Imo tako is a traditional dish from Kagawa Prefecture, prepared by simmering tako (octopus) and satoimo (taro) together. It was originally served as a festive dish for special occasions such as local festivals and New Year’s celebrations, but today it has become a familiar part of everyday meals.

Octopus from the Seto Inland Sea is known for its natural sweetness and strong flavor, while satoimo is widely cultivated across the prefecture. In this dish, the umami of the tako is absorbed by the satoimo, resulting in a rich and comforting taste. Imo tako is often enjoyed as a side dish or served with sake, making it a flavorful addition to the table.

Tai (sea bream) somen is a superb dish that uses a whole fish, sea bream with somen, a thin wheat flour noodle.
It is a traditional meal served as a main course at weddings, and consists of salted sea bream stewed in soy sauce and sake, placed on a platter over somen noodles. It was also served at the topping out ceremony for the construction of a new house, and at a boat launching ceremony in fishing villages, and was very popular as an indispensable dish on festive occasions. Recently, it is rarely prepared in homes, but some restaurants and hotels serve it as a celebratory meal.
It is interesting to note that the appearance of the dish differs from region to region, as in some regions they are decorated more with shredded egg crepes and vegetables with decorative cuts.

The umami of the sea bream and soy sauce combined in the broth makes the somen noodles even tastier.

Udon has long played an essential role in the local cuisine of Kagawa. The flour noodles are served at festivals and farming ritual events. The warm climate and low rainfall are an ideal climate for growing wheat for udon. The region also produces salt, soy sauce, and niboshi – small dried sardines, necessary for making the dashi soup. This is one of the reasons why udon is one of the local dishes of Kagawa.

Sanuki udon is touted for its chewy texture. It is consumed many ways including:
kake – warm udon served in a warm dashi broth,
shippoku – warm udon served with a warm broth and vegetables such as daikon, carrots, and taro root,
kamaage – warm udon noodles that are dipped into a flavored soy sauce,
zaru – cold udon noodles served on a tray with a dipping sauce,
bukkake – cold or warm udon noodles that has a seasoned soy sauce poured over it.
Sometimes the udon is seasoned with an unpasteurized soy sauce.

The people of Kagawa eat more udon than any other prefecture in Japan. Tourists pilgrimage to Kagawa to dine at the many udon restaurants which are an engrained part of the local culture.

Iriko – small dried anchovies or sardines are essential for the udon broth. More than kombu and katsuobushi, iriko makes a rich stock with glutamates and inosinates for an umami-rich soup that makes the Sanuki udon taste better.