champon — Nagasaki, Japan

Champon is a hearty, all-in-one Japanese noodle dish associated with the city of Nagasaki, combining thick wheat noodles, pork, seafood and vegetables in a single rich broth. It stands as an example of the Chinese-influenced cooking that shaped Nagasaki's port cuisine. It is reported to have taken its present shape during the Meiji era, when cooks from China settled in Nagasaki and adapted dishes from their home region to ingredients available locally. Today it remains closely tied to the city and its Chinatown. The dish is cooked in a single pan: pork, seafood such as shrimp or squid, and vegetables including cabbage, bean sprouts and carrot are stir-fried in lard, then a broth made from simmered chicken and pork bones is poured in. Thick noodles made specifically for champon are added and cooked directly in the broth until tender. Because the broth and garnish can flex with the season and the cook, versions differ noticeably: some lean on seafood, others on pork, some are enriched with a touch of milk for a paler broth, and the spice level or vegetable mix shift from one kitchen to the next.