Okinawa Local Cuisine: Rafute

Hey there, meat lovers! Let’s head down to Okinawa and talk about a real showstopper – Rafute! This is a braised pork dish that’s a staple of Ryukyu cuisine, and it’s all about that melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. Get ready for a rich and flavorful experience!

Dish Name: Rafute

• Region / Location: Okinawa Prefecture (throughout the prefecture).
• Primary Area of Tradition: Okinawa Prefecture.
• Main Ingredients: Pork belly.

How It’s Eaten / Served

Rafute is made with pork belly that’s braised in a flavorful combination of sugar, soy sauce, and awamori (Okinawan rice liquor). The result is incredibly tender pork with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, and a hint of awamori’s distinctive aroma. It’s a dish that’s rich and satisfying.

Cultural Background and Preservation

Okinawan (Ryukyu) cuisine is often described as “starting and ending with pork,” highlighting the importance of pork in the local diet. Historically, every part of the pig was used, from the meat to the organs, face, ears, and even blood. Pork belly was particularly prized, and even pork fat was a valuable source of nutrition in leaner times. The prominence of pork in Okinawan cuisine is attributed to the influence of Chinese culture during the Ryukyu Kingdom era. While Japan had some dietary restrictions on meat, these didn’t take root in Okinawa, so pork was even used in Buddhist memorial services. Rafute, a braised pork belly dish, is one of the most famous pork dishes from Okinawa. Originally, it was a strongly flavored preserved food, necessary for the hot Okinawan climate. Over time, the flavor has become milder, and Rafute has become a representative dish of Ryukyu cuisine, served to guests and at ceremonial occasions like Buddhist memorial services. It’s also sometimes called “Rafutei.”

In the days before refrigerators and freezers, Rafute was an important preserved food. Today, it’s served as a celebratory dish and at events like parties and Buddhist memorial services.

To prepare Rafute, the pork belly skin is first singed over an open flame and briefly parboiled. It’s then simmered in a pot with water for about 1.5 hours, and then chilled. The pork is cut into 4-5cm cubes and simmered again with dashi (Japanese broth) and awamori for about an hour. Sugar is added and it’s simmered for another hour, then half of the soy sauce is added for an hour, and finally, the remaining soy sauce is added and it’s simmered for two hours. The dish is finished when the pork skin is tender enough to be cut with chopsticks.

Rafute is commonly cooked at home and served in restaurants throughout Okinawa. You can also find it sold as a packaged product in supermarkets and souvenir shops.

Additional information:

• Awamori (泡盛): An Okinawan distilled spirit made from rice.
• Ryukyu (琉球): The name of the former kingdom that encompassed the Okinawa islands.