Casual Japanese cuisine. True Japanese food. What do the Japanese eat for dinner
Li.Ru culinary community -
If you are tired of empty porridge, I suggest preparing a spicy and very easy to prepare Japanese dish. everything will turn out great for you, even if you don't know how to cook.
Each country has its own way of making an omelet with its own special ingredients. Japanese-style omelet with rice will surprise you with its composition, but also with a beautiful way of serving.
Today I will show you how to make nigiri at home. However, the nigiri recipe is extremely simple, and you can figure it out even without it. But for clarity, I think a recipe with a photo will come in handy for many.
Japanese rice is made with egg and vegetables. You can also add meat or tofu to taste. Japanese-style rice can be a good tasty side dish or a light main course. Try it.
In order to make rolls at home, you only need a can of canned tuna and carrots. Delicious and hearty canned tuna rolls will be a complete lunch.
The recipe for a simple and light dish of fried shrimp with onions. The onion gives the shrimp a spicy flavor. Shrimp can be served as an appetizer or hot with boiled rice.
The Japanese and Koreans still cannot share this recipe - each side assures that kimchi is precisely its national treasure. For us, the origin of this delicious dish is not so important as the technology of its preparation. So, a simple recipe for kimchi soup, adapted to Russian culinary realities;)
The traditional way to cook beef in Japan using vegetables, soy sauce and sesame seeds. It turns out to be quite unusual, but at the same time incredibly pleasant taste.
Japanese-style chicken legs are best served with rice. It turns out chicken legs spicy, so serve bland rice.
Tofu in batter looks like fish sticks. The dish is hearty, quick to prepare and suitable for vegetarians. This is a great hot snack. Breaded the tofu and fry in oil. Try it!
The sweet-spicy taste of the liver in Japanese will appeal to lovers of new sensations. I am telling you how to make a liver in Japanese - I recommend trying it, the dish is very good!
Shrimp cutlets are one of the most popular Japanese dishes. Yes, and in the land of the rising sun they make cutlets :) I advise you to try, the taste is very unusual.
For two decades now, sushi and rolls have conquered the entire planet, but another recipe for cooking fish in Japanese has been spared worldwide recognition. Meanwhile, sashimi is one of the simplest and delicious dishes in the world!
It is easy to make rolls at home, and besides, it can be a fun and tasty entertainment for a group of friends. You will need a bamboo mat, nori, sushi rice, avocado, and salmon.
If you still have rolls that you could not eat the day before, then make a simple dish - tempura rolls. It's very easy - I'll tell you and even show with pictures how to do it.
Do you like oriental cuisine and want to repeat it at home? There is nothing easier, because it is enough to cook the meat in Japanese style and plunge into the unforgettable atmosphere of the land of the rising sun.
Pay attention to the ingredients - this is not a simple spicy chicken, this is Japanese-style chicken in an unusual sauce with coconut milk! This exotic dish is easy and quick to prepare.
Chicken Roll Recipe - Making Asian rolls with chicken, ginger, apple, onion and sweet chili sauce.
Recipe for cooking scallops, oranges, ginger and cucumbers with honey. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes before using.
The marinated shiitake is cooked for 40 minutes. This is - delicious snack that can be stored in the refrigerator. When pickling, in addition to shiitake mushrooms, add cloves, peppers and other spices.
Shiitake noodles are good for an appetizer, side dish, or light lunch. You can add seafood, chicken or other meat to such noodles. A dish is prepared from fresh Asian noodles, shiitake mushrooms and spices.
Shiitake mushroom soup is simple and delicious. Add tofu cheese, some honey mushrooms or enoki, and green onions to the soup to shiitake. It turns out a light, elegant and at the same time very satisfying soup.
Japanese traditional shiitake miso soup is cooked for half an hour. Ginger, tofu, vegetables and, of course, miso are added to it. Shiitake is a source of vitamin D, so the soup comes out both tasty and healthy.
As a rule, wasabi paste, which is used for serving rolls and preparing some Asian dishes, is bought at the store. I'll tell you how to make wasabi at home using powdered wasabi.
