Iwate

  • Wanko Soba

    Iwate specialty all-you-can-eat soba served in succession in small bowls.

    Traditional soba quick-eating style cherished in Morioka and Hanamaki. Servers continuously add soba with 'Hai, jan-jan' calls until customers are full. Origins vary from theories of sharing meager food during Edo-period famine to hosting feudal lords. Condiments include chopped scallions, minced chicken, grated yam, finishing with soba broth. Tournaments also held for record-breaking competitions.

  • Morioka Cold Noodles

    Cold noodles with chewy semi-transparent noodles and beef bone soup.

    Morioka specialty uniquely evolved from Korean Peninsula cold noodles. Strong elastic noodles mainly from potato starch, with rich beef bone and chicken broth. Toppings include kimchi, boiled egg, thin-sliced char siu, and seasonal fruit. Local custom cuts noodles to preferred length with scissors to enjoy chewiness.

  • Morioka Jajamen

    Soupless noodles mixing sweet-savory meat miso with flat noodles.

    Wide udon-like noodles mixed with cucumber, scallion, ginger, and meat miso. Adjust flavor with vinegar and chili oil, finish with egg-dissolved soup 'chi-tantan' in local style.

  • Maesawa Beef Steak

    Brand Japanese Black cattle praised for marbling and sweet fat.

    Japanese Black cattle raised under strict standards in Oshu City's Maesawa area. Fine marbling with melting texture. Available as steaks and sukiyaki, with direct sales offering meat and processed products.

  • Hittsumi Soup

    Local hot pot with hand-torn wheat dumplings and vegetables.

    Home-style soup beloved in Kitakami and Hanamaki areas. Wheat flour dough 'pinched' by hand into pieces, simmered in chicken dashi or soy sauce soup with root vegetables. Chewy texture and simple flavor welcome in winter.