A Guide to eating in Japan Cairneyhill JAPANESE CUISINE · A Guide to eating in Japan 83 rd Fife...

A Guide to eating in Japan

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JAPANESE CUISINE

Japanese cuisine offers a great variety of dishes and regional specialties. Some of the most popular Japanese and Japanized dishes are listed below.

We have categorized them into rice dishes, seafood dishes, noodle dishes, nabe dishes, tempura, meat dishes, yoshuku dishes, soy bean dishes, and other dishes. Please note that some dishes may fit into multiple categories, but are listed only once.

Chopsticks are used to eat most kinds of Japanese foods, with some exceptions. Some of the most important rules to remember when dining with chopsticks are as follows:

• Hold your chopsticks towards their end, not in the middle or the front third. • When you are not using your chopsticks, or have finished eating, lay them down in front of you with

the tips to left on your chopstick rest (if provided). • Do not stick chopsticks into your food, especially not into rice. This is only done at funerals with rice

that is put onto the altar. • Do not pass food directly from your set of chopsticks to another's. Again, this is a funeral tradition

that involves the bones of a cremated body. • Do not spear food with your chopsticks. • Do not point with your chopsticks. • Do not wave your chopsticks around in the air or play with them. • Do not move plates or bowls around with your chopsticks. • To separate a piece of food in two, exert controlled pressure on the chopsticks while moving them

apart from each other in order to tear the food. This takes some practice. With larger pieces of food such as tempura, it is also acceptable to pick up the entire piece with your chopsticks, and take a bite.

• If you have already eaten with your chopsticks, use the opposite end to take food from a shared plate.

Knives and forks are used for Western food only. Spoons however, may be used with certain Japanese dishes such as doriburi or Japanese style curry rice. A Chinese style ceramic spoon is sometimes used to eat soups.

Some Table Rules • Blowing your nose in public, and especially at the table, is considered bad manners. • It is considered good manners to empty your dishes to the last grain of rice. • Talking about toilet related and similarly unappetizing topics during or before a meal is not

appreciated by most people. • Unlike in some other parts of East Asia, it is considered bad manners to burp. • After eating, try to move all your dishes back to the same position they were at the start of the meal.

This includes replacing the lids on dishes and putting your chopsticks on the chopstick holder or back into their paper slip.



Rice Dishes

Rice is Japan's most important crop. It has been cultivated in Japan for over 2000 years. Its fundamental importance to the country and its culture is reflected by the facts that rice was once used as a currency, and that the Japanese word for cooked rice (gohan) also has the general meaning of "meal". The literal meaning of breakfast (asagohan), for example, is "morning rice". Despite changes in eating patterns over the last few decades and slowly decreasing rice consumption in recent years, rice remains one of the most important ingredients in Japan today, and can be found in numerous dishes. Japanese rice is short grain and becomes sticky when cooked. Most rice is sold as hakumai ("white rice"), with the outer portion of the grains (nuka) polished away. Unpolished rice (gemmai) is considered less delicious by most people, but its popularity has been increasing recently because gemmai is more nutritious and healthier than hakumai.

Rice Bowl A bowl of plain cooked rice is served with most Japanese meals. For breakfast, it is sometimes mixed with a raw egg and soy sauce (tamago kake gohan) or enjoyed with natto or other toppings.

Sushi Sushi can be defined as a dish which contains sushi rice, cooked rice that is prepared with sushi vinegar. There are various kinds of sushi dishes. Contrary to popular belief, the word sushi is not synonymous with raw fish. It refers to anything made with vinegared rice. This is often topped with raw fish to make nigiri-zushi but vinegared rice with cooked fish, other meats, egg or vegetables is also sushi.

Domburi A bowl of cooked rice with some other food put on top of the rice. Some of the most popular toppings are tempura (tendon), egg and chicken (oyakodon), tonkatsu (katsudon) and beef (gyudon).

Onigiri Onigiri are rice balls made of cooked rice and usually wrapped in nori seaweed. They are slightly salted and often contain some additional food in the center, for example an umeboshi (pickled Japanese plum), katsuobushi (dried bonito shavings), tuna or salmon. Rice balls are a popular and inexpensive snack available at convenience stores or given in packed lunches by families.

Kare Raisu Kare Raisu (Curry Rice) is cooked rice with a curry sauce. It can be served with additional toppings such as tonkatsu. Curry is not a native Japanese spice, but has been used in Japan for over a century. Kare Raisu is a very popular dish, and many inexpensive Kare Raisu restaurants can be found especially in and around train stations.

