Overview
As the only major port open to international trade during Japan's period of isolation, Nagasaki has a rich and cosmopolitan history that is also reflected in the city's cuisine. Many local specialties have their roots in different parts of the world, including China and the West.
Chanpon is a noodle dish with Chinese roots that is synonymous with Nagasaki. The dish comes in slight variations between restaurants but typically consists of fried seafood, pork, and vegetables in a rich pork and/or chicken bone broth with noodles. This eclectic, sometimes seemingly ad-hoc mix of ingredients has traditionally been viewed in the region as an inexpensive, healthy, and delicious stomach filler.
Sara Udon literally translates as 'plate noodles' and is a dish in which a mixture of meat and vegetables is placed atop a bed of crispy fried noodles. As with chanpon, it has Chinese influence and comes with slight variations from restaurant to restaurant.
Another dish with Chinese roots, Kakuni Manju consists of a thick slice of pork belly placed in a soft bread bun. The meat is simmered in soy sauce, dashi, sake, sugar, and mirin for a long time at a low temperature to make it extra tender. Kakuni Manju is served both as a restaurant dish and as street food.
Varying widely from restaurant to restaurant, this Western-inspired dish typically consists of pilaf rice and spaghetti accompanied by a breadcrumb pork cutlet topped with Japanese-style curry. This delicious meal is said to get its name, which translates as 'Turkish Rice', from the way it represents the meeting of the East and the West.
Nagasaki's quintessential dessert, Castella is a sponge cake made from flour, sugar, and eggs. The confectionery was introduced to Nagasaki by Portuguese missionaries hundreds of years ago and has since remained popular. The cake is today mostly bought from shops, usually coming packed in a long box. It is commonly given as a souvenir.