What is in season in Fukuoka. and what to order when the market changes.
Spring
- Tai (sea bream): Genkai Sea sea bream runs March to May. Spring takenoko bamboo shoots arrive at the same window.
- Sakura-mochi: Pink sakura-leaf wrapped rice cakes through the cherry-blossom weeks in late March and early April.
- Iso-mono: Shellfish run on the Itoshima coast in May, with oysters closing the winter run and shellfish boats opening.
Summer
- Hamo (pike conger): Hamo runs June through August. Used in summer kaiseki at Aji Takebayashi and across the city.
- Shaved ice (kakigori): Shaved-ice kakigori on every cafe menu from July to August. Mango and matcha are the orders.
- Hakata Gion Yamakasa food carts: Festival food carts in Hakata grid July 1 to 15 for Yamakasa, the densest summer street eating.
Autumn
- Matsutake: Matsutake mushroom on kaiseki menus October to November, the densest autumn ingredient.
- Shinmai (new rice): Shinmai new rice arrives in October. The Yanagibashi stalls swap to it within the week.
- Saba (mackerel): Goma saba, the canonical Hakata mackerel-sesame raw dish, peaks in autumn through to early winter.
Winter
- Itoshima oysters: Itoshima oyster huts open October to March. The town runs forty huts down the coast at peak.
- Fugu (puffer fish): Fugu sashimi runs November through March in fine-dining counters across Akasaka and Yakuin.
- Motsunabe: Motsunabe hotpot fills every Yamanaka and Rakutenchi branch through winter. Miso and soy bases both.