About Osaka

Ponzu sauce is a seasoning beloved by Osaka people. It is a Japanese seasoning with a refreshing sour taste of citrus juice. It also has a strong flavor from kombu seaweed and bonito flakes. It is said to be derived from the Dutch word pons (a type of cocktail made by mixing distilled alcohol with citrus juice and sugar. A no longer used term), and is a coined word using the kanji character for "vinegar." In Osaka, it is not uncommon to see as many as 20 types of ponzu sauce lined up on supermarket shelves. There are many ponzu lovers who use different types depending on the dish, such as pork, chicken, seafood, and salad. Ponzu sauce can be paired with a variety of dishes, but it is an essential ingredient in "tetchiri."

"Tecchiri" is a hot pot dish made with fugu, which is a seasonal feature of winter in Osaka. Fugu is famously produced in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, but about 60% of the total catch is consumed in Osaka. Osaka people love the subtle and refined sweetness of fugu, its unique crunchy texture, and how well it goes with ponzu sauce. In particular, fugu goes well with the sharp and crisp acidity of sudachi, a citrus fruit produced in Tokushima. Each fugu specialty restaurant makes their own homemade ponzu sauce (chiri vinegar) with their own ingenuity, and each has their own loyal customers who are captivated by the taste. By the way, why is fugu hot pot called tecchiri? In the 16th century, Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued a ban on eating fugu. Fugu was also taboo in the Edo period, as it was considered shameful for samurai to be poisonous. However, Osaka is a city of merchants. "I don't know anything about the rules of the samurai," they said, and enjoyed fugu by communicating in the secret language of "tetsu," which is like a gun and means "you die if it hits you." It can be said that this flavor was nurtured by Osaka's anti-authority, rebellious spirit.