Kumamoto food guide: Taipien, mustard lotus root, horse meat and ramen

Explore Kumamoto dishes described by the city's official tourism website, including taipien, mustard-filled lotus root, horse meat, Kumamoto ramen, Akaushi beef bowls and sweet potato dumplings.

Last checked:

  • Kumamoto
  • Food
  • Independent travel

Kumamoto City’s official tourism website introduces many local dishes. This article selects several that visitors often hear about and summarizes the official descriptions. The official pages do not provide prices, restaurants or opening hours, so this article does not list them or recommend individual restaurants. For Kumamoto sights and transport, see the Kumamoto Castle guide and Kumamoto tram guide.

Dish Official description
Taipien () A vegetable-rich noodle dish resembling champon, made with glass noodles (harusame); commonly served in Chinese restaurants in Kumamoto and at school lunches
Karashi renkon () Lotus root filled through its holes with mustard-flavoured miso, coated in batter and deep-fried; crunchy, with sharp mustard heat that rises through the nose
Horse-meat sashimi (basashi, ) The official site says Kumamoto Prefecture ranks first in Japan for horse-meat production; horse meat is also served on skewers, stewed and as sushi
Kumamoto ramen A relatively mild pork-bone broth topped with fried garlic chips and garlic oil
Akaushi beef bowl Rice topped with slices of lightly cooked Akaushi beef and an onsen egg; Akaushi is an uncommon breed from the Aso area
Ikinari dango () A steamed sweet made by wrapping sweet potato and red bean paste in dough
Dago soup () Soup made with flat flour dumplings, seasonal vegetables and meat, often eaten in winter

Origins of taipien

  • Ingredients: plenty of vegetables, seafood such as shrimp and squid, pork, and chewy glass noodles
  • Broth: varies by restaurant, with salt, soy sauce and pork-bone versions
  • Notable topping: a deep-fried egg called fuhitan, or tiger-skin egg
  • Origins: brought to Japan by overseas Chinese during the Meiji period, adapted from a Fujian hometown dish using Japanese ingredients; the official description calls it “born in Nagasaki and raised in Kumamoto”

The legend of karashi renkon

  • Preparation: fill the lotus-root holes with mustard miso, coat with an egg-yolk batter and deep-fry
  • Legend: created for Tadatoshi, the first lord of the Kumamoto domain, who was in poor health. Gensawa, the head priest of Suizenji, asked a cook to develop a nourishing, strengthening dish.
  • Another account: the cut lotus root resembles the Hosokawa family crest, so it was treated as a dish not to be shared outside the family.

Checks before departure

  1. Check the opening hours of restaurants serving dishes you want to try.
  2. Taipien broth varies between restaurants; ask which type they serve.
  3. The official pages do not give shelf lives or rules for taking food home; check separately.

For an overview, see the Kyushu travel guide.

Sources