When you visit Ise, be sure to taste the local cuisine rooted in this land. Between visits to the shrines, take time to experience Ise's distinctive food culture. Here are three of its best-known dishes.

Ise udon

Ise udon is known for noodles about twice as thick as ordinary udon. Boiled slowly until soft, they are served with only a small amount of dark sauce based on tamari soy sauce. The texture is soft and springy — the very opposite of udon prized for its firmness. The dish is said to have been devised so it could be served quickly to arriving pilgrims, and to be gentle on bodies weary from the long road.

Tekone-zushi

Tekone-zushi is a local dish handed down in the Ise-Shima region. Slices of bonito or other fish are marinated in a soy-based sauce and served over vinegared rice. It is said to have begun as a fishermen's meal: fish caught at sea, quickly dressed and mixed — "kneaded by hand" (tekone) — with rice on the boat.

Akafuku mochi

The most famous taste of Ise is surely Akafuku mochi: soft rice cake wrapped in smooth, sweet red-bean paste. The three ridges drawn in the bean paste are said to represent the clear currents of the Isuzu River flowing through the sacred grounds, and the white mochi the pebbles of the riverbed. Founded in 1707, Akafuku has been loved by Ise pilgrims for more than three hundred years.

Local food is a mirror of a land's history and daily life. After touching the prayer of Ise, take your time to savor the tastes of Ise as well.