Fried Rice Fried rice or chahan has been originally introduced from China. A variety of additional ingredients such as peas, egg, negi (Japanese leek) and small pieces of carrot and pork are mixed into the rice when stir fried. It is a suitable dish for using left over rice.

Chazuke Chazuke is a bowl of cooked rice with green tea and other ingredients, for example, salmon or tarako (cod roe) added to it. It is a suitable dish for using left over rice.

Kayu Kayu is rice gruel, watery, soft cooked rice that resembles oatmeal. It is a suitable dish for using left over rice and is often served to sick people because it can be digested easily.



Sushi is the most famous Japanese dish outside of Japan, and one of the most popular dishes among the Japanese themselves. In Japan, sushi is usually enjoyed on special occasions, such as a celebration. During the Edo Period, "sushi" referred to pickled fish conserved in vinegar. Nowadays sushi can be defined as a dish containing rice which has been prepared with sushi vinegar. There are many different types of sushi. Some popular ones are:

Nigiri Small rice balls with fish, shellfish, etc. on top. There are countless varieties of nigirizushi, some of the most common ones being tuna, shrimp, eel, squid, octopus and fried egg. Cooked eel and shrimp and Japanese-style omelette are also used on nigiri-sushi.

Gunkan Small cups made of sushi rice and dried seaweed filled with seafood, etc. There are countless varieties of gunkanzushi, some of the most common ones being sea urchin and various kinds of fish eggs.

Norimaki Sushi rice and seafood, etc. rolled in dried seaweed sheets. There are countless varieties of sushi rolls differing in ingredients and thickness. Sushi rolls prepared "inside out" are very popular outside of Japan, but rarely found in Japan.

Temaki Temakizushi (literally: hand rolls) are cones made of nori seaweed and filled with sushi rice, seafood and vegetables.

Oshizushi Oshizushi is pressed sushi, in which the fish is pressed onto the sushi rice in a wooden box. The picture shows trout oshizushi in form of a popular ekiben (train station lunch box).

Inari Inarizushi is a simple and inexpensive type of sushi, in which sushi rice is filled into aburaage (deep fried tofu) bags.

Chirashi Chirashizushi is a dish in which seafood, mushroom and vegetables are spread over sushi rice. It can resemble domburi with the difference being that chirashizushi uses sushi rice while domburi uses regular, unseasoned rice.



Seafood Dishes

Hundreds of different fish, shellfish and other seafood from the oceans, seas, lakes and rivers are used in the Japanese cuisine. They are prepared and eaten in many different ways, for example, raw, dried, boiled, grilled, deep fried or steamed.

Sashimi Sashimi is raw seafood. A large number of fish can be enjoyed raw if they are fresh and prepared correctly. Most types of sashimi are enjoyed with soy sauce and wasabi. Sashimi is thinly sliced, raw seafood. Many different kinds of fresh fish and seafood are served raw in the Japanese cuisine. Sashimi, while similar to sushi, is distinct for its absence of vinegared rice. Sashimi is usually beautifully arranged and served on top of shredded daikon and shiso leaves. The sashimi pieces are dipped into a dish of soy sauce before being eaten. The daikon and shiso can also be dipped in soya sauce and eaten; both have a fresh, minty taste. Depending on the kind of sashimi, wasabi or ground ginger may accompany the dish and be added to the sashimi as a condiment. Some of the most popular kinds of sashimi are Maguro (Tuna); Toro (Fatty Tuna); Ebi (Prawn); Saba (Mackerel); Ika (Squid); Tako (Octopus) Other popular raw fish include salmon and yellowtail. These are the most palatable for those still getting used to the idea of eating fish raw. More adventurous diners should try raw shrimp, abalone and sea urchin roe - some of the most distinctive flavours around

Yakizakana Yakizakana means grilled fish. Many varieties of fish are enjoyed in this way.

Wasabi

Wasabi is Japanese horseradish. It is most famous in form of a green paste used as condiment for sashimi (raw seafood) and sushi. However, wasabi is also used for many other Japanese dishes.

Wasabi is a root vegetable that is grated into a green paste. In supermarkets, wasabi is widely available as a paste or in powder form. Wasabi powder has to be mixed with water to become a paste. Wasabi has a strong, hot flavour which dissipates within a few seconds and leaves no burning aftertaste in one's mouth.

wasabi paste

Many "wasabi" powder and paste products that are available in supermarkets (and even some restaurants) contain only very little or no real wasabi at all and are made of coloured horseradish instead. This is due to the fact that cultivation of real wasabi is relatively difficult and expensive.

