5 61 Huge wooden barrels of miso on the sales floor at Soma Yamabun Yamagataya attest to the venerable maker’s 160-year history. 2, 3 The Konokura main shop in Minamisoma exhibits helmets and suits of armor like those worn by samurai of old. Visitors are welcome to try them on. 4 Konokura’s miso-cured cream cheese met instant success with its pairing of two umami-rich flavors. 5 Soy sauces by Soma Yamabun Yamagataya. The yellow-label usukuchi soy won the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award in 2022. 6 Proprietor Kazuo Watanabe, always in pursuit of delicious soy sauce at Soma Yamabun Yamagataya. 7 Three types of the flagship Iwaki Kotobuki label by Suzuki Shuzoten.8 Sake maker Shoji Suzuki of Suzuki Shuzoten keeps a smile as he continues to work toward regional restoration. 9 Suzuki Shuzoten selections at Michi-no-Eki Namie.1 2 3 4 8 9 10 11 13 12 1416 1817197 15 Soy sauce and miso are what Soma Yamabun Yamagataya is known for. In 2022, Yamabun’s light-colored usukuchi soy sauce won the coveted Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award, considered the highest accolade in the industry. While usukuchi is the go-to choice in Kyoto and elsewhere in the Kansai region for simmered dishes, it is less com-monly used in Tohoku, which makes the recognition—a first in this category for a Tohoku maker—a special achievement. The Yamabun label was cited for its fully rounded sweet and umami flavors and its mouth- watering aroma. Konokura, a Minamisoma shop operated by pickle specialist Kanno Co., Ltd., is well known for its miso-cured delicacies. When store customers vanished after the 2011 disaster, the business moved swiftly to focus on new product development. Konokura ordered cheeses from around the world and began experimenting with curing them in different kinds of miso. In December that year, Kura-daigo Patty de Cream Cheese was launched. Sales picked up as word spread about this unique delicacy, which is as perfect-ly suited to nibbling with wine as it is with sake. Now, years later, the product remains one of the shop’s top sellers, and has garnered numerous prizes. Top-quality sake making is synonymous with Fukushima—its brewers led the Annual Japan Sake Awards nine consecutive times in the number of gold prizes won. Namie’s Suzuki Shuzoten, one of the prefecture’s oldest brewers, has long been favored by those who make their livelihood from the sea, because its origins were in shipping. Tragically, its facilities were washed away in the 2011 tsunami. Amid calls for revival, it resumed production nine months later in Yamagata. In 2021 it returned to Namie with a new brewing facility at the Michi-no-Eki market. Fukushima is also one of the top fruit-producing prefectures. Since the Hamadori area has little snow-fall in winter and relatively warmer temperatures, some growers have begun cultivating tropical fruits. 32New and Traditional Flavors from HamadoriPlaces to Stop In for a Treat
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