Hokkaido, known as a treasure trove of food, has a variety of local dishes that reflect the food culture associated with its climate and history. Here are 10 must-try local dishes recommended by Hokkaido residents!

Genghis Khan is a gourmet dish that represents Hokkaido. It is made by grilling lamb, mutton, and other mutton together with vegetables in a semicircular pot with a rise in the middle. There are two main types of Genghis Khan: one where raw meat is grilled and dipped in sauce, and one where seasoned meat marinated in a special sauce is grilled and then eaten. Many households have a Genghis Khan pot, and it is a local dish that has been loved by Hokkaido residents for a long time.

When you think of fried chicken in Hokkaido, you think of Zangi. Before frying, the chicken is marinated in a sweet and spicy soy sauce-based sauce, giving it a stronger flavor than regular fried chicken. It is said to have originated in Kushiro City, and has now spread throughout the prefecture, with the recipes for the marinade varying from restaurant to restaurant and home to home, adding to its depth. It is a highly popular dish that is versatile and can be used at izakayas, restaurants, and as a side dish in bento lunchboxes.

This dish is said to have originated in the fishing town of Ishikari, where salmon is topped with seasonal vegetables, wild plants, butter, and other ingredients and steamed with seasoned miso. Traditionally, it is grilled on a large iron plate, but at home it is often eaten cooked in foil on a hot plate or frying pan, and it is popular as a hearty and easy dish unique to Hokkaido, which has a long history with salmon.

This is also a fisherman's dish with salmon as the main ingredient. It was originally a hot pot dish that fishermen ate between work, and it is said to have started when they put chunks of salmon into a miso soup pot to celebrate a good catch of salmon. Nowadays, it is a standard hot pot dish that is enjoyed by ordinary households in the cold winter. Miso nabe, made by simmering raw salmon meat and bones together with vegetables, will warm you from the inside out.

Sanpei-jiru is a soup made by simmering salted and preserved salmon and herring with vegetables such as carrots and daikon radishes, making use of the saltiness of the fish. It is similar to Ishikari-nabe, which uses raw salmon seasoned with miso, but Sanpei-jiru is characterized by the use of salted salmon, and the fish and seasonings used vary depending on the region. It is a traditional dish that has been recorded as having been eaten for over 200 years.

Miso soup with crab is called "teppo-jiru" and has long been eaten as a fisherman's dish in the Nemuro region. Hanasaki crab caught in Nemuro is the mainstream, but hairy crab and red king crab are also used. The rich crab broth goes perfectly with miso soup, warming up a cold body. It is said that the name comes from the fact that the way people poke the crab legs with chopsticks and eat them resembles the gesture of cleaning a gun.

Salmon fishing is at its peak in September, when supermarkets and other stores stock a lot of salmon roe, and each household makes salmon roe pickled in soy sauce. It is often eaten as salmon roe rice bowls or sushi, and the crunchy texture is irresistible. The luxury of pouring glistening salmon roe pickled in soy sauce over freshly cooked rice is unique to Hokkaido. It is also recommended to add salmon sashimi or grilled salmon to make oyakodon.

Pig farming has been carried out in the Tokachi region since the end of the Meiji era, and pork has been a familiar food ingredient. It is said to have started in the early Showa era in Obihiro city, where pig farming was popular, when charcoal-grilled pork was served on rice with a sauce similar to that used for grilled eel, with the idea of creating a dish that was cheaper and more stamina-boosting than eel. People make their own sauce at home, and pork is a familiar dish, but there are many famous restaurants in the original city of Obihiro.

Due to the rice shortage during wartime, this dish was invented as a way to conserve rice by using squid, which was landed in large quantities in the southern Hokkaido region at the time, and is said to have started as a ekiben sold at Mori Station on the Hakodate Main Line. The squid body is stuffed with glutinous rice and cooked in a soy sauce-based broth, allowing the flavor of the squid to soak in, making this a dish that you can enjoy both the taste and texture. Although it is popular as an ekiben, it can also be easily made at home.

Ramen is now more of a national dish than a local dish, but in the cold climate of Hokkaido, it quickly became part of the food culture after the war. Each region has its own unique style, with "miso ramen" in Sapporo, "shoyu ramen" in Asahikawa, and "salt ramen" in Hakodate, and there are many famous ramen shops throughout the prefecture that wow ramen connoisseurs. Ramen is registered as a "Hokkaido Heritage" and is an inseparable soul food for the people of Hokkaido.

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