1. Eating ramen salad as if it were chilled Chinese noodles

Ramen salad" is a local food popular in Hokkaido's izakayas (Japanese style pubs) and karaoke parlors. What makes ramen salad different from chilled ramen is that the ingredients on top are salad ingredients such as cabbage and steamed chicken. The sauce is usually soy sauce-based like chilled ramen or sesame dressing-based.

In Hokkaido, where many people like ramen, it is also a menu item served at home, much like okonomiyaki in the Kansai region. Ramen salad and rice...such a combination of carbohydrate menus is also a common sight in Hokkaido households.

2. Pioneer of the energy drink "guarana

It looks like cola, but it is not. Guarana" is loved by Hokkaido-area residents. Originally, this beverage was introduced to the market to compete with the spread of cola in Japan. When the cola boom was taking place in the past, the guarana boom was taking place in Hokkaido, and so it spread before cola. In the past, guarana was also consumed as a nourishing drink in its home country of Brazil, where it is now referred to as an energy drink. Even today, many people drink guarana when they are a little tired or need to refresh themselves.

3. You can't get enough of its sweet-savory taste! French dog from East Hokkaido

American dogs can be found at festival fairs and convenience stores. Although the word "American" is used, it is a Japanese word that is not understood in the U.S. The crispy, slightly sweet batter and sausage are a perfect match. The crispy, slightly sweet batter and sausage are a perfect match, but in many regions, it is served with ketchup or mustard. However, in East Hokkaido, French dog is the most common type of dog, not American dog. Ketchup and mustard flavors are of course available, but the main characteristic is that it is sugar flavored.

The reason for this is that East Hokkaido is a region where beet, the raw material for sugar, is harvested. It is said that sugar became popular because it is readily available. In addition, because fish is also abundantly available, the sausage inside is also characterized by the use of fish meat sausage. It is a luxurious hot snack that people in Doto nod their heads and say "kore-kore" to.

4. There are two kinds of sekihan in Hokkaido

In Hokkaido, there are two types of sekihan: azuki (red bean paste) and amanatto (sweet soybean paste). Compared to the common azuki red rice, ama-natto red rice has a gorgeous pink color and is like a sweet candy. The taste is enhanced when sesame salt is sprinkled on the rice, giving it a different appeal from azuki red rice.

This ama-natto sekihan was born from what is now called a shortcut recipe. Furthermore, the sweetness of the ama-natto may have won the hearts of Hokkaido-area residents. It is now so popular that it is sold two side by side in convenience stores.

5. I like surimi too much.

Hokkaido's abundance of seafood is not limited to delicacies. Because of Hokkaido's abundant harvest of white fish with no peculiar characteristics, such as cod, there is a very wide variety of fish paste, such as kamaboko. The fish paste used to make these products is often sold raw, not steamed.

Because it is a white fish, it is also sold mixed with ingredients such as hijiki, shrimp, and crab. It is a transformable soul food that can be added to miso soup or made into deep-fried fish paste, and the fish broth is irresistible.

6. Hokkaido's ozoni, which tastes too different at home

Many people in Hokkaido have moved here from various regions, and because of this, there is no standard "zoni" as in Honshu (mainland Japan). In the case of the author alone, when asked about his roots, his father's side is from Tohoku and his mother's side is from Shikoku. So I looked forward to ozoni when I visited my grandparents' house. Depending on the family, it may be miso-based or white dashi-based.

When I visit my friend's house in winter, I sometimes encounter ozoni for the first time, and I often don't realize that they are the same dish because of the difference.

7. Hot water from a cup of yakisoba is usually used to make soup.

Yakisoba in a cup is easy to eat. Toyo Suisan's "Yakisoba bento" is famous in Hokkaido. Yakisoba bento is characterized by the fact that the hot water is used as hot water for the accompanying Chinese soup when it is drained. It is loved by Hokkaido-area residents for the little bit of extra value that comes with not only the yakisoba but also the soup.

Hokkaido people are aware that "hot water for draining water = hot water for soup," so Hokkaido people feel a little guilty about throwing away hot water as it is... There are many other cup yakisoba available, but there are still many people who say, "Yakiben! There are many other cup yakisoba available, but there are many people who say, "Yakiben after all!

8. Too many kinds of fish delicacies

Speaking of alcoholic beverages, delicacies are a must. Hokkaido has an abundance of seafood delicacies. Fish delicacies alone include cod, kankai, salmon toba, hokke and flounder, and were once eaten as a snack for children. They are excellent when dipped in mayonnaise with a dash of flavor or a dash of soy sauce!

Especially in winter, when relatives get together, they ask adults to peel them for them, or children struggle with the hard delicacy together. It is also characterized by the fact that the fish is simply dried and tastes only salty.

Hokkaido's food is full of wisdom and ingenuity!

Hokkaido's gourmet foods are filled with the wisdom of the people of the past, and many are a hybrid of the flavors of their hometowns with the tastes of Hokkaido. All of the gourmet foods introduced here are all familiar to people in Hokkaido. Whenever I am tired, I want to drink a gulp of guarana, which I feel an irresistible urge to drink, and get through the day with full of energy.