“Oh My God!!”
One of the interesting things about Japan is its highly segmented culture of regional food. For example, Kyoto boasts the best matcha, the Seto Inland Sea has your back for lemons, and you’re going to get your best milk and melons from Hokkaido. But it’s the level of pride that goes into these foods that really sets Japan apart, such as Aomori Prefecture’s scallops being so tasty they made an ice cream flavor out of them.
For another example of this, let’s join our writer Kouhey in the rural western prefecture of Ehime, where the sweet, seedless mandarin oranges known as mikan are said to be best. He was there visiting the famous Dogo Onsen and came across the Jyugomangoku souvenir shop, which had some rather surprising items.
The first was Mikan Gohan (Orange Rice) in a box labeled “Oh My God!!” and “School Lunch Monster,” which really stood out in the otherwise calm atmosphere of the shop. Kouhey checked online and found that Ehime had a unique custom of eating oranges with rice. It was even done in school lunches there, hence the nickname on the box.
Nearby was another box that, while more tastefully designed, contained a far more shocking food: Salted Mikan Sea Bream Curry. That was too many incongruent foods for Kouhey’s brain to process at once, and he knew he had to buy these things despite their combined total being 1,836 yen (US$13).
When Kouhey returned home, he got to work making these orange meals.
The Mikan Gohan was rather straightforward. One pack works with two cups of rice, and all he had to do was pour the contents into a rice cooker along with the rice and let the machine do the rest.
After three minutes, he opened the cooker and was taken aback by just how orange the rice had become.
As he scooped some into a bowl, the distinct scent of mikan oranges wafted towards him.
Upon taking a bite, he was surprised how mild it was despite the in-your-face packaging. The taste of mikan was clearly present, but it was just enough to remain in harmony with the sweetness of the rice and had an interestingly refreshing aftertaste.
As he ate, Kouhey was also preparing the Salted Mikan Sea Bream Curry. It was a simple retort pouch curry that just needed to sit in boiling water for a few minutes.
He poured the vibrantly orange curry over some more of his Mikan Gohan for some orange curry and orange rice.
First, he sampled some of the curry by itself and was blown away by the strength of the tangy mikan flavor in it. It was unlike any curry he’d ever had and a completely unexpected taste.
The two foods went surprisingly well together. The brisk aftertaste of the rice mingled extremely well with the bold flavor of the curry.
If there was one complaint, it would have been that he couldn’t taste the salt or sea bream in the Salted Mikan Sea Bream Curry. The fish was hardly detectable under all the orange flavor, but the entire meal was still quite delicious.
Considering their price, it’s certainly not something Kouhey would eat on a regular basis, but as a memorable meal from his trip, it couldn’t be beat. If you ever head out to Ehime, be sure to try this one-of-a-kind food.
Photos © SoraNews24
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