Oita: The Origin of Gourmet Food

Top Japanese Producer of Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

When thinking of food gathered from the Oita mountains, the thick donko variety of shiitake mushrooms comes to mind first. Oita is a major producer of dried shiitake mushrooms, producing more than half the amount produced in all of Japan. The mushrooms are also famous, as champion sumo wrestlers are given a trophy filled with dried Oita shiitake mushrooms.

The Appeal of Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

Did you know that there are three basic varieties of shiitake mushrooms? The famous donko variety are thick, yet small. Koko are larger, and those that are flattened like an opened umbrella are called koshin.. Each variety are cultivated to be eaten raw or dried.

Takabumi Ugaeri, who cultivates dried shiitake mushrooms in Oita, is famous for his mushrooms, having won the Minister’s Award from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, at a national competitive exhibition. Mr. Ugaeri says that, “In Oita, dried shiitake mushrooms are normal.”

“Dried shiitake mushrooms are eaten at home quite often. We eat them in miso soup in the mornings, or in dumpling soup, or we fry them as tempura and eat them with rice. For young people, it seems that the trouble of soaking the mushrooms in water is too much work, so many young people seem to like raw mushrooms. But there is more flavor and aroma with the dried mushrooms, and they are high in nutritional value, as well. Even when you cook them in butter, the dried mushrooms are tastier.”

Growing Shiitake Mushrooms on Logs

There are generally two methods for cultivating shiitake mushrooms: man made cultivation on sawdust or another substrate and natural cultivation on logs. Cultivating the mushrooms on logs takes more time and effort, but it allows one to enjoy the true flavor and aroma of the mushrooms. Let’s take a look at Mr. Ugaeri’s cultivation method for shiitake mushrooms that uses logs.

Moto-taoshi - Cutting Sawtooth Oak Trees

First, sawtooth oak trees that grow on the mountain are cut down. Trees are trimmed from the end of November through December, and the cut logs are left on the mountainside to dry for 60 days.

Tama-kiri, Koma-uchi, and Fukuse-komi

Once the sawtooth oak trees are cut to a length of 1 m and 20 cm in a process called tama-kiri (“cross cutting”), a hole is created and the shiitake fungus is planted in a process called koma-uchi (“tilling of the fungal starter”). After that is a process called fukuse-komi (“covering”). For about a year and half, the logs are left on the mountainside to allow the fungus to grow and twist around the logs.

Harvesting

The logs, with twisted fungus, are lined up along the log laying yard and left until shiitake mushrooms form. It takes about two years from first cutting the sawtooth oak trees until harvesting. “The mushrooms open up when stimulated by the cold. Years with lots of snow produce a good harvest. They also grow from being vibrated, so there are some people who strike the logs.”

Reverting the Logs Back to Soil

It varies based on the type of shiitake mushroom, but it can take about three years until shiitake can be harvested from a single log. Once harvested, the logs are broken down by the fungus and return to the earth. Buds emerge from the remaining part of the sawtooth oak trees that have been trimmed for use as logs, and they are grown for 20 years until they can be trimmed again. Using logs, shiitake mushrooms are cultivated in a circular cycle.
“I’ve been cultivating shiitake mushrooms for over 30 years, but you don’t know what kind of mushrooms you’re going to get until you try and grow them. It’s the sun, rain, and snow that determine the flavor and aroma. There isn’t much that we can do as humans, as mushrooms are created from the riches of nature.”

Sekisaba and Sekiasji

Two of the products of the sea that represent Oita are sekisaba (“Seki mackerel”) and sekiaji (“Seki horse mackerel”). These fish are cultivated in an area that faces the Bungo Channel called Saga-no-seki, also known as the Hayasui no Seto (“Seto of Fast Currents”). The fish caught here are recognized as sekisaba and sekiaji based on rigorous standards.

The Bungo Channel, located between the islands of Shikoku and Kyushu, is home to valuable, nutrient-rich waters with strong currents. Normally, mackerel and horse mackerel are migratory fish, but instead they stay here and are raised and toughened by the rough waters. This marine environment creates fish with firm meat loaded with fat not found elsewhere.

Sozo Matsumoto is the owner of Kotsu Kotsu An, a resturant that has offered local Oita food since 1971. He tells us that, “In addition to the quality of the fish, being persistent about how the fish is handled is the other secret to the delicious flavor of the sekisaba and sekiaji.”

“Each fish is caught one by one without using a net. The delicious flavor is maintained by keeping blood from circulating, as an advanced technique known as shinkei-nuki (“nerve removal”) is used when preparing the fish. This extreme care in avoiding stress for the fish sustains the quality of the meat. Additionally, as mackerel are particularly nimble fish, long transport time leads to a loss in quality. In this way, Oita has a geographical advantage.”

Bungo Beef

There is a brand of wagyu beef representing Oita. Bungo beef is a type of black-haired wagyu beef produced in Oita Prefecture. This beef has a long history, with records of one of the cows taking the spotlight at a livestock convention in Tokyo in 1921 and being paraded through Ginza.

Hanatoki, a Japanese restaurant operated by a meat shop, offers food featuring Bungo beef. The specialty here is Bungo beef aitchbone steak, a rare cut of beef. You can enjoy the sweetness of the fine marbling and the tender texture. Head chef Tetsuro Kato tells us more.

“Normally, steaks are sirloin or fillets. We use aitchbone meat from the rear of the cow. This part is hard to get, but as we are run by a meat shop, we can get this part, and I like to offer quality meat to our customers. Compared to meat from the backs of the cow, aitchbone meat has less fat and is more refreshing, and compared to fillets, it’s fattier and has a stronger umami. The meat is tender and I like it. You can tell the difference when you eat it.”

The Best Chicken Culture in Japan

We can’t forget about chicken when talking about meat and Oita. Chicken is a cherished ingredient in the area, with Oita City becoming the area in Japan that had the largest amount of chicken purchased in 2019, as well as being the birthplace for fried chicken shops. Chicken tempura is an ordinary dish in Oita together with normal fried chicken. It’s safe to say that these dishes are always featured on the menus of Japanese-style bars and restaurants offering full meals in Oita.

Bimikyushin (“The Truth of Taste”) is a book that was published in 1912 and became a best seller in the Taisho Era (1912 to 1926). It is said to be the origin of Japan’s gastronomic culture, and was written by Kenjiro Kinoshita, a native of Ajimu in Oita Prefecture. In the book, Kenjiro rates the food ingredients from the mountains and sea of Oita highly. He also writes that the most important thing with food is knowing the season. There are a wide range of seasonal foods in Oita every season, even more than what we introduced here. There is shiroshita flounder from Hiji Town, pufferfish from Usuki City, softshell turtle from Ajimu, dumpling soup boiled with seasonal vegetables... there is no end to the culinary delights here.