Daikon came to us from the East. If you haven't tried making daikon radish salad yet, you urgently need to fix it. Very useful and economical, does not taste bitter. Well worth cooking!
Chicken "Katsu"
Chicken "Katsu" is a Japanese dish, which is a delicious chicken fillet fried in an egg and bread crumbs. Everyone can cook it - especially with a simple step-by-step recipe.
I show you how to make sushi (rolls) at home. If you have never tried making sushi (rolls) at home - try it. The process is simple and fun, and the result is delicious!
Delicious recipe rice with seafood. The Japanese consider rice to be a sacred food. The attitude to this product is also special. A lot of dishes are prepared with rice, dishes with sea cocktails are especially popular.
Chicken fillet in Teriyaki sauce
An exotic yet simple recipe chicken fillet in the traditional Japanese Teriyaki sauce, which is prepared on the basis of soy sauce.
Teriyaki sauce (Teriyaki) is a Japanese cuisine dish based on soy sauce. You can buy it in the store, or you can cook it at home, especially since the recipe for making teriyaki sauce is not at all complicated.
Enjoy the delicate and exquisite taste of eel sushi, touch the secrets of Japanese cuisine. Making eel sushi at home is quite simple, but it turns out tastier than in a sushi bar!
Shrimp rolls are dedicated to all lovers of sushi and seafood. Making rolls at home is easy, but step by step recipe with a photo will tell you in detail how to do it.
Chuka salad
Chuka salad is a traditional Japanese seaweed salad. Here's how to make a Chuka salad at home - it's pretty simple if you have the right ingredients.
The Japanese also eat cutlets. Japanese cutlets with cheese are quite similar to the cutlets we are used to, but they still differ in some way. I am sharing a recipe for Japanese cutlets!
Marinated Fish Recipe - Cooking grilled tuna with Japanese marinade. Besides fish dishes, the marinade is also suitable for chicken, beef, tofu and vegetables.
Rolls with avocado, salmon and cucumber are one of the most popular classic types of rolls. Avocado, salmon and cucumber are classics of the genre. If you are cooking or trying for the first time, this is what you need.
Japanese potato salad is something you have never tasted for sure. The most ordinary, familiar to us vegetables give rise to a Japanese salad that is completely unexpected in taste and design.
The recipe for hot rolls with salmon and cucumber.
You don't have to go to a sushi bar or restaurant to try delicious tuna and cucumber rolls. It is enough to open this recipe and try a little. Good luck!
Daikon chamomile is an incredibly beautiful appetizer that will look spectacular on any festive table and will give a subconscious signal to all guests: they know how to cook deliciously and beautifully here.
Pickled daikon is an easy-to-prepare and simply excellent appetizer or side dish. Surprise your guests with this wonderful pickled vegetable!
Miso soup is a traditional Japanese dish suitable for healthy eating... In Japan, this soup is prepared for breakfast and throughout the day. Easy to prepare recipe. Ingredients: dashi, miso, tofu.
Futomaki with scrambled eggs and shiitake are rolls for those who don't trust raw fish. It turns out no worse than with salmon, tuna or eel. Dedicated to roll lovers like me :)
Don't be alarmed, Japanese omelet with soy sauce is a fairly simple dish to prepare that does not require any outlandish and inaccessible ingredients. Everything is simple, fast and delicious!
Actually, this salad is called "Ebi Sunomono", but for the sake of simplicity I will call it simply - Japanese cucumber salad :) A great idea for a simple but unusual vegetable salad.
Classic Japanese traditional cuisine - salmon sushi. You don't need to go to a restaurant to make awesome salmon sushi - you can do it at home too!
The most popular variety of tea in Japan. More than 80% of the tea produced in the country is September. It is very delicate, aromatic and healthy. It is obtained from the bunch and gyokuro varieties.
Remember the variety of cereal and chicory coffee surrogates popular in the Soviet Union? Before you is a much more ancient Japanese analogue of roasted barley grains, which has retained its popularity today.
