Okinawa, a treasure trove of food. Introducing menus made by local creators using island ingredients

Island vegetables are "medicine for life." The Okinawan culture of food as medicine

<Monday Dinner>

The menu for this day was made with plenty of island vegetables that are ripe in early summer. Agu pork, which has been lovingly raised at Canaan Slow Farm, was steamed together with plenty of vegetables. You can enjoy the sweetness of the pork that melts in your mouth and the lively, wild taste of the island vegetables in a luxurious way.

・Steamed Agu pork and vegetables

The vegetables used are sakuna, shibiran, morning glory, fennel, and shimeji mushrooms. Sakuna is also called Chomigusa (long life grass) and shibiran is also called Ganjuna (hardy vegetable), and both are highly nutritious vegetables. Fennel is also called Ichoba (stomach leaf) and is a traditional island vegetable that has been used in Okinawa since ancient times to keep the stomach and intestines healthy. It is also often used as a herb in Western cuisine. The ingredients are from Yanbaru (a general term for the naturally rich area in the northern part of Okinawa's main island).

·bitter leaf and tofu salad

Nigana is a leafy vegetable that has been used to prevent colds since the Ryukyu Dynasty, and is commonly cooked in a way called "shira-ae," where it is mixed with drained island tofu. This makes the bitterness milder and makes it easier to eat. On this day, I added a little homemade bonito flakes and sesame oil.

・Pickled chayote

Chayote is a vegetable of the Cucurbitaceae family that is mainly grown in the tropics. Many Okinawan dishes use vegetables of the Cucurbitaceae family, such as bitter melon (goya), loofah (nabera), red hairy melon (mowi), and winter melon (shibui), which are traditional island vegetables that have been eaten since before the war.

The idea that "food is medicine" has been deeply rooted in Okinawa since ancient times, and a healthy food culture has been cultivated to the extent that food and ingredients are called "nuchigusui" (medicine for life). In areas where traditional food culture remains, the idea of "medicinal cuisine" has permeated folk medicine, and wild plants and herbs are incorporated into cooking and tea. Despite having a climate with high humidity throughout the year that makes it easy to get sick, it is believed that Okinawa has been able to continue to be one of Japan's leading "longevity prefectures" thanks to the support of this food culture.

Okinawan pork: "You eat everything except the sound"

<Tuesday Dinner>

On Monday I steamed pork with vegetables, but today I sautéed it. The key is the preparation. If you ferment ginger and lemon with brown sugar, chop them finely, and rub them into the pork neck, the meat will become soft. Leave it for a day, sprinkle a pinch of salt on it, and grill it to make a simple side dish.

・Grilled enzyme-marinated pork neck

Neck meat is a part of the pig that is generally known as "pork fatty tuna." In Okinawa, it is a popular cut that can be bought at local supermarkets. The fat that melts from the grilled neck meat is transferred to another container and frozen, and used carefully as lard. The sweetness of neck meat goes very well with the island vegetable, bittern.

In Okinawa, it is said that "everything about the pig is eaten except for the sound it makes." This is an interesting phrase that shows how the pig has been eaten with great care since the food shortages after the war. Even in ordinary supermarkets, the shelves are filled with parts of the pig that you would never see in Tokyo, such as "nakami (innards)," "tebichi (pig's feet)," "ears (mimiga)," "pork belly with skin," and "pork bones for soup stock."

Fish and vegetables are locally produced and consumed. The richness of living close to producers

<Wednesday Dinner>

Since I had oily dishes for dinner on the first and second days, I decided to have something lighter, sashimi on this day. The sashimi was "Shibimaguro" caught in Okinawa. In Honshu, Shibimaguro refers to large bluefin tuna, but in Okinawa, it refers to young yellowfin tuna. In my house, we use soy sauce with lemon squeezed on top and koregusu added as the dipping sauce for sashimi.

Koregusu, made by soaking chili peppers in awamori, is a common seasoning in Okinawan households. It adds a mellow yet refreshing spiciness, so it's useful when you want to add an accent to your flavor. It's convenient because it goes well with stir-fries, soups, pasta, porridge, and more.

In my home, we use almost all vegetables, meat, eggs, salt, sugar, miso, soy sauce, and cooking sake that are produced in Okinawa. There is a saying that goes "fruits of the sea" and "fruits of the mountains," but being able to get our daily food from Okinawa is one of the joys of living in Okinawa. Being able to enjoy local produce in close proximity to the producers is a very luxurious diet that allows you to feel the four seasons through your taste buds.

Taste the powerful island vegetables packed with the bounty of the earth

＜Thursday Dinner＞

Okinawan vegetables are constantly exposed to harsh conditions, including high temperatures and salt damage caused by typhoons and sea breezes. As a result, they have developed a strong vitality and contain highly functional ingredients and antioxidant properties. In addition, many of the vegetables are varieties that are close to original and ancient species, and are characterized by a lush, rustic flavor.

・Salted island scallions

Dinner on the fourth day was centered around these island vegetables. We washed the muddy island scallions thoroughly, cut off the leaves (we chop up the leaves and soak them in soy sauce), peeled the skin, and rubbed them with salt. It's a fun dish with a slight spiciness and a crunchy texture. It's a simple cooking method, but the strong vegetable flavor makes it very delicious on its own.

・Pickled sesame seeds

Handama is a leafy vegetable with a distinctive appearance, with the leaves green on the front and purple on the back. The purple is the color of polyphenols, and when pickled, the dipping sauce turns red, which is very beautiful. Coriander is the Western name for cilantro. Herb cultivation is also popular in Okinawa, and in particular, Nanjo City, where we live, encourages the development of processed and cooked products using herbs.

・Boiled snaba

Nsnaba is an island vegetable that was introduced to Okinawa from Southern Europe via China. When I first heard of it, I was very surprised that it started with "n". The leaves are large and the stems are sturdy, and they soak up the broth well, so I recommend boiling them in oitashi. The strong green flavor and crunchy texture remind me of Okinawan nozawana. I had it with ichoba (fennel) tea.

A breakfast of yeast bread baked with Okinawan wheat and island bananas

<Friday Breakfast>

The last thing I'd like to introduce is a weekend breakfast. The bread is homemade, baked using whole wheat flour grown on the remote island of Iejima. It's flavorful and filling, and the more you chew it, the tastier it becomes. The island bananas are sauteed in olive oil. The heat enhances the sweetness.

The recipes I have introduced are personal, from my daily meals, but I would be very happy if they have sparked at least a little interest in Okinawa's ingredients and food culture. Sightseeing in Okinawa is great, but if you love cooking, why not book a place to stay with a kitchen and take your time to explore the farm shops and supermarkets while enjoying the taste of Okinawa?