Champon Noodles
Originally, this meal was served to foreign students from China, and later, this nutritious dish spread throughout Nagasaki Prefecture. It is made with a soup based on chicken broth, a lot of vegetables and seafood, and noodles.
The Origin of Champon Champon noodles were first cooked in the late Meiji era. The cook and owner of the Chinese restaurant “Shikairo” served this noodle dish, originally called “Shina-udon,” to people from the same province and foreign students. It was adapted to Japanese tastes from the dish “湯肉絲麺” (tang-ròu-sī-miàn) in Fujian Province. Soon, Shina-udon gained a good reputation due to its large portions and good nutrition, and it was served in more and more shops in Chinatown. At that time, when Chinese people met their acquaintances, they greeted each other with “吃飯” (chī-fàn), meaning “Did you eat?” This chī-fàn gradually changed to Champon, and eventually, this name came to be used for the noodle dish.

SaraUdon Noodles
The cook and owner of “Shikairo” created Sara-Udon to solve the problem of soup spilling during the delivery of Champon noodles. He changed the soup to a sticky starch sauce. Sara-udon is served with fried thin noodles or sticky thick noodles topped with hot starch sauce and the same ingredients as Champon. Some people in Nagasaki like to pour Worcestershire sauce on it.

Toruko Rice
Toruko rice is a meal consisting of pilaf, pasta, and pork cutlet served on one plate. Usually, the pilaf is seasoned with curry, the pasta is cooked in a “Napolitan” style, and the pork cutlet is placed on top of the two with demi-glace sauce. However, there are many variations.
The name “Toruko” comes from the country name “Turkey.” Why Turkey? It is not clear, but there are some theories:
1. Turkish fried rice “Pilav” was first served as “Turkish fried rice.” Later, pasta and pork cutlet were added to this fried rice.
2. It comes from the French word “tricolor,” referring to the three foods on one plate.
3. The mixture of Western and Eastern food cultures is associated with the geographical location of Turkey, the midpoint between West and East.

Hatoshi
Hatoshi is said to have come to Nagasaki from China in the Meiji era. It is deep-fried shrimp paste sandwiched between bread. The crispy texture and shrimp flavor are so good that more and more people come to like it. For home meals, ground meat or fish paste is used instead of shrimp.

Pork Steamed Bun
Kakuni (braised pork) is one of the dishes in the course menu of Shippoku cuisine. Kakuni is a dish that was adapted to Japanese tastes from the Chinese dish 東坡肉 (dōng-pō-ròu). Kakunimaju (Kakuni bun) is Kakuni sandwiched in buns to make it easy to eat.

Shippoku Cuisine
During the age of national isolation, Nagasaki was the only port open to foreign countries. Cultures from countries like China and Holland came into Nagasaki, resulting in a mixed cuisine of Japanese, Chinese, and Dutch foods, called “Shippoku cuisine.” Shippoku is served on many different plates on a round table, and the guests share the food.
-Ohire: The first dish served. This is a clear soup with a pectoral fin of a sea bream. This piece of fin represents the whole sea bream, welcoming every guest with a good feast. The meal begins with the hostess’s greeting, “Ohire wo douzo” (Please enjoy this soup).
-Basty: A soup covered with a mesh-patterned dough that is grilled and served. You eat this by crushing the mesh into the soup. The name “Basty” comes from “Pasta.”
-Buta-no-Kakuni: Braised pork.
-Umewan: Sweet red bean soup served last in the course. This sweet taste of sugar was considered the best hospitality at that time in Nagasaki, the starting point of the Sugar Road.

Whale Meat
In the Edo period, the Goto Islands, Hirato, Iki, and Tsushima were areas where many whales swam, and there were whaling villages there. The whales caught were brought to Sonogi Port near Nagasaki. Wealthy people in Nagasaki took the best parts of the whale meat, making Nagasaki a good place to eat whale.

Castella Cake
In the mid-16th century, castella cake was brought to Nagasaki from Portugal. It was originally a sweet that appeared in the Kingdom of Castile, in today’s Spain. The Portuguese who introduced this cake called it “bolo de Castella,” meaning “cake of Castile.” This is how it got the name “Castella.”
Later, this cake developed uniquely in Nagasaki to become the present Nagasaki Castella.
Now, there are more than 100 castella shops. The ingredients are simply egg, flour, and sugar, but each shop has its own taste by choosing different materials and recipes.