Vegetarian Vegetable Miso Soup is a delicious and very healthy soup. Japanese cuisine is based on fish, but we will cook a soup without fish, but nevertheless full of vitamins and nutrients!
Hosomaki are rolls and sushi with one filling. If you are preparing rolls for the first time, then this is a great option for mastering the process.
Sweet tender rolls will certainly please all girls and those with a sweet tooth. The recipe for sweet rolls is very easy to prepare.
Mussels are shellfish. If you adhere to the rules of technology, you can cook very tasty dishes from them.
Recipe for making a delicious Japanese-style soup made from tuna, mushrooms and sea greens with a sprats appetizer in dough.
Gemmaichya (genmaichya), from the Japanese word for brown rice tea, is an ancient energy drink used by the poor to maintain their strength. It was made from green tea leaves and fried rice.
Recipe for making tamago yaki. Japanese omelet - tamago yaki, a very popular dish in Japanese cuisine.
An Asian recipe made with spinach, soy sauce, rice vinegar, Japanese wine, and sesame oil.
The recipe for making rolls with grape leaves. For those who do not want to dial excess weight I will love this dish very much.
"Chakin shibori" Japanese dessert
During the preparation process, a very unusual and original dessert is obtained. You won't need much time to prepare such a dish. It turns out very tasty. The Japanese love this dessert.
The world famous Rice Vodka from the Land of the Rising Sun is actually rice beer if you look closely at the brewing process. Interestingly, this drink is easy to make at home!
Recipe for making crispy shrimp bags. This dish is very good to prepare for lunch.
Recipe for cooking cabbage rolls with shrimps in seaweed and lettuce leaves. The dish is low-calorie, hearty, tasty and very healthy.
Taco rice recipe with onions, garlic, ground beef, soy sauce, caraway seeds, lettuce, tomatoes. Mozzarella cheese, salsa and sour cream.
Modern Japanese cuisine omelet recipe. In Japan it is also called Wasai-eigo (wasei-eigo), in England it is known as the "Japanese portmanteau"
So what do you think is the most popular dish in Japan? I am sure that many will call it sushi and this is not far from the truth. Sushi in Japan is really very fond of and is often eaten, but there are other, more popular, dishes. So let's go ..
Ramen
1. Ramen Is Japanese wheat noodles with meat or fish broth. Many believe that this dish is eaten only by very poor people. However, in Japan, ramen is very popular because it is considered both delicious and healthy food. Most often they prefer ramen with meat and vegetables. In different regions of the country, their own kind of broth is prepared for the dish. The most popular are broths with soy sauce.
Ramen is very simple to prepare: put boiled noodles in a bowl, fill with broth, add the rest of the ingredients on top: vegetables, eggs, pickles.
Donburi
2. In Japan, this is the name for rice dishes with meat, fish or vegetables. The recipe for the dish is very simple: put boiled rice in a cup, and on top - boiled or fried meat and vegetables. Rice with fried pork is called tonkatsu, but if you add beef and onions to the rice, you get gyudon.
Sushi
3. Sushi Is a traditional Japanese dish made with thin slices of raw fish and rice mixed with vinegar seasoning. Sometimes the fish is put on small triangles that are molded from rice, but mostly they are rolled into an algae roll. (nori) and rice, after which the roll is cut (rolls) across, in circles.
Japanese curry
4. This is a very popular dish in Japan. Japanese curry is less spicy than Indian curry. The dish is meat and vegetables in a thick curry sauce, laid on top of rice.
Onigiri
5. Onigiri represent a rice ball, in the core of which, put a piece of fish (salmon, tuna) or pickled plum.
Onigiri is prepared as follows: put warm rice on the palm, put the filling in the middle of the rice, after which, we begin to squeeze all this slowly. The main thing is not to pinch the rice, as pressed rice is not as tasty.
Nabe
6. Nabe is called a large pot of meat and vegetables cooked in broth. Nabe with soy sauce broth is called oden. Shabu shabu, sukiyaki and chanko are all varieties of nabe.
