Reviving Ryukyuan Cuisine: The Women Bringing Okinawa’s Forgotten Food Back to Life
For over four centuries, the Ryukyu Kingdom thrived in what is now modern-day Japan. Although its distinctive cuisine nearly vanished over time, a cultural and culinary revival is quietly taking place, led by a dedicated group of Okinawan women.
“You can tell a lot about someone just by looking at their tongue,” says Yukie Miyaguni in the kitchen of her apartment in Uruma, a city on Okinawa Island. A chef and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner, Miyaguni studies my tongue before sketching it on a whiteboard and prescribing a curious mix: more cacao at night, honey in the morning, and extra butter – all meant to boost circulation and improve dry skin.
Though I hadn’t come to Okinawa seeking a diagnosis, my culinary curiosity had led me to Miyaguni’s kitchen. I wanted to explore Ryukyuan cuisine, a rare and indigenous food culture that dates back to the 12th Century when the Ryukyu Islands established trade links across East Asia.
Stretching over 1,100km from Kyushu to the edge of Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands were once the Ryukyu Kingdom (1429–1879), a powerful maritime trading state. This unique geographical and political history gave rise to a rich culinary identity that fused local ingredients like goya (bitter melon), shikuwasa (a citrus fruit), beni-imo (purple sweet potato), and mozuku seaweed with foreign influences. Thai merchants brought indica rice, the Chinese introduced herbal remedies and pork, and Korean traders taught pickling and fermentation techniques.
Miyaguni explained that royal court chefs once welcomed foreign emissaries with a culinary tradition known as Ukwanshin Ryori, or court cuisine. This refined cooking style featured intricate dishes like hana-ika (sliced squid), minudaru (steamed pork with sesame), and gunbomachi (burdock root wrapped in pork), all served in elegant Ryukyuan lacquerware called tundabun.
After Japan annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1879, court cuisine became more widespread, and traditional “folk cuisine” persisted in rural households. But following World War II, prolonged U.S. military occupation, economic hardship, and the influx of American fast food contributed to the steep decline of Ryukyuan culinary traditions.
Today, however, a resurgence is underway. Women like Miyaguni are breathing life back into this once-fading food culture. As she tosses chopped goya, tofu, pork, and eggs into a bowl to make goya champuru (a stir-fry dish whose name means “to mix”), she reflects, “This was the food of our ancestors. By cooking this way, we honor their memory and preserve our heritage.”
Ryukyuan food, like its mainland Japanese counterpart, is rooted in seasonality and local ingredients. Staples such as jimami (peanut tofu), agu (slow-cooked pork), and umibudo (sea grapes) are served in traditional lacquerware or yachimun (Okinawan pottery), adding both aesthetic and historical value.
“Ryukyuan cuisine isn’t particularly colorful,” Miyaguni notes, gesturing to the bold red tundabun dishes, “so the tableware helped brighten the presentation.”
After baking chinsuko (a simple shortbread made with flour, lard, and sugar), we sat to enjoy our meal: tender peanut tofu, sesame-coated pork slices, and sticky rice balls wrapped in banana leaves. As we ate, Miyaguni spoke of the healing properties of Okinawan foods. Ingredients like goya and purple sweet potatoes are rich in antioxidants, help regulate blood sugar, and promote digestion. Even awamori, a locally distilled spirit, is believed to support gut health.
Miyaguni’s passion for Ryukyuan cuisine stems from her background in nutrition and her belief in food as medicine, a concept rooted in Chinese philosophy. After retiring from hospital work in 2008, she studied TCM and recognized its deep connection to traditional Okinawan cooking. Since then, she has taught classes to both locals and tourists, and in 2018, she was named an official representative of Ryukyuan cuisine by the Okinawa Prefectural Governor.
“Once known as the island of longevity, Okinawa is now seeing a rise in health problems,” she warned, attributing the shift to the erosion of traditional food habits.
Even after annexation, Ryukyuan folk cuisine followed the Chinese principle of ishoku dogen – that food and medicine are inseparable. Staples included mugwort soup, purple sweet potato, homemade tofu, and every part of the pig, following the old Confucian saying of using “everything but the oink.”
Miyaguni still keeps a copy of Gozen Honzō, a historic text written by a royal physician that documents Ryukyuan edible plants and their preparation methods. “It details countless local ingredients and how to cook them,” she said.
While Miyaguni’s mission is driven by health and heritage, Kazumi Kayo, another Ryukyuan chef and ambassador for Okinawan food culture, was inspired by her mother.
“As a child, I wasn’t drawn to Ryukyuan food,” Kayo admitted. “But later, I was haunted by the memory of my mother’s cooking and wanted to preserve those simple flavors.”
Kayo is also concerned about the island’s declining life expectancy, once the highest in the world. “With Western eating habits taking over, more people are suffering from lifestyle diseases,” she said.
In response, the Okinawa government launched the Ryukyuan Cuisine Masters program in 2016. It trains chefs and nutritionists to carry forward the region’s culinary legacy while promoting healthier lifestyles.
Now in her 18th year as an instructor, Kayo runs Yonner Food Cooking Studio, where students begin with a trip to the bustling Makishi Public Market in Naha. “Yonnerfood means ‘slow food’ in Okinawan dialect,” she explains. “We shop, chat, and cook together so people can fall in love with Okinawa’s food culture.”
To further preserve Ryukyuan culinary heritage, the Ryukyu Cuisine Preservation Association was established in 2019. That same year, the “Unbroken Legacy of the Ryukyu Kingdom” – including its cuisine – was officially recognized as national cultural heritage in Japan.
Today, Ryukyuan food experiences are growing in popularity. Certified chefs like Hiromi Nerome host cooking classes in their homes, often paired with guided food tours like Blue Zone Okinawa, run by local guide Junko Yokoo. “Many tourists are curious about the longevity diet of Okinawa,” Yokoo said, noting the unique taste of local vegetables like bitter melon and purple sweet potato.
Restaurants like Suitenrou in downtown Naha now serve a blend of folk and court dishes alongside traditional music and dance. Kuninda, a more formal establishment, presents refined plates like stewed pork in white miso and sea grapes topped with wasabi.
But for Miyaguni and Kayo, the key to preserving Ryukyuan cuisine is hands-on learning.
“If people outside Okinawa grow curious,” Kayo said, “then maybe those of us here will also rediscover and cherish it again. Because if we lose this food, we lose part of who we are.”
