Okinawa Street Food

7 dishes in Japan

7 street foods from Okinawa, Japan: Okinawa Soba, Taco Rice, Sata Andagi, Rafute and Umi-budo and more. Each one has its own page with the story behind it and what to look for.

Street foods of Okinawa

Naha Noodle Shop · Wheat Noodle, Not Buckwheat Okinawa Soba Japan's own Fair Trade Commission tried to force a rename in 1976, ruling that "soba" legally requires buckwheat flour and Okinawa's noodles are… Thick, springy wheat noodles closer in texture to ramen than to mainland buckwheat soba are served in a pork-and-bonito broth, topped with a slab of stewed pork rib or belly, a fishcake… Kin Town Original · Tex-Mex on Rice Taco Rice It was invented in 1984 specifically for American servicemen stationed at the nearby Camp Hansen Marine base, by swapping the taco shell for a bowl… Seasoned ground beef, melted cheese, shredded lettuce and diced tomato are piled over a bowl of plain white rice and finished with salsa or hot sauce, eaten with a spoon rather than folded… Ryukyu Court Sweet · Cracked Sugar Doughnut Sata Andagi Its name literally just means 'fried sugar' in Okinawan (sata = sugar, anda = oil, agi = fry), and the split that opens up as it fries is seen as a… A stiff, only lightly sweetened dough of flour, egg and sugar is rolled into a ball and deep-fried until one side splits open into a golden, tulip-like crack, producing a dense, slightly… Ryukyu Royal Cuisine · Braised Pork Belly Rafute It's a direct descendant of a famous Chinese dish, Dongpo pork, adapted at the Ryukyu Kingdom's royal court by swapping in local awamori liquor and… Thick-cut pork belly is simmered low and slow in awamori (Okinawan distilled spirit), soy sauce and dark brown sugar until the fat turns soft enough to cut with chopsticks, served in… Coastal Farm Delicacy · Green Caviar Seaweed Umi-budo (Sea Grapes) Each little sphere on the strand pops between your teeth like caviar, releasing a burst of seawater and mild ocean flavor — texture is the entire… A branching green seaweed whose stems are lined with tiny grape-like beads is served raw and chilled, usually with a light vinegar-citrus dip, eaten as a side or appetizer at Okinawan… Luncheon Meat and Egg · Rice Ball Sandwich Pork Tamago Onigiri The pork in the name is canned luncheon meat, which Okinawans simply call pork. A slice of fried luncheon meat and egg are sandwiched in rice and wrapped in nori, made fresh to order at takeaway shops such as the one near Naha's Makishi Public Market and eaten on the… 🍤 Thick Batter · Ojima Island Snack Okinawan Tempura Unlike mainland tempura, the batter is thick, fluffy and already seasoned, so it is eaten as a cheap snack without a dipping broth, often with just… Fish, squid, mozuku seaweed and sweet potato fried in a heavy, fluffy batter and sold cheaply by the piece from tempura stands, most famously on Ojima Island in Nanjo City.

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