Classic Sendai Eats: Gyutan, Zunda, Sasa-kamaboko
Sendai's cuisine was born where the Date clan's food culture met the ingenuity of the postwar years.
Some specialties took hold after the war, like grilled beef tongue, while others, like zunda, have been beloved since long ago.
Let's look at the flavors that represent Sendai, starting from how each came to be.
The Flavors That Represent Sendai
Gyutan (grilled beef tongue)ぎゅうたんやき
Said to have been started by proprietor Sano Keishiro at his shop "Tasuke" soon after the war. It is most often served alongside barley rice and oxtail soup.
Source:せんだい旅日和（仙台観光情報サイト）
Zunda (sweet edamame paste)ずんだ
A green paste of boiled edamame ground smooth. It is enjoyed coating mochi as zunda mochi, and blended into a zunda shake.
Source:せんだい旅日和（仙台観光情報サイト）
Sasa-kamabokoささかまぼこ
A fish cake shaped to resemble a bamboo leaf. Made by grilling the minced paste of fresh white-fleshed fish, it is a staple Sendai souvenir.
Source:せんだい旅日和（仙台観光情報サイト）
Seri-nabeせりなべ
A hotpot that stars Japanese parsley used all the way down to the roots. People savor its crisp texture and fragrance as a flavor of winter.
Source:せんだい旅日和（仙台観光情報サイト）
Mapo yakisobaまーぼーやきそば
A plate of fried noodles topped with mapo tofu sauce. This local dish is said to have been created at a Chinese restaurant in Sendai.
Source:せんだい旅日和（仙台観光情報サイト）
Hagi no Tsukiはぎのつき
A signature sweet from Kasho Sanzen, wrapping custard cream in a fluffy sponge-cake shell. Its name nods to the bush clover (hagi), the city's flower.
Source:菓匠三全
FAQ
Why is gyutan served with barley rice in Sendai?
It is said that a set-meal style, pairing the tongue with oxtail soup and lightly pickled vegetables for nourishment and heartiness, spread widely. Today it is cherished as the standard gyutan set meal.
Where does the name "zunda" come from?
One theory holds that it shifted from "zuda," meaning to pound the beans. Accounts vary, but the method of grinding edamame is common to them all.