Noppe a Home Style Simmered Dish of Niigata

Noppe is one of the signature home dishes of Niigata, simmering taro as the star along with carrot, shiitake, and konjac. The natural thickness released by the taro gently coats the whole broth, and the mingled umami of the ingredients gives it a deep, wholesome flavor.

Highlights

Its appeal lies in the many ingredients in a single bowl, finished in colorful array. Many households add salmon or salmon roe at the end, brightening the table on festive days. The thick broth is delicious even cooled, a versatile dish enjoyed warm or chilled. Ingredients and seasoning differ slightly by region and household, and each family passes down its own version.

Enjoying the Seasons

As a dish essential to New Year and celebrations, it is made most often in winter. Warm noppe gently heats a chilled body, while some households enjoy it chilled in summer. Seasonal ingredients are added, and each family passes down its own flavor. Around the year end, you often see Niigata households prepare it in a big pot.

Access and Basic Information

It can be enjoyed at local cuisine restaurants and diners in Niigata City, and around New Year it is sometimes sold at supermarkets and prepared food shops. To learn the taste of local homes, visit a shop that features regional cuisine. Ordering it as a side lets you enjoy it alongside other Niigata flavors on your trip.

Practical Travel Notes

At regional cuisine restaurants it is often served as a small dish or part of a set for a few hundred yen to the low thousands, easy to order on its own. From winter into New Year more shops offer it, making it easier to find noppe made with seasonal taro. It is also sold as a prepared side, so if you want to enjoy it at your lodging, checking the deli counter is a good idea.

A Quick Tip

Once you have tasted the ingredients, drink down the thick broth to the last drop. The broth infused with the umami of taro is the very essence of noppe. If salmon or roe is on top, breaking it in and mixing partway through spreads a different depth of flavor.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• When noppe is eaten: According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' "Our Local Cuisine," although it is a New Year staple it is eaten all year round, and it is an indispensable dish at festivals, Buddhist memorial services and weddings. It is handed down throughout Niigata Prefecture.
• Main ingredients used: Scallop adductor muscles, dried shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, taro, carrot, konnyaku, kamaboko fish cake, ginkgo nuts and salted salmon. It also appears on izakaya menus, at supermarket prepared-food counters and in station bento boxes.

* Opening hours and prices vary from restaurant to restaurant.

(Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries "Our Local Cuisine: Noppe")

Information Sources

This article is compiled from tourism information for Niigata Prefecture together with information published by each establishment. Prices, menus and seasonal offerings are subject to change, so please check each establishment's official information for details.

Sightseeing Checklist

• Budget guide: From a few hundred yen to just over 1,000 yen as a small side dish or part of a set meal
• Where to eat it: Local cuisine restaurants and eateries throughout Niigata Prefecture, and prepared-food counters around the New Year
• Best time of day: Both lunch and dinner. More places serve it from winter through the New Year
• Avoiding the crowds: Local cuisine restaurants tend to be busy in the evening; consider going at lunchtime as well
• Combine it with: Comparing how the flavor differs from household to household, and the celebratory noppe served with salmon and salmon roe