If you need any convincing that eating raw fish is a good idea, consider the health benefits. It is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids as well as low in fat, rice is a great source of complex carbohydrates and seaweed is rich in iodine. A typical sushi dinner of 7 to 9 pieces may only contain a healthy 300-450 calories.



Noodle Dishes

There are various traditional Japanese noodle dishes as well as some dishes which were introduced to Japan and subsequently Japanized. Many of them enjoy a very high popularity.

Soba Soba noodles are native Japanese noodles made of buckwheat flour or a mixture of buckwheat and wheat flour. Soba are about as thick as spaghetti. They can be served cold or hot and with various toppings and are greyish in colour.

Udon Udon noodles are native Japanese noodles made of wheat flour. Udon are whiter, thicker than soba and can also be served either hot or cold and with various toppings. Soba and udon have rural origins and they are served reflect rustic tastes and ingredients. Both can be served hot in a thin soup of fish stock and soy or cold with soy based dressings. Dishes vary with the garnishes you add. Wild vegetables, tempura, seaweed and raw egg are all common additions but meat is almost unheard of. One of the most popular ways of eating soba and udon is zaru, which is a simple tray of cold noodles served with a cup of soy-flavoured broth to dip them into. Something to bear in mind is that both soba and udon are quite light meals and may provide only temporary relief from hunger. Soba and udon restaurants will always have a selection of teishoku (set menu) to choose from which come with rice dishes on the side.

Ramen Ramen is a Chinese dish of noodles in soup that the Japanese have made very much their own. It is the cornerstone of Japanese fast food and millions of bowls are consumed every day, not counting that other Japanese institution - instant ramen. Many regions of Japan have their own particular style of ramen and even individual ramen shops have their own distinctive flavour and style. Arguments rage over the ideal thickness of the noodles, the right constituent ingredients for the soup stock and what toppings work best. What is certain is that everyone has their favourite place and a local's recommendation is always worth getting. Ramen shops are usually at street-level and so are easy to spot. Often they are little more than a kitchen and a counter. Many have standing space only. There's no ceremony to eating ramen so abandon convention and slurp to your hearts content. You might get the choice between miso (bean paste), shoyu (soy) or shio (salt) flavoured soup though the stock base is always made from meat bones. Many places however serve only one kind that may have been honed and developed over many years. Popular toppings follow its Chinese origins and include fatty slices of chashu

Somen Like Udon noodles, somen are Japanese noodles made of wheat flour, but they are much thinner than Udon and Soba. Somen are usually eaten cold and are considered a summer speciality.

Yakisoba Yakisoba are fried or deep fried Chinese style noodles served with vegetables, meat and ginger.



Nabe Dishes

Nabe dishes or hot pot dishes are prepared in a hot pot, usually at the table. Typical ingredients are vegetables such as negi (Japanese leek) and hakusai (Chinese cabbage), various mushrooms, seafood and/or meat. There are many regional and personal varieties, and they are especially popular in the cold winter months. Some special nabe dishes are:

Oden A nabe dish prepared with various fish cakes, daikon, boiled eggs, konyaku and kombu seaweed, boiled over many hours in a soy sauce based soup.

Sukiyaki A nabe dish prepared with thinly sliced meat, vegetables, mushrooms, tofu and shirataki (konyaku noodles). The pan is cast iron and shallow. Into it are added the beef along with vegetables such as green onions, shiitake mushrooms and edible chrysanthemum leaves as well as tofu and konyaku noodles. The seasoning consists of liberal amounts of soy, a brewed sweetener called mirin and sometimes sake. Each person has a small bowl containing raw egg into which the cooked items are dipped before eating. The result is succulent and sweet beef and vegetables given a silky coating by the raw egg. Sukiyaki is a relatively new dish to Japan. It is said to have been thought up in the Meiji Period (1868-1912) after the emperor instructed his people to eat more beef.

Shabu-Shabu Shabu-shabu is Japanese style meat fondue. Thinly sliced meat, along with vegetables, mushrooms and tofu is used. The pot used is earthenware and half-filled with a stock made from kelp and dried bonito. Into the pot, diners add the meat and vegetables in small batches. The dipping sauce used is a citrus-flavoured soy mixture called ponzu which gives everything a nice zing. “Shabu-shabu” is said to be the sound that thinly-sliced beef makes when being cooked lightly in a bubbling broth. In both Sukiyaki and Shabu-ShabuThe beef is served raw, arranged aesthetically on a large plate, giving you a chance to see the fine marbling of fat that is necessary to give the beef the required tenderness and flavour.