Chahan
7. Chahan- This is fried rice with all kinds of additives. The most common chahan includes fried rice, eggs and onions, with soy sauce added.
Tempura
8. Tempura- This is seafood and vegetables in batter, deep-fried. Tempura is served with a variety of specific sauces. The most common vegetables used are potatoes, Bell pepper, onions and bamboo. Shrimps are especially popular for preparing tempura from seafood.
Udon
9. This is a type of flour noodles served with fish broth along with seaweed, fish cakes and vegetables. The main difference from ramen is that no egg is used in the preparation of the noodles.
Fried meat "Yaki"
10. "Yaki" translated from Japanese means "fried". Yakiniku- skewered and grilled chicken. This can be bought both in restaurants and on the streets during various events. Yakizakana is Fried fish... Regular Japanese cookers do not have an oven, but there is a small grill where you can grill fish.
There are not so many cuisines of the world classified as the World Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO. The highlight of this collection is Japanese cuisine. Small plates of various shapes on the table, small pieces of food that are convenient to grab with chopsticks and send into your mouth, understandable appearance the ingredients that make up the meal - this expresses the Japanese desire for elegance and aesthetics. Japanese attention to detail can be traced in their attitude to food: young people are served larger portions than older people due to different metabolism, food in the winter season is different from summer, the design of dishes turns into a real art.
Simplicity, ease of preparation, freshness of products are the foundations of Japanese cuisine. A regular corner grocery store or a high-end restaurant in the city center will offer their customers equally fresh food. In Japan, prepackaged and offered food has a shelf life of no more than a day. It is hard to believe that the ubiquitous and well-known Japanese cuisine was once closed to the world due to the policy of national seclusion that was pursued until 1868.
History of the kitchen
The earliest evidence of Japanese cuisine dates back to the Mesolithic and Neolithic times, when the main diet of the Japanese of that time was fish, various types of millet, and shellfish. Even then, the Japanese used pots in which all kinds of stews were cooked. The famous Japanese dish shabu-shabu, which is also called "a dish from one pot", dates from just that period. Archaeologists who carried out excavations in Japan noted that even then people used natural refrigerators in the form of deep pits and preserved food with salt.
The main product of the cuisine - rice - began to be cultivated in Japan in the 3rd century BC. BC, and rice was not only a food product, but also a monetary unit, a measure of remuneration for samurai before late XIX century. Rice stocks spoke about the material wealth of the family. In the 6th century, China influenced Japanese cuisine, and the foundations of the tea ceremony were laid.
During the same period, Buddhism penetrated the country, and therefore, already in 675, a law appeared prohibiting the use of meat. Violation of the ban was punishable by death. True, the ban itself did not apply to all types of meat. For example, the meat of wild pigs and deer could continue to be eaten with impunity. Fishing was also banned in 752. The fishermen were left without a job and a food source. But to prevent the fishermen from starving to death, the imperial house dated them with a certain amount of rice annually. Chopsticks are not a Japanese invention. The Japanese borrowed them from the Chinese, just like the recipe for soy sauce and udon noodles.
"Rice was not only a food product, but also a currency"
With the beginning of the aristocratic era, which began in 710 after the founding of the permanent capital in Nara, Japanese cuisine takes on its inherent features. The dishes at the imperial court are elegant and understated; the finesse and external aesthetics of the dishes are appreciated, not their abundance. Everything on the plates acquires a certain symbolism, the color of the dishes is determined by the season and the events taking place.
Until the arrival of the first Portuguese in Japan in 1543, sweets, as such, were absent from the diet of the population. Although sugar was discovered by the Japanese in the 8th century, it was considered a cure for lung disease and was not eaten. Most often, fruits, chestnuts, honey were sweet for tea. Everything changed with the arrival of Europeans in Japan. Sweet sweets, caramels, cookies and lollipops are the "sweets of the southern barbarians" with which they tried to persuade the Japanese to convert to Christianity. Japan closes itself off from the world again in 1639 and opens to the West only after 1868. Bakeries, steak houses, breweries, ice cream and chocolate shops, coffee and wine shops have all come to Japan and have become cosmically popular among young foodies and intellectuals. Cheeses, milk, and butter did not emerge from the popularity of the cheesecake dessert until the 1970s.
