Iwate

I recommend the Jajamen at “Pairon” in Morioka. It is a very plain-looking dish, made of soft-boiled and drained udon noodles topped with a plain-colored (slightly greenish-beige) meat miso paste and quickly boiled shredded cucumbers. It has a distinctive scent from the garlic in the meat miso. Don't be put off by how the dish looksーadd some vinegar if preferred (I like to add a lot of it) and mix well. You can also add grated fresh garlic. I hesitate for a moment because it makes you smell after eating, but I still can’t help but add it. Mix everything up and eat it. But make sure that you leave some of it on the plate at the end. Crack a raw egg prepared on the table into it, mix in the yolk, and ask the restaurant staff for some chitan. After having the bowl filled with leftover water from boiling udon noodles and a little meat miso, stir it and enjoy it as soup. I was amazed at how simple it was when I first tried it, but now I’m obsessed with it. I sometimes feel an overwhelming urge to eat it.

（Maiji）

Compared to Wanko Soba and Reimen noodles, Jajamen is enjoyed in a limited area. It became my favorite dish when a local at work introduced me to a restaurant when I was stationed there for six months for business. Add the desired amount of garlic, ginger, and chili oil to the meat miso, roughly mix it, and enjoy. Before you end the meal, crack a raw egg into the small amount of leftovers, and ask the restaurant staff to add some water from boiling udon noodles to make chitantan and finish the meal. Jajamen is excellent for dinner, and some locals prefer having it as a dish to finish the night. The “Pairon” restaurant is famous for where the dish originated, but “Kojan” is the restaurant that brings back my memories. I sometimes crave Jajamen, but unfortunately, Jajamen restaurants are hard to find outside Iwate.

（Koro）

The Jajamen recipe is basically the same, but we all have our favorite tastes depending on the kind of seasonings we like. Even friends and family members enjoy a completely different style of eating Jajamen; some add vinegar, some add chili oil, some prefer not to have green onions, some add a lot of garlic, and some end the dish without chitantan. This makes it difficult for beginners to find their best style, but once you find it, you will want to eat it repeatedly.

（Tsukiko）

I enjoy it every time I visit my parents’ place in Morioka. My favorite is the Jajamen at Pairon. I recommend eating it with extra chili oil.

（watapica）

You will get obsessed with the taste, but not with your first try; after having it several times, you will notice that you cannot live without Jajamen anymore. You can customize the taste. My recommendation is the restaurant “Pairon.”

（Run）

It is basically made of beef broth with chewy, translucent noodles. The ingredients on top, depending on the restaurant, include cucumbers, white sesame seeds, meat, half a boiled egg, and fruits (such as watermelons and pears). You have to choose how spicy you want it, and they add the kimchi according to your choice: slightly spicy, medium spicy, very spicy, or having the kimchi served on a different plate. I recommend having the kimchi served separately so that you can enjoy it as a side dish, and add the kimchi dregs while eating the reimen to change the flavor. Enjoy it at “Shokudoen,” the so-called originator of the dish, along with the unique grilled meat served with egg and craft beer.

（Tama）

It is the soup that reflects the uniqueness of the restaurant. I would like you to enjoy the soup without the kimchi at first. The recommended restaurants are “Shokudoen,” “Pyonpyonsha,” and “Morishige.”

（Kobako）

In the fall, the reimen at “Pyonpyonsha” is served with pears instead of watermelons, and is delicious with a spicy and sour taste with just the right amount of sweetness!

（Mogu）

As a lover of sour food, I’m obsessed with adding vinegar to make it sour!

（Hina）

The Morioka Reimen served at local restaurants, and those you can buy at supermarkets and souvenir stores taste entirely different. Still, they are both called Morioka Reimen, and I like the way Morioka locals accept them.

（Nayosan）

The reimen I had when I stopped by at “Seirokaku” in front of Morioka Station was very delicious. I also had grilled meat, which was also outstandingly remarkable. It made me understand that the reimen with the good meat broth is exquisite.

（Tomomo）

I would like you to visit “Chokurian” to enjoy Wanko Soba and learn about the history of the Nanbu Clan.

（Mitchan）

The texture is smooth enough to eat in a single bite.

（Hatasan）

It is not just Morioka that serves Wanko Soba; they also have moridashi-style Wanko Soba in Hiraizumi, which is also good since you can enjoy the soba at your own pace. I recommend the “Bashokan” restaurant in Hiraizumi.

（Hasesan）

The noodles are kneaded with water and lots of eggs eaten in some areas in the southern part of the prefecture. It can be eaten like somen in summer or warm noodles in winter. It goes well with myoga ginger. I’ve loved the aroma of the eggs and the plump texture since I was a child. When I moved to Tokyo for college, I was homesick and wanted to eat it, so I asked the supermarket clerk if they had ranmen noodles, only to find that it was something new to the clerk.

（Piruru）

It is a specialty of Esashi, Iwate, where my partner came from, and we always have these noodles at home. The yellowish noodles are made mainly from wheat flour and chicken eggs, and their firm texture and subtle egg flavor make them dry noodles that you will never get tired of. It is usually served as dipping noodles like somen, but having them like pasta, for yosenabe hot pots, and mizutaki stew is also great!

（Brusu）

I learned about Kamaishi Ramen after getting married in the Kamaishi area from inland Iwate. It is the kind of ramen you can always find at local Chinese restaurants and diners. The soup is light soy sauce-based, with extra-thin and curly noodles. I heard that the noodles are made to be thin so that they can be served quickly for workers’ lunches and that they are salty for the sweating workers. I love enjoying the delicious ramen here and there on my travels, but the feeling I have when I eat this ramen is similar to that of drinking miso soup at my parents’ house; taking a sip of the Kamaiparent’sn soup refreshes me to the heart’s core. It is mostly made with Fujiyu’s soy sauce, which creates a distinctive sweetness that is the key to the soup’s flavor. It is light-tasting and tender enough for people of all genders and ages to enjoy at any time.

（Sayakuma）