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The Yomiuri Shimbun Meals using unagi freshwater eel are displayed. Unaju, top left, is grilled unagi over rice served in a special box.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
12:00 JST, January 12, 2025
Unagi, or freshwater eel, has been chosen as “Japan’s Dish of 2024” by Gurunavi, Inc., a Tokyo-based company that lists restaurant and other related information online.
Researchers are studying and developing projects related to eels, which are becoming increasingly scarce, to figure out if it is possible for the animals to be completely farm raised.
Eels are used in certain meals for special occasions, but are now also being used in more diverse ways, including in onigiri rice balls. Unagi is also popular among tourists, and the traditional food of kabayaki grilled eel is becoming more well-known overseas.
Such factors have led Gurunavi to select unagi as the dish of the year.
The runner-up was Japanese craft gin, as a number of local gin brands have been made to reflect the characteristics of their areas and have also received high praise worldwide. The inbound tourism award went to premium ramen, which is ramen that is considered to be unique or original due to its ingredients or how the soup is prepared.
Gurunavi has been selecting a dish of the year since 2014 based on such factors as the number of searches on its site.
