Order with Local Names

Let names open a conversation

The same dish can have a different name or meaning across towns, households, and generations. This guide is not a dictionary of “correct” dialect. It gives you a little context and words for asking the people in front of you.

Hittsumi (Iwate)

Hittsumi is made by tearing wheat dough by hand and simmering it in a soup. Its name is said to come from the Iwate word hittsumanmu, meaning to tear something by hand.

The MAFF hittsumi entry also explains that ingredients and seasoning change between regions and households.

Kiritanpo (Akita)

In Akita, rice shaped around a skewer may be called tanpo or tanpo-mochi; cutting it makes kiritanpo. Some people shorten the hot-pot dish to kiritanpo as well.

Use the MAFF kiritanpo nabe entry as a starting point, then ask how the restaurant or family names it.

Moburi (Hiroshima)

Hiroshima moburi is rice mixed with vegetables and other ingredients. The name is said to come from the Hiroshima dialect word moburu, “to mix in.” Some places say moburi gohan or moguri meshi.

The MAFF moburi entry records differences in names and ingredients across places.

Short phrases at the counter

• これは何と呼びますか？ (Kore wa nan to yobimasu ka?) — What do you call this here?
• この料理を一つお願いします。 (Kono ryori o hitotsu onegai shimasu.) — One of this dish, please.
• おすすめの食べ方はありますか？ (Osusume no tabekata wa arimasu ka?) — Is there a recommended way to eat it?
• 食材を確認できますか？ (Shokuzai o kakunin dekimasu ka?) — Could I check the ingredients?
• ありがとうございます。 (Arigato gozaimasu.) — Thank you.

If a phrase is hard to understand, do not imitate an accent. Point to the dish name on the screen and ask slowly. Follow the restaurant's instructions and the explanation from the people serving you.

Take one name home

Write down one dish name, the place where you heard it, and the word someone taught you. A local name is one voice from a place, not a label for every person or town in a prefecture.