But American hamburgers were not destined to flood the market. Back in 1958, Ando Momofuku invented the revolutionary instant noodles in plastic cups that all of Japan fell in love with, and not only it. Japanese food traditions lose their relevance in their own country, but suddenly the Japanese discover that it is their cuisine that inspires the whole modern world... People from all over the world flocked to an internship with Japanese chefs. After all, the line in your resume that you were trained by a Japanese chef increases your competitiveness.
Japanese catering
Eating outside the home gained its popularity in the Edo period in the early 18th century, when the city (which will be renamed Tokyo in the future) was twice the population of the then Paris and the bulk of the inhabitants were unmarried men and visiting provincials. Many of them huddled in small rooms and there was simply nowhere to cook. This gave a powerful boost to the fast food industry. In 1751, the world's first restaurant opened in Edo. The ability to understand the quality of food has become a matter of honor. Edo, Osaka and Kyoto began printing the first restaurant appraisal booklets.
IN modern Japan The main feature of catering that distinguishes it from the rest of the world is the tradition of displaying display cases at the entrance with dummies of main dishes and their prices. They will definitely be served with food green tea, and a tip will be considered an insult - it is not customary to leave it here. You can often see a picture of a Japanese waiter catching up on the street to a European in order to tip him, which he left out of habit.
"You can often see a picture of a Japanese waiter catching up on the street to a European in order to give him a tip, which he left out of habit."
All active life in big cities takes place around metro stations and train stations, so most cafes and restaurants are concentrated there. Food prices can be either quite reasonable or obscenely high. It all depends on the level of the restaurant, the range of dishes and the quality of service.
An inexpensive and tasty option for a tourist to have a snack will be sushi establishments, organized on the principle of a conveyor belt, where small plates pass you and you can take whatever you like right from the belt. The cost of meals is determined by the color of the plate. After the end of the meal, the waiter counts the number and color of the plates, fixes them in the check, which you pay at the checkout when you leave the establishment. The order is usually made using an electronic display installed near each table.
It happens that a cafe offers only options for complex meals and it is impossible to change anything in the stated combinations. For example, if you want a bowl of soup with meat and vegetables, but without a bowl of rice, do not even hope that they will understand you and fulfill your wish or adjust the price. There is a menu and that's it, no other items are provided.
"Back in 1958, Ando Momofuku invented the revolutionary instant noodles in plastic cups that the whole of Japan loved and loved."
Superstitions / habits / omens
There are a number of rules associated with chopsticks in Japan. For example, women can only eat food with chopsticks, while men can eat some food with their hands. Sticks should not be inserted vertically into food, especially rice, this is done only at funerals. Chopsticks do not move plates, do not point, do not clamp them in a fist, and do not place them across the bowl. The chopsticks should be placed on the table before asking for additional rice.
Before a meal, always say "Bon appetit" and a damp warm and sometimes hot oshibori towel to rub your hands before eating. It is impolite to get up from the table with half-eaten rice in a bowl, they eat rice to the last grain.
Dishes
Japanese cuisine can be roughly divided into three groups: rice dishes, noodle dishes, and fish and meat dishes. The degree of heat treatment varies from completely raw meat and fish to products fried in batter over high heat.
There are three types of Japanese noodles: ramen, udon, and soba.
Ramen brought to Japan from China. Basically, they are noodles in broth. Most often in chicken, but also in pork or seafood broth. Vegetarian ramen is also gaining popularity in recent years. Ramen noodles are made from wheat flour with the addition of eggs.
Noodles udon made from wheat flour, but without adding eggs. Due to its composition, it takes a little longer to cook than ramen noodles, but it is also more nutritious. Unlike ramen, udon noodles are consumed both as an independent dish with soy sauce and as part of a soup.
