Nagasaki Champon at Shikairo

Regional food in Nagasaki says as much about the place as its temples or its scenery, and Nagasaki Champon at Shikairo is where that shows.

Champon — thick wheat noodles in a milky pork-bone and chicken broth loaded with seafood and vegetables — was invented in 1899 by Chen Ping-shun, the Chinese cook at Shikairo restaurant in Nagasaki's Chinatown. The dish was originally staff meal for Chinese students studying in Nagasaki, designed to be nutritious and filling. The original Shikairo (四海楼) still operates on the same hilltop location overlooking Nagasaki Harbor, and the fourth-generation descendant of Chen maintains the original recipe.

The defining characteristic: the broth is not clear tonkotsu but an emulsified mixture of pork bone, chicken, and lard that turns opaque white. The noodles are thicker than ramen, custom-made to absorb the heavy broth. The toppings — always including cabbage, bean sprouts, squid, shrimp, and pork — are stir-fried before being added to the soup, creating a wok-seared flavor absent from standard ramen.