Japanese carrier ANA will update its in-flight menu on international flights with select dishes from Japan’s Kanto region.
Kanto is a geographical area located in Honshu, Japan’s largest island. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. It’s home to a large portion of Japan’s population.
Dishes from this region will be featured from December 2019 until May 2020.
The new dishes are part of the airline’s “Taste of Japan – Explore the regions” campaign, which sees the carrier change its in-flight menu every six months to include cuisines from Japan’s eight regions.
Kanto is the fifth region that ANA has highlighted as part of the initiative. Previously, ANA featured cuisines from Hokkaido, Kyushu, Chugoku and Shikoku, as well as Tokai and Hokuriku Shin’etsu.
The new dishes in the updated menu include:
- Ibaraki dried sweet potato and chicken curry with steamed rice
- Ice cream fraise
- Gunma kurobuta “Tonkuro” and foie gras caillette style, mustard sauce
- Pickled dried daikon radish & kombu kelp
- Deep-fried Chiba Choshi sardine fish ball curry with steamed rice
- Tokyo Edo miso chicken curry with teff mixed rice
- Harumi (Kinmemai Rice) Produced in Kanagawa
- ANA original grape parfait (Yamanashi)
ANA’s domestic flights will also have updated menus from December 2019 until February 2020. Premium class passengers on evening flights departing from Haneda Airport will be able to choose from meals “produced using specialties from the Kanagawa prefecture”.
From March 2020 until May 2020, domestic flights will offer meals created in collaboration with the Nikko-based Japanese restaurant Takaiya.
What’s more, ANA will serve 76 different types of kokushu (Japanese sake, shochu, and millet brandy) at its lounges in three airports: Haneda, Narita and Kaisai. The airline said each of the kokushu has been selected for its important role in local cuisine and ability to “exquisitely complement each of the dishes offered”.
“Our Tastes of Japan campaign aims to highlight the rich culinary tradition of Japan by exposing ANA passengers to new dishes that are prepared with the best ingredients by a dedicated team of professionals,” said Seiichi Takahashi, senior vice president of ANA.
“We are excited about the Kanto menu that will be available from December to May and believe it will open up a new perspective on Japanese food for our passengers.”
In other news, the Japanese airline is aiming to reduce the use of single-use plastics inside its cabins and lounges by replacing the plastic straws, stirring sticks and cutlery with eco-friendly materials from February 2020.
