A contest was held at a vocational school in Oita City for original dishes made by high school students using ingredients from Oita Prefecture.
This contest is held every year by the International Culinary Training School in Oita City to raise interest in locally grown ingredients, and this year eight high school students from five teams were selected from 24 teams of applicants.
The students, who devised original dishes using plenty of ingredients from Oita Prefecture, cooked with serious expressions to show off their skills.
The team that made the sushi rolls incorporated chives and chirimen from the prefecture as well as Oita's local dish, ryukyu, and named them "Oita rolls."
In addition, the team that made spring rolls made spring rolls full of ideas by wrapping them in rice paper and frying them using summer vegetables harvested in the prefecture, such as bell peppers, okra, and paprika.
Then, when the five original dishes were ready, teachers and nutritionists at this school tasted them and judged their taste and appearance.
Rinka Tsumizaki, a second-year student at Hinode Sogo High School who made spring rolls, said, "I was nervous and my hands were shaking, but I want to work in the cooking industry in the future, so it was a very good experience."