Okinawian traditional (authentic) dishes
1. Okinawian soba
The list of authentic Ryukyu dishes should start with Okinawan soba. But to understand what Okinawan soba is, you need to understand what soba is in general.
Soba is buckwheat noodles, similar to the Japanese dish udon and Chinese ramen. But, unlike them, it is not a rice or wheat noodle.
Okinawan soba is eaten with pork and Japanese ginger (red Japanese ginger), sometimes with goya (Japanese bitter cucumber, one of the traditional vegetables of Okinawa).
Okinawian soba
More photos can be found in the gallery
Goya-champuru
The same can be said about the Okinawan dish goya-champuru as about Okinawan soba - first, we need to understand what "champuru" simply means.
Champuru is an Okinawan dish made by frying vegetables, tofu, meat, or fish in oil.
Goya champuru is essentially just regular champuru, but with goya. In general, champuru appeared in Okinawan cuisine under the influence of Indonesian cuisine.
Sweet potatoes and other sweets
Sweet potato is a sweet potato that is grown in Okinawa. It looks like a regular potato, but is slightly elongated and purple in color. The flesh is juicier and more yellow than its European counterpart.
The aforementioned root vegetable is baked in its own skin and then eaten by discarding the skin.
Sweet potatoes are a traditional Okinawian sweet.
Another example of Okinawan sweets is sata andagi.
Sata andagi are sweet, deep-fried dough buns made of dough similar to donuts. They are also popular in Hawaii, sometimes known there simply as andagi. Sata andagi is made by mixing flour, sugar, and eggs. The ingredients are mixed into a ball and deep-fried. In Okinawan, "saataa" means "sugar," "andaa" means oil, and "aagi" means frying.
Like most confectionery products from the Ryukyu Islands, their manufacturing techniques are based on a combination of Chinese and Japanese methods. They are usually cooked so that the outside is crispy and browned, and the inside is fluffy and biscuit-like.
Sata andagi
Guava and sea grapes
Sea grapes are a seaweed that has become widely consumed not only on the Okinawan archipelago but also around the world. It is called "sea caviar".
It looks like microscopic grape bunches, usually green in color (although brown and yellow are also found). The balls, like caviar, burst in your mouth. Sea grapes taste salty.
Sea grapes
Guava
A popular Okinawan tropical fruit is the guava. The guava (guava) tree belongs to the Myrtle family and can grow from 3-4 m to 10-20 m in height. The guava fruit is round or pear-shaped and has a strong aroma. The strong aroma of freshness is very pleasant, so guava peel is used as a natural flavoring. On the island of Okinawa, the guava is a garden tree.