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荒井屋［Araiya］

文明開化後、日本人の口に合う牛肉の
食べ方として生まれた横濱料理、「牛鍋」。

Yokohama Gyunabe
A Japanese take on eating beef

素材にこだわりながら、昔の味を今に伝える。

浅い鉄鍋に、牛肉と野菜を敷き詰めた後に割下を注ぎ、火を点ける。牛肉の脂が溶け出して甘い香りが漂う。グツグツ煮立ち、牛肉の色が変わったら、さぁ食べごろ。これが文明開化後に横浜で誕生し、今に受け継がれる「牛鍋」である。伝統の味を守る老舗の荒井屋では、国産黒毛和牛を一頭買いし牛鍋に相応しい部位を調理する。葱は太くて煮ると甘い千住葱。シラタキは煮てもコシのあるもの、焼き豆腐は一般の物より固めのものを仕入れるといった具合に素材にもこだわる。四代目の女将は「文明開化当時、居留民が食べるお肉を日本人が自分たちの口に合うように試行錯誤して生まれた味。牛鍋は外国人のために作ったものではなく、日本人のための料理。そう横濱料理なんです」と言う。本店は歴史ある木造建築で、横浜絵の版画などが飾られ、往時をしのびながら鍋を囲むことができる。また2007年には万國橋のたもとに本店と変わらぬ味を楽しめる2号店を開店。和モダンな雰囲気で、地元の人のみならず週末には観光客が足を向ける人気店になっている。

The traditional taste of Yokohama, preserved using selected ingredients

When Westernization came to Yokohama, so too did a new way of eating beef that remains popular to this day: Gyunabe, or “beef pot.” First, a sukiyaki stock is poured into a shallow cast-iron pot containing a layer of beef and vegetables to create a sort of stew. This is then cooked so that the fat oozes from the beef and a sweet aroma fills the air. When the stew has come to the boil and the beef has changed color, it is ready to eat. Araiya is an old established restaurant where you can enjoy the traditional taste of Gyunabe. Araiya prepares its cuts of beef for Gyunabe from Japanese black. The other ingredients are also carefully selected: thick leeks from Senju, known for their sweetness when cooked; Shirataki noodles that remain “al dente” even when boiled; and firmer than normal grilled tofu. Araiya’s fourth and current proprietress explains the origins of Gyunabe: “The taste evolved through trial and error as the Japanese sought to adapt the beef eaten by foreign residents to their own tastes when Japan underwent Westernization. Gyunabe was made not for foreigners, but for the Japanese – it is Yokohama cuisine.” The parent restaurant is situated in a historic building decorated with woodblock prints of Yokohama that immerses diners in days gone by. In 2007, Araiya opened a second restaurant at the foot of Bankoku Bridge. This combines a modern Japanese-style décor with cuisine as good as the parent restaurant’s, making it popular with weekend sightseers as well as locals.