture of Osaka.