Chanko Nabe Chanko nabe is traditionally the staple diet of sumo wrestlers. There are many varieties of chanko nabe. A few chanko nabe restaurants can be found around Ryogoku, the sumo district in Tokyo.

Tempura Typical of such successful cultural magpies, the Japanese took their inspiration for tempura from the Portuguese and made it into something that they love as their own. It is said that the ailing Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, liked this new culinary acquisition so much that he gorged himself on it and died as a result.

Over the years, cooking techniques have been highly-refined. Not only the proportions of flour and water in the batter but also the degree to which they are mixed are important, as are the oil type and temperature, the method of cutting the ingredients and the precise time which the items are fried. Timing is so important that it’s best to sit at the counter in a good tempura restaurant so that you can eat immediately. Commonly used for tempura are seafood such as shrimp, white fish and squid and vegetables such as eggplant, sweet potato and perilla leaf. All items should be dipped briefly into a thin soup of fish stock and soy sauce to which grated radish and ginger has been added. Good tempura is light, crisp, succulent and hardly greasy at all. The idea is to achieve a batter so light as to be barely there and use the freshest ingredients cut so they can be cooked quickly.



Meat Dishes

Meat has been eaten in Japan in larger amounts only since the second half of the 19th century. Nowadays there are a variety of Japanese meat dishes.

Yakitori “Yakitori” literally means “grilled chicken” and you get many variations of exactly that at yakitori restaurants - small pieces of chicken on bamboo skewers broiled over charcoal. The range of what is on offer might surprise a first-timer. A choice between white and dark meat is really only the tip of the iceberg. The meat can skewered alongside vegetables such as leeks, dressed with a plum or a wasabi sauce and seasoned either with salt or a sweet sauce called tare. Perhaps less tempting but equally popular in Japan are hearts, livers and other organs as well as chicken skin and cartilage. Some places even serve chicken sashimi. Leave any fears of raw meat at the door and try it. Especially kimo (liver), it's a dreamy, melt-in-the-mouth experience.

Tonkatsu Tonkatsu are deep fried pork cutlets. Tonkatsu is usually served with shredded cabbage or on top of cooked rice (katsudon) or with Japanese style curry rice (katsu kare).

Nikujaga Nikujaga is a popular dish of home style cooking made of meat (niku) and potatoes (jagaimo). Nikujaga does not seem typically Japanese since the main ingredients are historically not traditional Japanese foodstuffs. But Nikujaga is a popular meal especially at home. It is a typical "mother's taste" meal. The taste of Nikujaga may surprise you because of the ingredients sugar and soya sauce, and I am sure that the surprise will be a positive one.

Yoshoku Dishes

A large number of Western dishes have been introduced to Japan over the centuries. Many of them have become completely Japanized, and these dishes are now called Yoshoku dishes. Some of the most popular ones are:

Korokke Korokke has its origins in the croquettes which were introduced to Japan in the 19th century. Korokke are breaded and deep fried, and come in many varieties depending on the filling. The most common filling is a mix of minced meat and mashed potatoes.

Omuraisu Omuraisu (abbreviation for omelet rice) is cooked rice, wrapped in a thin omelet, and usually served with a gravy sauce or tomato ketchup.

Hayashi Raisu Hayashi rice is Japanese style hashed beef stew, thinly sliced beef and onions in a demi-glace sauce served over or along side cooked rice. It resembles kare raisu, and, like kare raisu, it is also eaten with a spoon.

Hamubagu Hamubagu is a Japanese style hamburger steak. It is typically served on a plate and usually with a demi-glace sauce, but without a bun.



Soya Bean Dishes

Soya beans are one of the central ingredients of Japanese Cuisine. They constitute the base of many distinct Japanese tastes, notably soy sauce and tofu. The English name for soya beans come from the Japanese word for soya sauce, "shoyu". Some of the most important soya products are as follows:

Soy sauce (shoyu) Soy sauce, or shoyu, is the most important Japanese condiment and is used in many Japanese dishes. Different grades and varieties of soy sauce are used for different purposes but historically, the difference varied along regional borders. These regional variations in shoyu flavorings are still evident. Koikuchi: This Kanto variety is modern Japan's most common soy sauce. It contains similar amounts of wheat and soybean, giving it a strong, dark color and flavor. Usukuchi: From Kansai, this shoyu is lighter in color and saltier in flavor. It does not alter the color of the dish as much as Kanto's koikuchi soy sauce and as a result, traditional Kansai dishes reflect this saltier taste and lighter color. Shiro: A very light colored sauce used in dishes that the cook does not wish to discolor, such as sashimi. Tamari: A Chubu variety that the area claims to be Japan's "original" soy sauce. Known for its dark color and strong flavor, it contains almost no wheat. Many other regional and dish specific varieties of shoyu are available in Japan, as well as modern salt-reduced versions which are gaining popularity for health reasons.

