Food Fare Culinary Collection: Japanese Culture & Cuisine

Contents:

Rice

There are many variations of rice in Japan, although most are of the short-grained variety. The importance of rice in the Japanese culture is confirmed in the language:

Breakfast means "morning rice" (asa-gohan).
Lunch means "noon rice" (hiru-gohan).
Supper means "evening rice" (yuu-gohan).

Rice is grown in most areas of Japan apart from mountainous regions, with most cultivation now undertaken by machinery.

Rice is the featured ingredient in many Japanese dishes. A few of the most commonly prepared include:

Chachan: Stir-fried rice with carrots, egg, peas and pieces of pork.
Donburi: Consists of a bowl of rice topped with other foods such as Tempura (tendon), egg and chicken (oyakodon), tonkatsu (hatsudon), beef (gyudon) or eel (unadon).
Fried Rice: Chachan has several other ingredients as well, including pieces of scrambled egg, peas, green onion, corn, leek and diced ham.
Gomokumeshi: Rice boiled with fish or chicken and a variety of vegetables such as carrots, lotus root, mushrooms and peas.
Hatsuga genmai: Germinated brown rice with a soft texture.
Kurigohan: Steamed rice with kuri chestnuts.
Mochi: Rice cakes.
Okaiyu: Soft-cooked rice gruel, similar to oatmeal.
Omochi: Stickier than normal; pressed into rice cakes.
Omuraisu: Cooked rice wrapped in a thin omelet; typically served with gravy or ketchup.
Onigiri: Rice formed into small balls and wrapped with seaweed (nori). Pickled vegetables or meat can be placed into the center of the balls.
Osenbei: Rice-cake snacks similar to salty crackers.
Sushi Rice: Prepared with vinegar and used for various sushi rolls.
White Rice: Japanese cooked white rice should be sticky so eating with chopsticks is easy. Bowls of rice are served with most meals.

Japanese rice (also known as japonica) is unique because of its "stickiness" and texture. The glutinous quality is conducive to the variety of dishes native to Japan.

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