Ingredients
The domestic food center
Before the Miyako (capital) was built in Nara, there was a time when the capital was in "Naniwa no Miya (the ancient capital of Naniwa)" which is the present Osaka. Because of the advanced water transportation using the sea and river, it has been the center of distribution of goods and cultural exchange from the ancient times. As goods gathered, "markets" were born where the goods were sold and spread through the general public. Osaka remained as the gateway to sea transportation, even after the capital moved to Nara and Kyoto.
After the Ishiyama Honganji became the primary cathedral in 1532, approximately 10 thousand people lived within the temple, and as people gathered, trading of food and everyday items became active. Osaka became an even larger city with vitality and the population increased even more after Toyotomi Hideyoshi constructed the Osaka Castle. It was during these days when seafood, vegetables and dried food were brought to Osaka through the waterways;river-transportation were used by nearby cities such as Settsu, Kawachi, Izumi, Yamato and Yamashiro, and sea-transportation was used by faraway cities such as Awa, Harima, Bizen, Bichu, Bigo, Iyo and Sanuki.
And in the Edo period, the Kitamae-bune brought many goods to Osaka as well. Paper, fabric, silk, wood, charcoal, tatami straw, Japanese wax, blubber oil, lacquer, fude (brush), Buddhist ritual articles, pottery and etc. The list is endless. So let's just stick to food. Rice, glutinous rice, soybeans, azuki, rapeseed, sesame, salt, sugar, raw fish, bonito flakes, vegetables, fruits, shiitake mushrooms, konbu, broiled tea, dried sardines etc, and we haven't even gotten into details yet! According to the "Osaka Hennen-shi (chronicle)", in 1714, the products brought into Osaka added up to a total of 286,561kan 411momen (approx.1,060,277 kg) in sliver (that was used in commercial trading) and that would amount to 4,093,734 ryou 1 bun-gin 13 momen 5 bun in gold. All mixed up? To give you an idea, back in those days it cost about 2,471 yen for 10kg of rice. Converting that with the price of rice nowadays, 1 ryou would be 42 thousand yen,leaving the details of the calculation up to you, let's just say that an 'enormous' amount of goods were gathered in Osaka. And transportation of goods is still rapid in Osaka.
Fresh vegetables made nearby
A young chef that is attracting attention these days in Osaka is Fujiwara Tetsuya. His dishes have originality and are very unique. His ideas come from hard training in Italy and Spain. He currently works at "Fujiya 1935" in Chuo-ku, Osaka. According to him "when you are looking for good ingredients, you discover that what you are looking for is vegetables made in Osaka". What's so special about the vegetables in Osaka? Why don't we find out.
Well, Osaka is the largest producer of Shungiku (garland chrysanthemums) and Tade (one of the Japanese-style seasonings added to vinegar, along with green tea. The mixture is used when eating ayu broiled with salt). And in close range we can get ingredients such as Brussels sprouts, Japanese butterbur, mitsuba honewort, daikon radish, Chinese cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach, egg plants, edamame, horse bean, shirona, potherb mustard, onions, leek, aroid, carrots, lotus roots and etc. Just imagine all these ingredients are freshly cooked and served. The richness and freshness makes the food taste even better.
Naturally, the vegetables that are made in a certain area use the land's nourishment and water to grow. That is why it is best cooked when the same water is used. So if you're eating in Osaka, better try dishes that are made from nature's blessings in Osaka.
*Take a break - duck, leek and Namba
Roasted duck is best in winter. Juicy, red roasted duck has the aroma and sweetness that you just can't resist. One of the best vegetables that go with roasted duck is leek. Namba, a well-known downtown area in Minami (southern) Osaka, used to be a production area of leek. That is why leek used to be called "Namba" in Osaka (unfortunately, not many people know this fact these days.). The combination of roasted duck (kamo) and leek is called "Kamo-namba". "Kamo-namban" which is generally used today comes from the fact that "Namban-ryouri" (meat dishes that originally comes from Portugal) used leek and other pot herb when cooking roasted duck. "Kamo-namba" and "Kamo-namban" are words that have different origins, but have similar meanings; expressing the combination of roasted duck and leek. By the way, Osaka is one of the largest producers of roasted duck.
