B-kyu Gourmet in New York

Literally translated as B-class gourmet foods, the name of the genre may confuse most non-Japanese readers. “B” only refers to reasonable prices while gourmet refers to quality of food. So, the simplest translation is “reasonably priced quality foods”. However, that’s not enough to explain the essence of the genre that is extremely popular among Japanese. Here, we will talk about the features of B-kyu gourmet and decipher the reasons behind its attraction.

Inventive Ideas and Unique Twists

In addition to its affordable and casual features, one of the biggest characteristics of B-kyu gourmet is its creativity. Take “modern yaki” as an example. It’s a combination of okonomiyaki pancake and yakisoba (fried noodle), which was created to allow enjoyment of both delicious features in one dish. You can also save money by ordering this two-in-one dish. Imagine a dish where pasta and pizza are blended, it might seem strange, but the mastery behind B-kyu gourmet is how these inventive ideas actually make sense. Mixing multiple types of cuisine is a common approach of B-kyu gourmet such as “curry udon”, sauce for curry rice poured over udon noodles, “tenmusu,” onigiri (omusubi) rice ball with shrimp tempura inside, and “tebagyo,” chicken wing stuffed with gyoza filling. The source of ideas is unlimited from using unconventional toppings, blending unique ingredients into dough or noodles, to mix-and-matching sauces on a dish, and more. In this sense the California roll is categorized in this genre. It’s fun to create your own B-kyu gourmet like “black pizza with squid ink dough and sauce” and mac and cheese ramen. They are hearty, fun and energizing.

Less is more: Delicious Cheap Eats

B-kyu gourmet is also considered cheap eats, usually less than $10. No fancy decoration involved and served on simple plates, it saves costs so it can be provided at reasonable prices. Vendor type foods in Japan such as yakisoba (fried noodles), takoyaki (octopus ball), okonomiyaki pancake, yakitori skewers and yaki-tomorokoshi are typical B-kyu gourmet. They are especially good because you can eat them fresh off the grill. Imagining char-grilled corn drizzled with melted butter and warm soy sauce is just mouthwatering.

Local Delicacies

Another important feature of B-kyu gourmet is that it optimizes local produce. Locally harvested products are always fresh and cheap because no distribution time and costs are required. This helps B-kyu gourmet to be so unique and affordable. Traditionally, each region has developed its own local cuisine, and the recent rise of B-kyu gourmet has encouraged local people to rediscover and revamp their cuisine. Yakisoba made in a garlic-producing region might contain an abundance more garlic than usual, okonomiyaki pancake in a region producing negi scallions will highlight more of them, while a bonito region might serve bonito pizza, etc. As B-kyu gourmet genre spreads nationwide, the local cuisine also becomes more publicized. There is now an annual national contest of B-kyu “Go-tochi (local)” Gourmet, called B-1 Grand Prix, which attracts over 500,000 people nationwide.

	Takoyaki Fluffy, bite-sized, ball-shaped pancake filled with octopus. Usually sweet and sour sauce and mayonnaise are drizzled over and topped with katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and aonori (seaweed flakes). It’s a typical vendor food eaten piping hot. Don’t burn your tongue!		Yakitori Chicken skewer grilled on charcoal or charwood. There are lots of variations in terms of ingredients, but popular types from vendors are chicken breast, thigh, and skin. Seasoned with either shio (salt) or glazed with tare (thick sauce).
	Tebagyo Chicken wing stuffed with gyoza filling and either deep fried or grilled, tebagyo is a hearty finger food. Originally enjoyed in Nagoya region, tebagyo has now spread nationwide.		Tenmusu Shrimp tempura in onigiri (omusubi) rice ball. Gorgeous shrimp tempura upgrades casual onigiri, but it is still much cheaper than tendon (tempura over rice).

The Annual B-1 Grand Prix is a competition organized by Ai-B League, roughly meaning the league loving B-kyu gourmet, in hopes to stimulate local business through B-kyu gourmet. The first competition was held in Hachinohe City in Aomori Prefecture in 2006 and it has been getting bigger and bigger every year, with more than 500,000 people coming to the latest event in Himeji City in Hyogo Prefecture in 2011 to taste the selected B-kyu gourmet foods from nationwide.

Since it’s a competition, the popular items are ranked through votes made by the visiting public. The ranking from last year is;

1. Hiruzen Yakisoba by Hiruzen Yakisoba Suiton-kai (Okayama Prefecture)
2. Tsuyama Horumon Udon by Tsuyama Horumon Udon Kenkyukai (Okayama Prefecture)
3. Hachinohe Senbei-jiru by Hachinohe Senbei-jiru Kenkyujo (Aomori Prefecture)

This year, the B-1 Grand Prix is scheduled to be held in Kita Kyushu City in Fukuoka Prefecture on October 20th and 21st.

Hiruzen Yakisoba

Featuring thick, miso base sauce, locally grown cabbage and chicken, Hiruzen Yakisoba snatched the top ranking supported by the majority of visitors. The noodle itself is thick and al dente in texture, making it match perfectly with the original full-bodied, sweet and spicy sauce. Crispy and sweet cabbage adds heartiness to the dish. As you bite into it, the local chicken bursts umami flavor in your mouth.
www.hiruzen.info/yakisoba/ (Japanese only)

Tsuyama Horumon Udon

Filling stir-fried udon noodle dish from the same prefecture of Hiruzen Yakisoba. They use similar flavors, with a miso base sauce, but the toppings are beef horumon (innards). The innards produce distinctive flavor when they are fried, and enhanced by the sauce made with garlic, ginger, red chili peppers, black pepper, sesame oil and many more ingredients. Thick udon noodles absorb the umami produced from the blend of innards and sauce, to perfect the taste of the dish.
http://tsuyama-horumonudon.com/ (Japanese only)

Hachinohe Senbei-jiru

It’s an inventive soup dish with local specialty wheat crackers, Nanbu senbei, in it. Earthy dashi flavors from meat, seafood, vegetables, and mushrooms are delectable, but the main ingredient is the cracker, allowing you to experience an unprecedented harmony of texture and taste. The style of cracking Nanbu senbei into the soup has been enjoyed in this region for over 200 years, and today they have developed a special cracker that does not get soggy easily in the soup, resulting in just the right amount of al dente texture. You also can eat it in a nabe hot pot. www.senbei-jiru.com/ (Japanese only)