Hokkaido's "food common sense" is a hot topic. A post by a Hokkaido native, surprised at the chawanmushi he ate in Tokyo, "There's no chestnut in it!?", has been gaining attention. It turns out that "chicken-filled chawanmushi," which is commonplace for Hokkaido residents, is actually a food culture unique to the region.

For people in Hokkaido, sweet chawanmushi is a given. It often contains chestnuts and lily bulbs, but in Tokyo, they are not included...! It turns out that this is a food culture unique to Hokkaido and parts of Tohoku, and this post has garnered around 4,000 likes, with comments such as "There's no chestnut in it?", "How nostalgic," and "I thought it was normal."

Not just chestnuts in chawanmushi! Red rice with sweetened azuki beans!

The person who posted this topic is Wild Yomehan, a member of the Sugichan family known for their catchphrases "It's wild" and "It's wild, isn't it?", who often appears on TV as the "all-you-can-eat guy." As Wild Yomehan is originally from Hokkaido, this "Hokkaido thing" didn't end with chawanmushi, but instead moved on to talk about red rice.

Red rice is usually made with azuki beans, but in Hokkaido, it's common to find red rice with azuki beans. It's delicious when sprinkled with sesame salt. This post also received comments such as, "What, azuki beans?" and "I can't eat red rice that isn't sweet..."

Chawanmushi with chestnuts and red rice with sweetened azuki beans have both been popular in Hokkaido for a long time. If you have never tried them, be sure to give them a try when you visit Hokkaido.