Traditional vegetables of Naniwa
Recently we often find vegetables being sold in Osaka that are labeled "Naniwa no Dentou Yasai (traditional vegetables of Naniwa)". Professor Morishita Masahiro is a professor in agriculture and has devoted his efforts in the reproduction of traditional vegetables. He says, "Way back from the ancient times, many ships have come and gone from Osaka. Not just domestic vessels but also from the Asian countries as well as the Korean Peninsula. It's quite natural to think that these ships brought various seeds to Japan." Actually many of the vegetables that are produced in Japan are originally from foreign countries and there are only a few that are a Japanese origin. So over the years, foreign-based vegetables that were originally introduced to Osaka became a part of the Osaka vegetables family. Unfortunately, after the Meiji period (1868-1912), producers shifted from the traditional vegetables to western vegetables and eventually the traditional vegetables became scarce.
About 20 years ago, a chef in Osaka decided to go out on a journey to study the roots of "the flavor of Osaka"and visited producers in the area. Ueno Shuzou, the previous master of Kappou (Japanese-style restaurant) "Kigawa" in Houzenji-yokocho is that chef. During his journey, he met a farmer who introduced him to "vegetables that were made from long ago". This was his first contact with "Naniwa Yasai". Later, people who agreed to his urge to preserve and reproduce the traditional vegetables gathered and organized a committee called "Naniwa no Gyosai o Mamoru-kai (the present Naniwa Gyosai no Kai)". The group continues to introduce the beauty of "Naniwa no Yasai".
16 items including Tanabe daikon, Tennoji kabura (turnip), Kotsuma nankin (pumpkin), kuwai (arrowhead) made in Suita were reproduced with its natural sweetness, bitterness and spiciness that vegetables used to have. Nowadays, you can find them in shops and restaurants as well. There are three terms to clear to be labeled as "Naniwa Yasai" : 1) It has been produced in Osaka for over 100 years, 2) The origin of the plant or seed must be clear, it must have a variety that is Osaka's original and plant or seeds must be obtainable for production 3) It must be produced within Osaka prefecture. A vegetable that fits all three terms will be approved as "Naniwa no Dentou Yasai" by the Osaka Prefectual Government. These vegetables need extra care against insects and rapid change in temperature because they are very delicate. The producers put in a lot of effort to preserve the "flavor of Osaka".
*Take a break - zakuzaku, paripari?
In Osaka, you can find a dish called "Zaku-zaku". A big white cucumber is cut into 4cm rectangular strips. Lightly broiled usu-age which is lightly-browned and crispy is also cut into rectangular strips. A mixture of white sesame, white miso and sugar is mixed with the cucumber and usu-age. And there you have it! "Zaku-zaku" expresses the crunchiness when you are biting. This dish is even better when made with Kema cucumber that has a strong bitterness which matches with the sweetness of the miso.
Then what is "Hari-hari"? It is Mizuna (potherb mustard) that is very lightly boiled. Just slightly boiling it allows the Mizuna to be close to raw, so you can enjoy the crispiness. The crispiness is referred to being "pari-pari" in Japanese and that is the origin of the name - "Hari-hari". Mizuna cooked with whale meat in usukuchi soy sauce and dashi is called "Kujira no Hari-hari Nabe". Recently it has become difficult to buy whale meat, so it may also be good with duck as well.
Endless list of fishes from nearby waters
Imai Kouji, an expert in fishing says "there are lots of good fish that you can eat in the waters around Osaka". He used to be the chief editor of a magazine specializing in fishing and naturally loves to fish anywhere around the world. All year round whether it is offshore fishing or surf fishing, he says there are all kinds of fish in the waters of the Kansai area. There are different types of waters; Kuroshio that flows in from the Pacific Ocean from the Okayama area to the Osaka Bay, the gentle waters of the Osaka Bay and the rapid flow of the current in the Seto Inland Sea. Different types of water mean that there are different types of fish too. "For example, the Kishyu-suidou. Isaki (grunt) can be caught from the Wakayama area to the Pacific Ocean. You can also fish bonito, tuna, yellow tail, Japanese horse mackerel, chub mackerel, Japanese Spanish mackerel, shrimp, sea-bream, rockfish, Japanese flounder, flounder, and whitebait in this area. You can fish a kind that is similar to herring, sardine, Japanese horse mackerel, chub mackerel, flounder, conger, Japanese seaperch, shrimp, tridacna, octopus and squid in the Osaka Bay. The area from Osaka Bay to the Hyogo prefecture which is the beginning of the Seto Inland Sea is where the current is rapid. In this area are the famous octopus of Akashi, common Japanese conger of Awaji, cutlass fish, conger, black rockfish, Japanese seaperch, Japanese Spanish mackerel, sardine, sea-bream and etc." An endless list of fish. When each fish is in season, they are cooked and enjoyed in Osaka.