Sobu made from buckwheat flour, sometimes with the addition of wheat. It is a famous dish since the Nara era, when it was served at tea ceremonies. Soba is usually eaten cold with spices and soy sauce, but sometimes added to hot broth.
Eating noodles of any kind, it is customary in Japan to smack their lips, thus showing that the dish is delicious.
Tempura- shrimp, fish and seasonal vegetables fried in batter. It is consumed with soy sauce broth. This crispy dish was brought to Japan by Christian missionaries.
Sukiyaki- The "dish from the cauldron", like the shabu-shabu, is cooked in a saucepan right on the table. Thin slices of beef, noodles, tofu and vegetables. Nothing complicated, but the taste is very exquisite.
Shabu shabu- the principle of cooking is close to sukiyaki, although here a thin piece of meat is dipped into a pot of boiling water, due to which excess fat is removed from the meat and the calorie content of the dish is reduced. The broth with meat is traditionally seasoned with onions, cabbage and vegetables.
Sushi, known and loved by everyone, initially looked quite different. Previously, rice and fish were carefully marinated and left for at least a year, and more often for three, before eating. The modern look of sushi was given by samurai who appreciated the taste of raw fresh fish. It was thanks to their taste preferences that sushi became a bun of rice and a piece of fish. As a rule, sushi is dipped in soy sauce and seasoned with "Japanese horseradish" wasabi. We are used to seeing wasabi on the table in a separate bowl, but in Japan, wasabi is put right inside the sushi. It is believed that different types of sushi should be eaten with pickled ginger in order to fully experience different tastes.
Sashimi- sliced raw fish fillets different types eaten dipped in soy sauce. Daikon, a Japanese radish, is often served with sashimi, which helps to fully reveal the taste of fish.
Japanese curry is the only rice dish that is eaten with spoons. The dish came to Japan from India and was positioned as English (at that time India was a colony of Great Britain). Later, the Japanese transformed the curry sauce to suit their taste, and now this dish cannot be called a fusion version of the Indian, the taste of the sauce is completely different.
Yakitori is a favorite snack for alcoholic drinks in Japan. Chicken meat, vegetables and mushrooms on bamboo skewers, grilled with coals. Mini barbecues are offered at numerous izakaya pubs.
Tonkatsu is a super popular dish in Japanese cafes. Just like tempura, it is deep-fried, but it is a pork chop and is served not with soy, but with another, slightly sweetish in taste, sauce.
It is impossible to ignore the delicacy - puffer fish, which is considered food for extreme lovers. After all, only a drop of poison, contained mainly in the liver of a fish, can lead a gourmet to complete paralysis and death. All the chefs who prepare puffer fish have a special license to prepare it. According to Japanese tradition, the chef who has poisoned the client is obliged to make himself hara-kiri, however, is this still relevant today? That is the question.
The second famous Japanese delicacy is marbled meat... The meat of the bulls turns out to be especially tender and soft due to the fact that they are almost never let out of the stall and are generously watered with beer.
Well, of course, wagashi- all kinds of Japanese desserts based on rice, legumes, agar-agar. It is difficult to call them sweet in the usual sense, but having got used to and discovering the taste of wagashi for yourself, it is already difficult to refuse them.
Alcohol
Cooking technology of the most famous alcoholic beverage- sake - similar to brewing beer, but the amount of alcohol in Japanese vodka sake is three times the "degree" of beer. Sake is also called rice wine because of the rice and water in it. Sake is drunk warm - to achieve a quick intoxication, or chilled, which is more familiar to Europeans. Sake is considered a drink for the smart, as research by Tokyo scientists suggests that the IQ of those who drink it daily is higher than that of those who abstain from it.
No less popular alcohol in Japan is beer, which is usually adorned with pretty, smiling Japanese women in short skirts. The whiskey that came from outside also won favor. Low alcohol fruit drinks are popular with young people. Fruit and berry wines, which we contemptuously call "ink", are made in Japan from plums - unlike ours, they have their own sophisticated interesting taste.
