Katsuo no tataki, mikan oranges, and more: Local gourmet foods that are must-eats on your trip to Shikoku

Katsuo no tataki is a dish local to Kochi, featuring thickly cut bonito sashimi that has been seared on the surface and seasoned.
Take a bite, and the delicious umami flavor of the rare red meat and the smoky aroma from warayaki, enthusiastic flame-searing on a straw fire, will spread in your mouth.
This dish is normally served with garlic, ginger, onion, and green leeks, and eaten with ponzu or soy sauce.
It’s eaten differently in different areas and restaurants—find your favorite way to savor this dish.

Tataki comes from the verb “tataku,” meaning to hit or to pound, and this dish is so named because salt and tare sauce are beaten into the fish when adding flavor.
Tataki is very popular in Kochi Prefecture, and in some areas you can eat different fish, meat, and even vegetables served in this way.

There are various ideas about the origins of katsuo no tataki, including the suggestion that it was a meal eaten by fishermen on their boats. Since beating (tataki) the fish reduces the fishy smell particular to bonito, it is said that the tataki cooking method developed so that bonito that was losing freshness could be eaten on boats during eras when no preservation techniques existed.

When people hear the words “katsuo no tataki,” the famous image that springs to mind is searing bonito in fierce flames. But the word “tataki” only refers to the method of beating to add flavor. As long as the flavor has been added, the bonito is considered “tataki,” even if it is cooked in a frying pan rather than flame-seared.
Fully searing the fish with a straw fire is known as “katsuo no warayaki.” Bonito cooked in this way has been heated in one go by burning straw with oil content, giving it a browned outside and rare inside.

This dish is famously enjoyed with ponzu or shoyu dare (seasoned shoyu), but in Kochi it is eaten with salt. With this method, you can really savor the true taste of the bonito. We also recommend eating with slices of raw garlic. The characteristic scent is obscured, allowing the essential deliciousness of the bonito to stand out.
Another great idea is the yuzu ponzu made using yuzu fruit, a local specialty of Kochi, which boasts the largest production of this fruit in Japan. With this, you can savor a well-balanced taste as the acidity of the yuzu is added to the aroma and deliciousness of the bonito and the salt-spice of the seasonings.

Here are some places we recommend!

Ehime Prefecture boasts one of Japan’s highest levels of mikan orange production, and is able to harvest delicious fruit with a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity, grown in its warm climate. Eat them freshly picked, drink them as juice, and enjoy other mikan gourmet—make the most of mikan oranges here!

Ehime’s mikan oranges are of extremely high quality. Ehime’s natural environment is blessed with the conditions necessary for mikan to grow, and so the people cultivate delicious and highly nutritious fruit!
Another characteristic of this prefecture is the abundant variety of citrus fruits cultivated here when compared to other prefectures. Different citrus fruits mature in different seasons, so you can enjoy exploring the fruits that are ripe when you visit!

Mikan-picking enables you to taste fresh-picked fruit. Head into the field and see an expanse of orange mikans bathed in the sunlight, their sweet scent drifting on the breeze. When you bite into a freshly picked mikan, the juice floods your mouth. You’re sure to make great memories of this fun activity together with family or friends!

Mikan sweets are must-eats that enable you to savor these juicy fruits to your heart’s content. Try creations full of natural goodness, including ice cream and juices.

Kaizoku cuisine refers to dishes of seafood such as shrimp and abalone that are heartily cooked while still fresh. Savoring such fresh marine produce is something you can only do in an area very close to fishing grounds. Season with shoyu or butter before eating, and the flavor of the seafood will spread in the mouth with its savory fragrance.

Kagawa Prefecture’s nutrient-rich seawater and gentle waves enable sweet oysters to flourish.
The savory fragrance of freshly cooked oysters spreads inside the kaki goya oyster huts. These delicacies are truly melt-in-the mouth. Another unique attraction of these eateries is the chance to interact with local people.
*Kaki goya only operate from November to March. Check each eatery’s opening days and hours via telephone.

In Shikoku, there are many sake products that are rich in regional color and match the food culture of each area.
The clean air, delicious water and rich natural environment in which Shikoku's sake is grown make it a very appealing sake.
Why not take a sake tour to visit local sake breweries and enjoy the local scenery?

What do you think? Why not try some of the superb gourmet cuisine we have introduced on your trip to Shikoku! Have a look at the articles about gourmet food below, too!