Hokkaido Official Tourism Site HOKKAIDO LOVE!

Soup curry, which is popular worldwide, originated in Sapporo. It began in 1971 when a café called "Ajanta" added it to their menu as "medicinal curry." In the 1990s, a specialty store called "Magic Spice" marketed it as "soup curry," and the name stuck. Now, there are over 200 specialty stores in Sapporo alone, each offering their own unique take on soup curry.

Soup curry is characterized by its thin, soup-like consistency and large ingredients. Many restaurants allow you to choose the level of spiciness, so even those who are not fond of spicy food can enjoy it. The curry and rice are served separately, which might be confusing at first, but the usual way to eat it is to put some rice on your spoon and dip it into the soup.

The base broth, thickness, and ingredients vary from shop to shop. Once you get hooked, it's hard to escape the deep "soup curry swamp." Why not experience it in its birthplace, Sapporo?

Alongside ramen and jingisukan, zangi is a soul food beloved by the people of Hokkaido. It's a type of fried chicken, commonly found in bento boxes and izakayas. Zangi is marinated in a rich blend of soy sauce, ginger, and garlic before being fried to a crispy exterior and juicy interior. Some places even offer variations like "octopus zangi" and "salmon zangi."

Zangi is said to have originated in 1960 at the yakitori restaurant "Torimatsu" in Kushiro City. At this restaurant, zangi is made by cutting chicken with the bone into chunks, marinating it with salt, ginger, and egg, coating it with flour, and then frying it. The version made with boneless chicken thighs is called "boneless zangi." At Torimatsu, it is traditionally eaten with a tangy special sauce based on Worcestershire sauce.

In neighboring Kushiro Town, the restaurant "Nanbantei" is known for its "zantare," which is zangi topped with a sweet and spicy sauce. The sauce complements the crispy fried zangi and enhances the juiciness of the chicken. Despite the surprisingly large portions at Nanbantei, the tangy sauce makes it easy to eat it all up.

When it comes to "donburi" (rice bowls) in Hokkaido, you might think of seafood bowls. But don't forget about "butadon" (pork bowl)!

"Butadon" is a specialty of Tokachi and Obihiro, where pig farming has been thriving since the late Meiji era. Thick slices of pork are grilled and coated with a sweet and savory soy-based sauce, then served over steaming hot rice, creating a hearty and energizing meal. Imagine "unadon" (eel bowl) but with pork instead of eel—that's the closest comparison.

The pork used is either loin or belly, and depending on the restaurant, it can be grilled on a mesh grill or cooked in a frying pan. Mesh grilling gives the meat a smoky flavor, while pan-frying keeps it juicy by retaining the meat's juices. Choosing your preferred style or comparing the two can be a fun experience.

Additionally, "butadon sauce," which makes it easy to prepare butadon at home, is a popular souvenir from Hokkaido.

Kitami City truly lives up to its name as the "yakiniku town," boasting the highest number of yakiniku restaurants per capita in Hokkaido.

In the 1950s, Kitami had a meat processing plant where organ meats were often discarded. A Korean person started a grilled offal restaurant using these meats, which is said to be the origin of Kitami yakiniku. This is why Kitami yakiniku primarily features organ meats like "sagari" (hanging tender) and "horumon" (offal), enjoyed with a special raw sauce and grilled over charcoal on a shichirin (small charcoal grill).

Even today, Kitami is known for its thriving livestock industry, providing fresh meat at affordable prices. The area around Kitami Station is a hotspot for yakiniku restaurants, with "yakiniku" signs everywhere you look. The affordability and everyday enjoyment of Kitami yakiniku are its highlights.

The recommended dishes in Kitami yakiniku are "beef sagari" and "pork horumon." Sagari, with its low fat content, is delicious when cut thick and grilled over charcoal, and it's a must-order for Kitami residents. Fresh horumon, with its well-seasoned flavor, is best enjoyed grilled to a crisp and eaten as is.

One of the joys of local gourmet food is enjoying unexpected and delicious combinations.

"Spakatsu," popular in Kushiro, is a local dish that combines meat sauce spaghetti with a large tonkatsu (pork cutlet). At the original "Restaurant Izumiya," spakatsu is served on a sizzling hot iron plate to keep it warm until the last bite. The generous portion and perfect balance of flavors make it a favorite among locals and tourists alike.

In Nemuro, there's a lesser-known local dish called "Escalope." This common menu item in local Western-style restaurants combines cutlet, rice, and demi-glace sauce. There are two types: "red escalope" with ketchup rice and "white escalope" with butter rice, with the latter being more popular nowadays. This dish is also hearty and highly satisfying.

Have you heard of Japan's "7 Great Local Yakitori"? Among them, "Bibai Yakitori" and "Muroran Yakitori" are the pride of Hokkaido.

Typically, yakitori consists of skewers with specific parts of the chicken, such as thigh or skin. However, "Bibai Yakitori" features various parts of the chicken, including meat, liver, eggs, gizzard, and heart, all on one skewer. Seasoned simply with salt and pepper, you can enjoy the whole chicken in one skewer. Locally known as "motsugushi," it is common to order them in units of ten. This yakitori was born from the spirit of using every part of the carefully raised chicken.

Generally, yakitori uses chicken and green onions, but in Muroran, yakitori is made with pork and onions. Pork, which was cheaper than chicken, and locally abundant onions became the standard for yakitori in Muroran. The Muroran style is to enjoy the juicy yakitori, grilled with each restaurant's original secret sauce, with a touch of Western mustard.

"Ishikari Nabe" is a traditional winter dish from Hokkaido, where fresh chunks and trimmings of salmon are simmered with vegetables in miso. This hot pot dish, now popular nationwide, originated in the Ishikari region, known for its salmon fishing since the Edo period. It is said to have started when fishermen in Ishikari City, neighboring Sapporo, cooked salmon in a pot.

As a simple fisherman's dish, Ishikari Nabe is rich in salmon collagen, which would be lost if the fish were grilled. Sprinkling some sansho (Japanese pepper) at the end adds a nice accent and stimulates the appetite. Some restaurants offer delicious variations, such as adding a generous amount of ikura (salmon roe) or butter for extra richness.

"Tako Shabu" is a local dish from Wakkanai City. It involves thinly slicing the legs of Hokkaido's mizudako (giant Pacific octopus) and briefly dipping them in kombu broth, similar to shabu-shabu, before eating them with a special miso sauce or ponzu.

Wakkanai City boasts the highest catch of mizudako in Japan. Mizudako is the largest of the octopus species, with legs that can span 3 meters and weigh up to 10 kilograms. It is known for its tender texture and pleasant chewiness. When the perfectly sliced mizudako is dipped in the broth, it contracts slightly, resulting in a texture that is both firm and tender, enhancing the octopus's natural sweetness and flavor.

There are local chain restaurants in Hokkaido that the residents dearly love. These community-based eateries are indispensable to the locals and have recently become popular tourist destinations. Be sure to check them out!

Held every September, the "Sapporo Autumn Fest" is a food festival where local gourmet foods and drinks from all over Hokkaido come together. Over 100 municipalities from within the prefecture participate, allowing visitors to purchase local specialties and enjoy a food-walking experience right in Sapporo. This popular food event attracts not only locals but also many people from all over the country.

At the venues in Odori Park from 4-chome to 8-chome, and 10-chome to 11-chome, each area has a set theme, offering a variety of delicious foods from different genres. The Autumn Fest features many limited-time and daily changing menus, so you can enjoy new flavors no matter how many times you visit during the three-week period.