Good food at good markets
Where to go for a variety of food? Where else but the market. Take a look around the market filled with a live, active atmosphere selling a wide variety of foods.
Tenma Aomono Market
First we would like to introduce the Tenma Aomono Market. It has a long history, way back to the Edo period when it built a vegetable market along the Ookawa River by the orders of the shogunate. There were about 300 or 400 shops within the market. On the 9th floor of the Osaka Museum of History you can see paintings of what it was like in those days - people unloading goods from boats, people carrying the goods, merchants selling products to customers, people carrying a heavy load of vegetables on a balance scale and etc. There are just so many people and so many goods. All the people in the picture are so busy; there is not a single person who is just standing still. Eventually, fish shops started lining up from the Ookawa River to the gates of the Tenmangu Shrine and the landscape was as the words describe - Tenka no daidokoro, the country's kitchen. It is said that the Miyamae-daikon was sold right in front of the gates of the Tenmangu Shrine. Today, a monument of the Tenma Aomono Market stands in the Nishi-tenma Park. If you have a chance to visit and see the place for yourself, you can imagine how large the market was.
The present "Tenma Market" is located close to the Tenma station of the JR Kanjyou line, where nearly 50 shops are lined up. It has been providing ingredients to the kitchens of Osaka from 1949. Not only vegetable shops but fish, meat and other shops are lined up and waiting for you.
"Zakoba Fish Market" and "Utsubo Seafood Market" and others
The "Zakoba Fish Market" was located in Nishi-semba. It was very popular and sold fish from Izumi, Harima, Kii, Awaji and from ports far away such as Nagato, Shikoku and Kyushuu. The present area where Utsubo Park is located was called Utsubo which had the country's largest seafood market selling salty-dried fish, bonito flakes, konbu and other dried food. As the population increased, markets opened in Namba and Kizu as well. These markets later became the "Osaka Municipal Central Wholesales Market" and "Kizu Wholesales Market". Both markets still stand today, with busy shoppers from very early in the morning.
A sushi shop called "Endo" used to be in the Zakoba market but now it is serving customers in the Central Wholesales Market. A special feature of this shop is that the rice of the sushi is slightly warm. The sushi here is quickly made so that the rice won't turn cold and the busy merchants can have a quick bite.
"Kuromon Ichiba"
The market is especially crowded when people start their end-of-the-year shopping. It was originally opened by the black gate of Enmyo-ji temple in Nippombashi until the late Meiji period (1868-1912). The very beginning is said to be in 1855 when fish merchants started selling their products 'in front of the black gate as a market' - and that's how the market got its name, "Kuromon Ichiba".
There is a restaurant called "Fugu", specializing in fugu (blowfish) dishes that Osaka loves, vegetables shops that sell traditional vegetables and shops that sell osouzai (cooked food) and lots more. Even chefs come to shop here.
"Tsuruhashi Market"
Osaka was all burnt down when the war ended in 1945. And the first place to rebuild itself was this market; the Tsuruhashi Market. Shops selling various products were opened using the open space under railways. Today, six markets have combined making this market huge with more than 1,000 shops. It hasn't lost its active atmosphere when it was first opened. Not only do they have fresh produce and dried food, but what makes this market so special is the special Korean food ingredients they have. In the area referred to as Korean town, you can enjoy kimchi and yakiniku as if you were in Korea. People come from Kyoto and Hyogo just to shop here.
"Osaka Municipal Central Wholesales Market"
In 1931, the vegetable, fish and dried food market that was in business from the Edo period was unified to become an enormous market. The Osaka Municipal Central Wholesales Market that is now located in Fukushima. 300 thousand square meters of land is where the market is opened selling not only domestic products but products from around the world as well. Sweet potato from Kyushu, cabbage from Shinshu, mango from Thailand, lemon from the U.S., fugu from Shimonoseki, scallops from Hokkaido, tuna from Africa and salmon from northern Europe are sold during the early morning auctions. It may give you an idea of what the markets in Tenma and Zakoba used to be like in the Edo period.
