Try Premium Quality Beef, Agu Pork, and Okinawa’s TOP 7 Must-Try Foods

Ishigaki beef from Ishigaki Island is Okinawa’s regional specialty premium beef, and is on par with Japan's other top beef brands such as Kobe beef, Saga beef, and Matsusaka beef. Ishigaki beef is especially tender, with the fat evenly distributed throughout the flavorful meat. Cooking options range from sashimi to barbecue.

If you want to try this premium-grade beef, "Ishigakiya" on Ishigaki Island is your best choice. The building has a 300-year history, where you can enjoy the finest Aguu pork and Ishigaki barbecue beef. There is a Chinese menu, where you can choose a family (4 people) meal for about JP¥20,000, or a single-person luxury meal for about JP¥15,000, as well as a variety of add-on meats.

Agu pig is produced in the northern part of Okinawa and is a very rare breed of black-haired pig. Agu pork is fine-textured, smooth and elastic. The meat is slightly sweet and not greasy, and the cholesterol content is only one quarter of that of ordinary pork, so it is a very healthy type of pork.

Whether it's pork shabu-shabu or pork barbecue, it's definitely a delicacy you can't miss. It melts in your mouth, completely subverting the entire conception of pork. There are many pork barbecue places in Naha city. Unless there is a special emphasis on beef, it is usually pork barbecue. 2000-2500 yen would allow you to have your fill of the delicious black pork of Okinawa.

Okinawa Ramen or soba noodles (そば). The soup base is made with pork bones, soy sauce, and fish, and it has a lighter taste than on the main island of Japan, without the strong greasy feeling. Although it is called soba [buckwheat] noodles, there is no buckwheat flour, but rather it is made of pure wheat; it is not as chewy as ramen, is much smoother than soba noodles, and is more similar to hand-made noodles, with a taste that is different from the ramen noodles and Udon noodles of this prefecture.

The "Shuri そば" in Naha is the No.1 ramen of Okinawa. This restaurant only offers Okinawa Ramen, yet its popularity has been enduring, proving how extraordinary the ramen here is! The appearance of ramen noodles is not very attractive, and the ingredients are also simple, but as soon as you try the mouth-watering soup and the full-textured noodles, you will be unable to stop, and will suddenly realize why it is so popular.

Sea salt is a specialty of Okinawa, in addition to cooking and facial cleansing, it can also be used to make ice cream. The internationally famous Ma-suya sells special sea salt ice cream, which is slightly salty, but brings out a more intense milky fragrance.

The most unique thing is that you can spread various flavors of salt on the ice cream according to your own preferences. Whether it is snow salt, cocoa, grapefruit, matcha, or pepper... there is always something for you.

The Okinawa specialty "umibudo" is a kind of seaweed, also known as grape algae. It is named such because it is like strings of grapes, with round, crystal-clear green globular off-shoots. Because of the requirement for high quality seawater - as it must be grown in zero-pollution waters - it can only be found in Okinawa.

The umibudo tastes like salmon roe and makes a popping sound when chewed. The flavor is comparable to sea urchins and caviar, with low calories and no cholesterol. It is known as the “green caviar”. Generally used as topping on salads, there are also many restaurants that present a small dish as a free appetizer, so there is no particular need to seek it out.

If you come to Okinawa and don’t try a fried bitter gourd dish, it is a wasted trip to Okinawa! The bitter gourd of Okinawa is less bitter in taste. It is similar to zucchini, crispy and delicious in thin slices. Bitter gourd can also lower blood sugar and prevent cancer, which is one of the secrets of Okinawan longevity and health.

Bitter gourd is a must-have for every Okinawa menu selection. The cooking technique is similar to Chinese food. It could be used in cold salad, scrambled eggs, fried tofu, and can be cooked with pork. It is a good side dish when drinking alcohol. In addition to cooking, there is also a special bitter gourd tea to drink, which is good for the 3H (hypertension, high blood cholesterol, high blood sugar) population.

Okinawa-style braised pork is the most representative of the Okinawa traditional dishes. It is said that the techniques behind Okinawa braised pork is derived from the Chinese Dong Po Rou. After hair is removed from large pieces of pork, they are washed and cut into pieces, and then boiled in Awamori (white wine), soy sauce, brown sugar (white sugar) and other ingredients for several hours, even up to two or three days.

Braised pork is cooked slowly, fully separating the fat, so it is a much healthier food than it looks. It tastes soft and smooth - so soft that it could be parted with chopsticks, but still maintains a solid square. It is not as greasy as the Chinese Dong Po Rou, and the aroma is overflowing.