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Japanese Cuisine From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
#41 - 33 - 0 - Japanese Cuisine From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[ 2007-09-10 00:01:00 ] - lizc
#
There are many views of what is fundamental to Japanese cuisine. Many think of sushi or the
elegant stylized formal kaiseki meals that originated as part of the Japanese tea ceremony.
Many Japanese, however, think of the everyday food of the Japanese people--especially that
existing before the end of the Meiji Era (1868 - 1912) or before World War II. Few modern
urban Japanese know their traditional cuisine.
Domestic Food
Traditional Japanese cuisine is dominated by white rice (hakumai), and few meals would be
complete without it. Anything else served during a meal--fish, meat, vegetables, tsukemono
(pickles)--is considered a side dish. Side dishes are served to enhance the taste of the rice.
Traditional Japanese meals are named by the number of side dishes that accompany the rice and
soup that are nearly always served. The simplest Japanese meal, for example, consists of
ichiju-issai ("one soup, one side" or "one dish meal"). This means soup, rice, and one
accompanying side dish--usually a pickled vegetable like daikon. A traditional Japanese
breakfast, for example, usually consists of miso soup, rice, and a pickled vegetable. The
most common meal, however, is called ichiju-sansai ("one soup, three sides"), or soup,
rice, and three side dishes, each employing a different cooking technique. The three side
dishes are usually raw fish (sashimi), a grilled dish, and a simmered (sometimes called boiled
in translations from Japanese) dish -- although steamed, deep fried, vinegared, or dressed
dishes may replace the grilled or simmered dishes. Ichiju-sansai often finishes with pickled
vegetables and green tea. One type of pickled food that is popular is ume.
This uniquely Japanese view of a meal is reflected in the organization of traditional Japanese
cookbooks. Chapters are organized according to cooking techniques: fried foods, steamed foods,
and grilled foods, for example, and not according to particular ingredients (e.g., chicken or
beef) as are western cookbooks. There are also usually chapters devoted to soups, sushi, rice,
noodles, and sweets.
Being an island nation, its people consume much seafood including fish, shellfish, octopus/squid,
crabs/lobsters/shrimp and seaweed. Although not known as a meat eating country, very few
Japanese consider themselves vegetarians by any sense of the word. Beef and chicken are
commonly eaten and have become part of everyday cuisine.
Noodles, although originating in China, have become an essential part of Japanese cuisine.
There are two traditional types of noodle, soba and udon. Made from buckwheat flour, soba is
a thin, brown noodle. Made from wheat flour, udon is a thick, white noodle. Both are
generally served in a soy-flavored fish broth with various vegetables. A more recent import
from China, dating to the early 19th century, is ramen (Chinese wheat noodles), which
has become extremely popular. Ramen is served in a variety of soup stocks ranging from soy
sauce/fish stock to butter/pork stock.
Although most Japanese eschew eating insects, there are a couple of exceptions. In some
regions, grasshoppers (inago) and bee larvae (hachinoko) are not uncommon dishes. Salamander
is eaten as well in places.
Traditional Japanese Table Settings
The traditional Japanese table setting has varied considerably over the centuries, depending
primarily on the type of table common during a given era. Before the 19th century, small
individual box tables (hakozen) or flat floor trays were set before each diner. Larger
low tables (chabudai) that accommodated entire families were becoming popular by the
beginning of the 20th century, but these gave way almost entirely to western style dining
tables and chairs by the end of the 20th century.
Traditional table settings are based on the ichiju-sansai formula. Typically, five separate
bowls and plates are set before the diner. Nearest the diner are the rice bowl on the left
and the soup bowl on the right. Behind these are three flat plates to hold the three side
dishes, one to far back left (on which might be served a simmered dish), one at far back right
(on which might be served a grilled dish), and one in center of the tray (on which might be
served boiled greens). Pickled vegetables are often served as well, and eaten at the end of
the meal, but are not counted as part of three side dishes.
Chopsticks are generally placed at the very front of the tray near the diner with pointed ends
facing left and supported by a chopstick holder, or hashioki.
Copyright (c) 2005 Liz Canham
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.
A copy of the license is at
"GNU
Free Documentation License".
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