Fast food
The most popular Japanese snack is to buy onigiri. This is a triangular-shaped rice cake with filling (salmon, chicken, caviar, egg, vegetables, and so on). Once peasants took onigiri with them to the field, but now children take them with them to school and for a walk.
Okonomiyaki - "Japanese pizza". Only her base is not made from dough, but from chopped cabbage, fastened raw eggs... In the form of a filling, noodles, seafood, vegetables are used. Fast and economical meal, complemented by sweet sauce and sprinkled with dried fish.
Takoyaki are small balls of flour with pieces of octopus meat inside. The sauce and dried fish are the same as in okonomiyaki. Typically, takoyaki are sold in 6 or 9 pieces. It seems that this snack can only "freeze the worm", but despite its size, takoyaki is a very satisfying meal.
“Many of them huddled in small rooms and there was simply nowhere to cook. This gave a powerful impetus to the fast food industry. "
Bento is a variant of a camping lunch. It is a box divided into sections, each of which contains different ingredients. Bento was originally sold at train station stations for travelers with a long journey ahead of them. Bento is based on rice and various mini-dishes (meat, fish, vegetables). Previously, caring wives and mothers were engaged in their preparation, now they can be bought in any supermarket. However, it will not work to take out a wooden bento box from Japan as a souvenir. They are considered national treasures and are prohibited for export.
In addition, Japanese street food includes fried squid, popcorn, crepe-type pancakes, fried chestnuts, steamed buns with niku-man meat filling, chicken on a stick kushi-yaki, skewers made from various meats and quirky forms of tofu. You definitely won't stay hungry in Japan!
Photo by Lady and Pups , I am a Food Blog, Fitness on Toast
Stories box.
Japan is replete with many dishes that are popular in this country, but have not spread beyond its territory. Perhaps because many of these dishes taste or look at odds with the culinary tastes of foreigners. Take, for example, Junsai a water lily-like plant whose buds are used to make light broth or sauces: dishes with such an additive can be disgusting because they are covered with mucus.
Next, we have a rare and tricky ingredient:
Fugu.
The Japanese adore this potentially poisonous fish, which requires special skills and certification to cook, as one wrong cut can kill diners. However, in the puffer season, lovers of this fish eat everything without a trace, thus showing also the trust in the chef.
Traditional meal.
In contrast to the above, traditional dishes are put, thanks to which you can also feel the uniqueness of the cuisine of this country. Take, for example, shojin ryori, a ritual lunch with a variety of vegetarian dishes prepared by monks and priests in Buddhist monasteries. Although this dish is widespread in many Japanese cities, it is most loved. ancient capital where it came from. A classic shojin ryori-style lunch is served in a room that can be seen from (an integral part of which will be a pool of swimming carps). You will sit on a woven mat in a seiza position, and lunch will be served on a beautifully served lacquer tray that is placed on the floor (if, contrary to Western influences, there are no tables in the restaurant). A waitress, dressed in, will serve servings of freshly prepared seasonal vegetables, as well as pickles, rice, soups and a variety of tofu dishes. At the end of your meal, you will enjoy tea with gourmet sweets or pieces of fruit.
Changing national eating habits.
Culinary treats such as shojin ryori- and even oden, may become rare over time. While both have been strong for decades, the country has been immune to outside influences. Now, young Japanese are eating McDonald's food alongside the traditional oden dish. While the older generation of Japanese people prefer traditional sweets such as daifuku- red bean paste sprinkled with rice powder - a cake that is being prepared for birthday, the younger generation prefers biscuits covered with whipped cream and strawberries, which can be bought in countless French pastry shops.
The influx of foreign food, especially fast food, has led to sad changes in the way Japanese people eat and their health. The traditional diet consisting of rice, vegetables and seafood and a small amount of meat has changed; now the Japanese eat a lot of meat, dairy products, and high-fat foods.
