Tsuyama City is made up of the Tsuyama basin and its surroundings, and is located in the northern part of Okayama Prefecture. This area has been producing wagyu beef for centuries, and has historical ties as a base for distributing horses and cattle. Overtime, these influences have created a distinctive beef food culture found only within this region.
Tsuyama Horumon Udon
The number of local shops and restaurants in the city that serve this famous dish totals over 50, making Horumon Udon a representative dish of Tsuyama City. Horumon Udon is a dish made from wheat-based udon noodles and beef offal, known as Horumon in Japanese. The combination of fresh grilled meat, meat juice, and special sauce are added to vegetables and the wheat-based udon, making it a delicious dish full of texture and flavours that many of the locals look forward to.
Tsuyama Sozuri Nabe
This dish is a nabe (hotpot) made from beef shaved from around the bones cooked together with vegetables and a soy sauce based soup. It is an exceptional dish full of rich and refined flavours, filled with beef umami flavours in its broth.
Other well-known local beef cuisines also include Hoshiniku (beef jerky), Yomenakase (a dish using beef blood vessels), and GyuuNikogori (a gelatin-like dish made from boiled beef tendon and cooled). When checking out the tourist sites in Tsuyama, tourists can be sure to enjoy the unique beef food culture this city has become known for.
Related links:
Official Tourism Site of Tsuyama City: http://www.tsuyamakan.jp/en/index.html
Gourmet page: http://www.tsuyamakan.jp/en/gourmet/index.html
