Culinary Experiences

Kiso is an unspoiled slice of Japan, a place where local, organic and slow food are not movements but an unwavering way of life. The generations-old culinary traditions of Kiso are waiting to be enjoyed by all who visit.

One of Kiso’s most famous slow foods is the red turnip (kabu), thought to be introduced by travelers on the Nakasendo trail over 400 years ago. Grown in the cold highlands of Mount Ontake, Kiso turnips vary in shape and size but are preserved and consumed in similar ways. The roots are pickled whereas the leaves are fermented in an acidic brine, using some of the previous year’s batch to start the fermentation process, much like sourdough bread.

The preserved leaves (sunki) have several culinary uses and are also said to offer many health benefits. They can be used as a topping for rice or soba noodles (sunki soba), in miso soup or the traditional sunki touji soup. No visit to Kiso is complete without trying this unique local staple.

Soba Noodles

Kiso has a long standing reputation for growing the best soba buckwheat in the area and in turn, producing high quality soba noodles. Local chefs have prepared this traditional dish for hundreds of years and it can be still be enjoyed today at any local soba restaurant.

Goheimochi

Mochi is a famous Japanese food made by pounding rice into a sticky cake. Kiso’s regional mochi (gohei mochi) is skewered, coated in a salty-sweet sauce and grilled over a flame for flavour. During spring and autumn harvest times, it is offered for luck at shrines.

Oyaki

Oyaki is one of Nagano’s most famous regional dishes, a dumpling made from fermented buckwheat dough with a vegetable, fruit or red bean paste filling. It is roasted on an iron pan before being steamed or broiled then eaten hot.  

Kiso Beef

Kiso beef is a rare treat; only a few hundred cattle are bred here annually, hence the nickname ‘Phantom’ beef. It is available at many local restaurants and true foodies will love to seek out the scarce A4-A5 ranked Kiso-bred cattle.