Japanese Food Japanese cuisine trending in the Middle East

Japan's food and beverage companies see new opportunities in the Middle East as the number of affordable Japanese restaurants, particularly in the UAE, is soaring. Some of the most popular culinary exports are shiitake and enoki mushrooms.

Big supermarkets in Dubai already carry many mushrooms commonly used in Japanese cooking, like shiitake and enoki. But it is still difficult to find mushrooms here that were cultivated in Japan. "Shiitake grown using Japanese logs contain lots of guanylic acid, which is the source of umami," said Kazuhide Sugimoto, the head of the shiitake distributor that hosted the February tasting. Sugimoto's company -- named Sugimoto -- tests its mushrooms for insect eggs so they can be certified kosher, or compliant with Jewish dietary rules. "Both demand and the number of growers are falling in Japan, and we are most interested in expanding in the Middle East," he said.

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Since 2019, shipments have increased by 65%, outpacing the 50% rise in Japan's overall food exports. By country, exports to the UAE more than doubled between 2019 and 2022 to around 7.2 billion yen, accounting for most shipments to the region. Exports to Kuwait increased more than 2.5 times, while those to Israel and Qatar nearly doubled. Among the factors fueling growing interest in Japanese food is the rise in relatively affordable Japanese restaurants aimed at the middle class in a region where the cuisine had previously been considered more of a luxury.

And of the 50 best restaurants in the Middle East and North Africa as identified in January by British publisher William Reed, at least 15 were Japanese or Japanese-fusion establishments. The restaurants -- located not only in the UAE but also in places like Saudi Arabia and Morocco -- offer a variety of dishes beyond sushi, including yakitori chicken skewers and takoyaki octopus balls.

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