Miso Miso is a soya bean paste used as the base in many Japanese dishes. The popular miso soup is basically made by dissolving miso paste in hot water. Like soya sauce, miso comes in a wide variety of colors (from light to dark) and flavors, (from salty to sweet). Miso tends to be classified according to its color: Shiromiso (white miso): White varieties of miso are actually yellow and have a sweet taste. Akamiso (red miso): Red miso tends to have a stronger, saltier flavour. Kuromiso (black miso): Even darker in color and saltier in taste, kuromiso is less commonly used.

Tofu Tofu is soybean curd, pressed into blocks as fresh tofu or processed further. It is a staple ingredient of Japanese cuisine, which offers many different tofu dishes using many types of fresh and processed tofu. Tofu is often an ingredient in soups and stews. Deep fried tofu (aburaage and atsuage) is also used in many popular Japanese dishes.

Natto Natto is a strong smelling, sticky, dish consisting of fermented soya beans. It is often eaten for breakfast with cooked rice. Natto is famous for being unpopular among foreigners (and many Japanese people), but also for being very healthy.

Edamame Edamame are young, green soy beans sill in the bean pod. They are usually boiled in salted water and served whole as a snack.



Soya Bean Dishes The following are some of the most popular soya bean based dishes:

Yudofu Yudofu are tofu pieces boiled in a clear, mild soup and dipped into a soya based sauce before being eaten.

Agedashi Tofu Agedashi Tofu are deep fried tofu pieces that are dipped into a soya based sauce before being eaten.

Miso Soup A bowl of miso soup often accompanies breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is made by dissolving miso paste in hot water and adding additional ingredients such as wakame seaweed and small pieces of tofu.

Other Dishes

Okonomiyaki Okonomiyaki is a mix between pizza and pancake. Various ingredients such as seafood, vegetables and meat can be mixed with the dough and placed on the okonomiyaki as topping and can vary greatly (anything from meat and seafood to wasabi and cheese). This variability is reflected in the dish's name; "okonomi" literally means "to one's liking". The dish is available all over Japan, but is most popular in the west, particularly the cities of Hiroshima and Osaka. Though it does consist of batter cooked on a griddle, okonomiyaki has nothing of the sweetness of fluffiness of pancakes, not to mention that it is usually filled with octopus, shrimp, pork, yam or kimchi. A more accurate comparison, which is also made, is between okonomiyaki and pizza. In Japan, people usually eat okonomiyaki at restaurants that specialize in the dish. At some of these restaurants the dining tables are each equipped with an iron griddle ("teppan"), and customers are given the ingredients to cook the meal themselves.

Monjayaki Monjayaki is a Kanto region specialty that is similar to Okonomiyaki, however, the dough used is much more liquid than the okonomiyaki dough.

Gyoza Gyoza are dumplings with a filling usually made of minced vegetables and ground meat. Gyoza were introduced to Japan from China. In Japan gyoza are usually prepared by frying them.

Chawanmushi Chawanmushi is savory steamed egg custard that usually contains pieces of chicken, shrimp, fish cake and a ginko nut mixed inside.

Tsukemono Tsukemono are Japanese pickles. There are many variety of pickles, and a small dish of tsukemono is usually served with Japanese meals.



Ordering in most restaurants is easy as there are plastic imitations of each meal outside or if it’s more formal your only choice will be take it or leave it!

And if you really don’t like Japanese cuisine then believe it or not you can get a burger!

Other words you may need are kohi (coffee); kocha (tea) or ocha (green tea); miruku (milk); jyusu (juice); kora (cola); biru (beer); sake; wain (wine); aisukurimu (ice-cream); keki (cake); nomimono (drink); tabemono (food); sandoicchi (sandwich); sarada (salad) and supagetti (spaghetti).



The above diagram shows how a basic meal would be laid out and the photo shows one of the meals that we were served on the motorway during the bus journey whilst the diagram below shows a much more elaborate layout for a more formal occasion. Presentation means as much, if not more than taste!

A Guide to eating in Japan Cairneyhill JAPANESE CUISINE · A Guide to eating in Japan 83 rd Fife...

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