Ika Ninjin A Cherished Home Style Preserve of Fukushima

Ika ninjin is a home style dish handed down in the northern Nakadori area of Fukushima. It is a simple preserve of finely shredded dried squid and carrot marinated in a liquid based on soy sauce, sake, and mirin.

Highlights

The stars are just two ingredients, dried squid and carrot. The more you chew, the more the umami of the squid and the sweetness of the carrot spread, making it fine as a snack with drinks or an accompaniment to rice. Recipes differ slightly in every household, making it a true taste of home. It is also told to be a root of Hokkaido matsumae zuke. One account holds that when the Matsumae domain was reassigned to Yanagawa (in present day Date City) in the Edo period, its retainers came to know this taste, and on returning to Ezo added kelp and other ingredients to develop matsumae zuke.

Enjoying the Seasons

Long cherished as a preserve made from late autumn into winter, it graces family tables especially at New Year. Preparing it in the cold season and letting the flavor settle slowly is the traditional way to enjoy it. At inns in places like Iizaka Onsen, it is sometimes served as a dish on the winter table.

Access and Basic Information

It is easy to buy at supermarkets, souvenir shops, and roadside stations in Fukushima City. Packaged products are plentiful, making it an ideal travel gift. It can also be tasted at restaurants serving local cuisine.

Practical Travel Notes

• Where to buy: Supermarkets, souvenir shops, and roadside stations around Fukushima City. Often packaged, handy as a gift
• Season: A preserve households prepare from late autumn into winter, a New Year table staple
• Where to eat: Local cuisine restaurants and the meal service at inns such as Iizaka Onsen
• Twist: A light sprinkle of seven spice chili gives it a grown up, gently spicy taste

A Quick Tip

The longer it marinates, the deeper the flavor. A light sprinkle of seven spice chili gives it a grown up, gently spicy taste.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Best season: According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' Uchi no Kyodo Ryori (Our Local Cuisine) database, ika ninjin is now eaten as a side dish all year round, but it originated as a preserved food for the deep-snow winters. It is ready to eat after about half a day in the marinade, and the flavour soaks in more deeply the longer it is left, over several days. The main area where it has been handed down is Fukushima City.
• Public facility where you can buy it: Fukushima Prefecture Tourism and Local Products Center (1-20 Mikawa Minamimachi, Fukushima City, 1st floor of Corasse Fukushima / 024-525-4031). Open 9:30-19:00, open every day of the year, about a 3-minute walk from the west exit of JR Fukushima Station. The refrigerated section carries ika ninjin from several different producers.
• Where to taste it: At Azuma Kitchen, the restaurant inside Michi-no-Eki Fukushima roadside station (11:00-16:00), it is served as a side accompaniment to the house speciality egoma (perilla) pork rice bowl.

Note: Opening hours and prices at individual shops vary from establishment to establishment.

(Sources: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Uchi no Kyodo Ryori: Ika Ninjin, Fukushima Prefecture; official website of the Fukushima Prefecture Tourism and Local Products Center; Fukushima City Tourism and Convention Association, Fukushima City Sightseeing Notes)

Information Sources

This article is compiled from tourism information for Fukushima Prefecture and from information published by the individual shops. Prices and product line-ups are subject to change, so please check the official information of each shop for details.

Travel Checklist

• Budget guide: Affordable, from a few hundred yen per pack
• Where to eat it: Souvenir shops and supermarkets across Fukushima Prefecture, and local cuisine restaurants
• Best time of day: Available all year round. It keeps well, so it makes a good final purchase of your trip
• Avoiding the crowds: Souvenir versions are well stocked and easy to buy
• Great to combine with: Enjoy it as a rice accompaniment or with drinks, alongside Fukushima's local sake