“Oneofmyfavouritedishestoeatover
summerinJapanis unagi,a freshwater
eel,”saysHarrySargentofInsideJapan
Tours.“It’sbestservedovera bedofrice
witha stickyglazeontopasunagi-don.
Unagiis thoughttogiveyouthestamina
youneedtogetthroughhotdays.”In
Tokyo’sGinza,theMichelin-starred
Nodaiwahasbeenservingtraditionaleeldishesfor 200 years
ina tranquil,Edoera-stylerestaurant,includingplaingrilled
eel,eelliversandeelservedina chawanmushicustard.
Summeris alsotheseasonfornasu,orJapaneseeggplants,
whichvaryinsizeandshapedependingonwherethey’regrown.
Eatenchilledasnasunibitashi,witha simplebraiseofdashi,soy
sauceandginger,they’reconsideredtohavecoolingandrefreshing
properties. Niigata prefecture on the west coast of Honshu isconsideredtobeJapan’seggplant
capital,growingaround 20 different
varieties.Eachtypeis considered
bestsuitedtoa differentpreparation
fromgrillingtosteamingtopickling.
Thescatteredislandsthatmakeup
Okinawa,dottedintheEastChinaSea
betweenmainlandJapanandTaiwan,
areoftenoverlookedwhenit comestoJapanesecuisineastheir
tropicalclimategrowsentirelydifferentproducetotherestofthe
country.Pineapplesarea specialtyoftheislandgroup,particularly
thesmall“snackpineapple”,a nativeofTaiwan,whichis mostoften
eatenfresh.Anothersummerdelicacyis umibudo,orseagrapes,
thepunchygreenseaweedthatburstsinyourmouthlikejuicy,salty
pearls.They’rebesteatenduringtheirnaturalseasonofMaythrough
August, dipped in a dressing of tangy vinegar and soy sauce.➤S u m m e r
Another summerdelicacy
isumibudo,orseagrapes,
the punchygreenseaweed
that bursts in your mouth.Clockwisefromtop
left:localsina traditional
boatoffSadoIsland
inNiigataprefecture;
pineapplesinOkinawa;
localspickeggplants
froma vegetablegarden;
unagi-don, or eel on rice.GOURMET TRAVELLER 109PHOTOGRAPHY BENITO MARTIN (SAKURA & SAKURAI) & GETTY IMAGES (BAMBOO, EEL, ISLAND & PRODUCE).