Camera companies stick to cameras. Mostly. OM System didn’t get that memo, and after last year’s improbably popular Outdoor Monster Curry, the brand best known for weather-sealed mirrorless bodies is back at the stove. Meet OM System Ragù, the company’s second packaged meal aimed squarely at hungry photographers.
The premise is the same as before: field-friendly food for people who’d rather be shooting than cooking. This time the dish is a beefy ragù, built around simmered beef tendons in a tomato sauce seasoned with curry-flavored spices. It leans on the DNA of that original curry while trading the full-blown heat for something richer and saucier — the kind of thing you’d want after a long day chasing light in the mountains.
Preparation is deliberately no-frills. The ragù ships in a pre-packaged retort bag that you drop into boiling water for three to five minutes. That’s it. Notably, it is not microwavable, which keeps things stove-and-kettle simple for anyone eating out of a backpack rather than a kitchen. No plug required, no wattage to worry about — just heat, wait, eat.
For the calorie-counters and the trailhead planners, here’s the nutritional rundown per package:
- 218 calories
- Just over 7 grams of protein
- 13 grams of fat
- 17 grams of carbohydrates
It’s a modest, sensible portion — enough to refuel without weighing you down, which is very much the point for a meal designed to travel light.
Pricing is refreshingly friendly at ¥600 (about US$3.75), putting it firmly in impulse-buy territory. OM System Ragù is available now through the OM System Store in Japan, so for the moment this is a domestic treat rather than a global menu item.
The obvious question hangs over the whole thing: can a camera company strike delicious gold twice? The Outdoor Monster Curry proved the first hit wasn’t just a fluke of novelty — people genuinely bought and enjoyed a meal from a lens maker. The Ragù is the follow-up that tells us whether this is a running gag or a legitimate side hustle. Either way, it’s hard not to admire the commitment. Plenty of brands slap their logo on a mug or a tote bag; OM System is out here developing recipes.
Whether it earns a permanent spot on the menu or quietly fades away, OM System Ragù is a delightful reminder that the outdoors is about more than gear. Sometimes it’s about what’s in the pot next to the tripod.