But it's all worth it to take the opportunity and try
With its stunning natural scenery and strong cultural identity, Japan is a must-see destination at least once in a lifetime. This East Asian island is also home to some delicious and freshly prepared food.
Japan, unique and deceiving, is a land of opposites. It combines tradition and modernity, a huge number of bustling cities on a par with magnificent natural landscapes. The food of this country is known to be very nutritious and dietary, consisting of fresh vegetables and seasonal products. We have selected 10 dishes to try while in Japan.
Sushi
Sushi is raw fish laid on a pressed lump of rice, lightly seasoned with vinegar. Sushi recipes and fillings are extremely varied, such as spicy caviar sea urchin or thick, juicy amaebi (sweet shrimp) - after trying them, you will definitely not be disappointed. But despite the sublime image of sushi, it is primarily street food.
Ramen
Ramen, or egg noodles in a salty broth, is a favorite among Japanese "nightly" dishes. Ramen is a great example of a dish borrowed, in this case from China, that the Japanese have given their own special taste to. There are 4 main types of ramen broth: tonkotsu (pork bone broth), miso, soy sauce, and salty broth. Fukuoka is known for its tonkotsu ramen, and Hokkaido for its spicy miso ramen.
Unagi
Unagi is a river eel grilled on charcoal and seasoned with sweet barbecue sauce. According to folk beliefs Unagi is an ideal remedy for hot, humid and sweltering Japanese summers. This delicacy is reminiscent of old Japan, and most eel restaurants capture this atmosphere perfectly. Freshly caught unagi can be tasted from May to October.
Tempura
Light and airy tempura is Japanese version world well-fried food (although most likely, such food gained fame in the land of the rising sun thanks to the Portuguese traders). Seafood and vegetables in batter, traditionally fried in sesame oil, are served with dishes with a little salt or soy sauce with grated radish strips for dipping tempura.
Kaiseki
Kaiseki is a part of Japanese dining, and the ability to cook such a dish is equated with Japanese haute cuisine. Several centuries ago, kaiseki was a meal served during a tea ceremony in (it should be noted that to this day it remains the capital of kaiseki).
Kaiseki is a simple set of dishes, carefully served on exquisite dishes. Only fresh ingredients are used for its preparation. The choice of ingredients for each dish depends on the current season.
Soba
Soba, long thin buckwheat noodles, has long been a staple in Japanese cuisine. It is especially popular in mountainous regions, where frost-resistant buckwheat crops are valued higher than rice. Soba is served either hot with soy sauce or at room temperature with broth on a bamboo mat. Purists who don't like boiled noodles prefer the latter option.
Shabu shabu
The name of the dish comes from the sound that occurs when thin slices of beef or pork are dipped with sticks into the boiling broth. This is an extremely delicious dish. A plate of marbled meat is served at the table, which visitors prepare themselves. Moment - and your mouth is already full of food.
Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki, which literally means fried the way you like it, is a meal prepared effortlessly in the finest Japanese tradition. This dish breaks down the typical image of fine Japanese cuisine.
Okonomiyaki is a spicy flatbread filled with any number of foods (usually cabbage and pork), sprinkled with thinly sliced dried fish, dried seaweed, and mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce. Cooking this dish is very interesting: in most restaurants, visitors fry their okonomiyaki themselves on an electric stove built into the table.
Tonkatsu
Tonkatsu, a breaded and deep-fried pork cutlet, dates back to the 19th century, when Japan opened its borders to the west. But forget about the European version of this dish, the ingredients and the method of preparation are absolutely Japanese.
Tonkatsu, especially if made from kuro buta (Berkshire pigs) in Kagoshima, melt gently in your mouth. These cutlets are served with a bowl of miso soup and shredded cabbage.
Yakitori
When they return home after a hard day at work, the Japanese often buy cold beer and a few skewers with yakitori, pieces of chicken fried over coals. For yakitori, both chicken meat and chicken entrails are used. Moderately fried chicken is served with either salt or tare sauce (made from mirin, sugar and soy sauce).
