Food Fare Culinary Collection: Japanese Culture & Cuisine

Contents:

Japanese Food History

The nuance of Japanese cuisine and preparation methods thereof have developed over a period of more than two thousand years, often the result of political and social upheavals. Today, Japanese food is well-known for its seasonal quality of ingredients and visual presentation.

Korea was a major influence sometime in 400 BC, their rice-growing techniques adopted by the Japanese during the Yayoi period (300 BC to 300 AD). Rice was not only used for food, but to produce paper, wine, fuel and building materials as well. In addition, Korea brought soy beans and wheat to Japan, both of which are still used in their cooking today.

Religion has also played an important part in the developing food culture of Japan. Buddhism became the country's official religion during the 6th century, when human consumption of meat and fish was prohibited. The Shinto religion had similar edicts, one of which established fowl as God's messengers sent to announce the coming dawn. Dairy products were not widely consumed in the Middle Ages. Cattle were instead used for plowing fields or pulling carts.

During the 9th-century, some of the typical cooking methods in Japan included grilling fish and meat (yakimono), also simmering (nimono) and steaming (mushimono). Vegetable and meat-based soups were known as atsumono. Common dishes might be jellied fish (nikogori), raw fish in vinegar sauce (namasu), vegetables or fish with dressing (aemono) or pickled vegetables cured in salt (tsukemono).

The Heian period (794-1185) also brought about a noticeable refinement in cooking methods such as four dish-types served at banquets: desserts (kasha), dressed or fermented food (kubotsuki), dried food (himono) and fresh food (namamono). Some of the typical foods used were dried abalone and chestnuts, acorns, apricots, fowl, fresh fish (carp, salmon, sea bream and trout), octopus, pheasant, pine nuts, pomegranates and shellfish. Fermented fish balls, known as Kubotsuki, were comprised of jellyfish and sea squirts (underwater tulips, or filter feeders).

The most common form of sushi was established when preserving fish with salt and rice became widespread during the Edo period (1600-1867). The practice also brought about unification with sashimi in the late 18th century, when hand-rolled sushi was developed.

Portuguese and Dutch traders brought fried foods to the island of Japan, along with corn, oil, sugar and tobacco. Tempura was defined during this period, when meat, seafood or vegetables were rolled in a flour-based thin batter and fried in oil.

REGIONAL SPECIALTIES

In the modern day, Japanese cuisine is categorized into two main groups: traditional (Washoku) and western-influenced (Youshoku). Common ingredients found in most Japanese dishes consist of meat, noodles, rice, seafood, soy beans and vegetables.

Regional specialties are then classified into four general types: traditional, late 19th and early 20th-century, World War II aftermath and modern cuisine. The regional cooking areas in Japan include:

CHUBU (central region):

Houtou (one-pot dish with meat, noodles or dumplings, and vegetables simmered in miso soup), Jibuni (flour-dusted chicken and duck seasoned with bonito broth and steamed with vegetables), Kabayaki (charcoal-broiled eel), Kabura sushi (yellowtail fillets placed between pickled turnip slices, rice and rice malt), and Miso-nikomi (udon wheat-flour noodles cooked in an earthen pot with miso or bonito stock, chicken, leeks, poached egg, shiitake mushrooms; sometimes served with rice cakes or flat noodles instead of udon).

HOKKAIDO:

Known for its fresh seafood (particularly crab, roe and sea urchin), dairy products, produce, ramen noodles, Genghis Khan Stew (Jingisukan) and Sapporo beer. Other dishes native to the region are Chanchan-Yaki (salmon stir-fried with butter, miso and vegetables), Hakodate (ramen noodles in a lightly-salted broth), Ika Meshi (squid stuffed with rice), and Ishikari nabe (salmon cooked with cabbage and green onion, topped with sansho, also known as Japanese black pepper).

HOKURIKU:

Near the Sea of Japan, the Hokuriku region also experiences some of the heaviest snowfall in the world. Hotaruika (firefly squid) are common to the area, as is the sake produced in Niigata. Regional specialties include Houbayaki (meat and vegetables cooked in a miso sauce with houba leaves), Kakigori (shaved ice with various flavorings) and Okara Choju (bread made from bean curd lees and sea water).

HONSHU (eastern & central areas):

Common dishes are Inago no tsukudani (grasshopper stewed in soy sauce), Jibu-ni (starch-coated duck or chicken stewed with mushrooms and vegetables in broth), Miso-katsu (breaded pork cutlet served with a miso-base sauce), Monjayaki (savory pancake pan-fried with finely-chopped meat, vegetables and other various fillings) and Yanagawa (loach fish cooked in a pot with burdock root and egg).

