The “Tango Specialty Cuisine Proposal Event,” where attendees sampled creative dishes designed to showcase seafood and other local ingredients from the Tango region, was held on the evening of March 2 at the restaurant “Fish and Vegetable Cuisine Nawaya” in Yasaka-cho, Kyotango City. Nine chefs from restaurants in various cities and towns served a variety of creative dishes and exchanged opinions with the attendees who sampled them.

The event was organized by the Kyoto Prefecture Tango Regional Promotion Bureau to create a new “seafood brand” for Tango.

The chefs who gathered were all well-known, highly skilled, and unique talents in the Tango region, including creators of innovative Japanese cuisine, pizza, ramen, wild game, and even a yakitori master with experience in French cuisine. They have formed a study group and work on creating new menus two to three times a year, deciding on themes and ingredients. Ten people participated as commentators, including local sake brewers, tourism and ryokan (traditional inn) representatives, culinary researchers, and fishermen.

The presentation featured a lineup of luxurious and unique dishes, including a sea cucumber course, grilled octopus shabu-shabu, oyster and venison sausage, cod and potato fritters, Spanish mackerel ham with akamoku seaweed, and grilled flying fish kamatama oil noodles.

Each commentator tasted each dish one by one and wrote their impressions on comment sheets based on themes, such as whether the dish had the potential to become a local specialty or a dish for special occasions. Moving forward, the chefs will use these comments as a reference to refine the menu and bring it to a higher level of perfection.

Speaking on behalf of the chefs, Yukinori Yoshioka (51) of Nawaya said, “I believe these dishes will become true local specialties if chefs and those who tasted them work together to promote them, so that new dishes can be created in Tango.” Chiyoko Maruta, chairperson of the “Kyotango Inn Landladies’ Association” who served as a commentator, shared her impressions: “I was impressed by the wide variety of menu ideas presented, and I could sense that the chefs truly cherish the Tango region and are working hard to create a signature dish.”

Copyright © The Kyoto Shimbun

Translated by Kyotango City Tourism Association