KANSAI & WESTERN HONSHU:

Typical specialties include Dote-nabe (oysters, tofu and vegetables stewed in broth); Okonomiyaki (savory pancake topped with meat, seafood and/or vegetables; seasoned with Worcestershire sauce and mayonnaise), Tako-yaki (octopus deep-fried in dough and shaped like a ball) and Yatsuhashi (sweet ravioli-type dumpling, often filled with blueberry, cinnamon, mango and strawberry).

KANTO:

Common dishes in Kanto can also be found in the Tokyo area, some of which include Fukagawa-meshi (leeks and shelled clams cooked in miso and served on a bed of rice), Monja-yaki (battered cabbage, corn and squid cooked on a hot plate), Namerou (fish dish with ginger, leeks, miso and shiso) and Yuba (bean curd skin often filled with various ingredients, or added to soups and stews; or eaten in pieces with soy sauce and grated wasabi).

KYUSHU:

Hakata ramen is a popular dish in the Kyushu region, which contains noodles served in pork stock-based soup and topped with pickled ginger, sesame seeds and greens. Other common dishes include Castella (sweet sponge cake), chicken namban (battered chicken fried and then dipped in tartar sauce), Dango-jiru (miso or soy-sauce soup with pork, mushrooms, vegetables and wheat noodles) and Mentaiko (spicy fish eggs).

OKINAWA:

Home of Awamori rice wine, Orion beer and Sanpin-cha (tea). Heavily influenced by Chinese cooking methods, with specialty dishes such as Champuru (stir-fry), Mimiga (boiled or steamed pig's ear), Okinawa Soba (noodles with meat and vegetables), Rafute (pig-belly cuts of meat simmered in broth), Takoraisu (also known as taco rice; ground beef seasoned with taco flavoring and served on a bed of rice and lettuce with cheese, cucumber, salsa and tomato) and Umibudo (seaweed resembling grapes).

SHIKOKU:

Dishes and foods common to Shikoku include Katsuo-no-tataki (fish seared over flames and served with garlic, lemon, onions and soy sauce mixed with citrus), Koochi aisu (citrus sherbet), Mugi rakugan (dried sugar cakes with honey), Naruto Kintoki satsuma imo (cheesecake with sweet potatoes) and Sanuki udon (semi-firm noodles served in soy sauce or broth).

TOHOKU:

Typical dishes include Gyutan (beef tongue served with oxtail soup and barley rice), Harako-meshi (rice steamed with salmon and soy stock; served with salmon caviar), Ichigo-ni (clear soup with abalone and sea urchin roe), Kiritanpo (rice cakes pounded and wrapped around a skewer and grilled; served with miso or chicken and vegetables), Sasakamaboko (minced fish served in bamboo-leaf shape with visible grill marks) and Senbei Jiru (soup with vegetables and wafer crackers made from rice cakes).

JAPANESE FOOD TRIVIA

Anpan is a sweet bun filled with chestnuts, red or white bean paste and sesame. The buns resemble a large bagel.
First Kitchen (fasuto kicchin) is a popular fast-food chain with 126 restaurants across Japan; their signature dish is a bacon-egg hamburger.
Chefs in Japan must be licensed in order to prepare the specialty dish Fugu, which contains slices of poisonous pufferfish.
Kabosu is a citrus fruit native to Japan, similar to lemons.
Kissaten are Japanese coffee shops, popular with business people and students.
Kitcho (good omen) is one of the most famous restaurant chains in Japan. Founded in Osaka in 1930 by Teiichi Yuki, the chain has restaurants in Fukuoka, Kobe, Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo.
According to local legend, Takoraisu (taco rice) was created by an Okinawan chef during the 1960s when a US Marine base was located in the town of Kin.
Menma (shinachiku) is a condiment made from fermented bamboo shoots; common topping for noodle soup and ramen.
The Nikka Whisky Distillery was established in Yoichi in 1934. Founder Masataka Taketsuru went to Scotland in 1918 to learn their whisky-distilling methods.
The sweet potato was first introduced to Okinawa in 1605.
Tsukune is a meatball made from ground chicken which is baked or fried, and often topped with a sweet soy sauce.
Yatai (food stand) is similar to a western food truck whereby mobile food stalls sell ramen or other hot foods. They are positioned on sidewalks and often appear at festivals.

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