The typical Japanese meal consists of a bowl of rice (gohan), a bowl of miso soup
(miso shiru), pickled vegetables (tsukemono) and fish or meat. While rice is the staple food, several kinds
of noodles (udon, soba and ramen) are cheap and very popular for light meals. As an island nation,
the Japanese take great pride in their seafood. A wide variety
of fish, squid, octopus, eel, and shellfish appear in all kinds
of dishes from sushi to tempura.
Rice
Sticky, short-grained rice is the staple food in Japan. Uncooked
rice is called kome. The cultivation of rice in paddy fields traditionally required
great cooperation between villagers and this is said to have been
central to the evolution of Japanese culture. Their are several
thousand varieties grown in Japan, with Koshihikari and Akita
Komachi being among the most popular. Rice is also used to make
mochi (rice cakes), senbei (rice crackers) and sake (rice wine). Rice
can also be cooked with red beans (sekihan), seafood and vegetables (Takikomi gohan)
or as a kind of watery porridge seasoned with salt (kayu) which is very popular as a
cold remedy. Onigiri are rice balls with seafood or vegetables in the middle, usually
wrapped in a piece of dried seaweed (nori). They are traditionally part of a packed lunch or picnic. Individually
wrapped onigiri, usually a trianular shape, make a good snack
and are available at convenience stores.
Noodles - Udon and soba
Udon noodles are made from wheat flour. They are boiled and served
in a broth, usually hot but occasionally cold in summer, and topped
with ingredients such as a raw egg to make tsukimi udon, and
deep-fried tofu aburaage to make kitsune udon. Soba is buckwheat
noodles, which are thinner and a darker color
than udon. Soba is usually served cold (zaru soba) with a dipping
sauce, sliced green onions and wasabi. When served
in a hot broth, it is known as kake soba. Served with the same
toppings as udon, you get tsukimi soba,
kitsune soba and tempura soba.
Noodles - Ramen
While udon and soba are also believed to have come from China,
only ramen retains its image as Chinese food. Ramen is thin egg
noodles which are almost always served in a hot broth flavored
with shoyu or miso. This is topped with a variety of ingredients
such as slices of roast pork (chashu), bean sprouts (moyashi),
sweetcorn and butter. Ramen is popular throughout Japan and
different regions are known for their variations on the theme.
Examples are Corn-butter Ramen in Sapporo and Tonkotsu Ramen in
Kyushu. Instant ramen (the most famous brand is Pot Noodles),
to which you just add hot water, has become very popular in recent
years.
Soy products
The humble soybean (daizu) is used to make a wide variety
of foods and flavourings. Soybeans
and rice are used to make miso, a paste used for flavouring soup
and marinating fish. Together with soy sauce (shoyu), miso
is a foundation of Japanese cuisine. Tofu is soybean curd and a popular source of protein, especially for
vegetarians. These days, even tofu donuts and tofu icecream are
available. Natto, fermented soybeans, is one of the healthiest but also the most
notorious item on the menu. With a pungent smell and sticky, stringy
texture, natto is easy to hate straight away. Japanese people
themselves tend to either love it or hate it. It is usually served
with chopped onions and a raw egg and mixed into a bowl of rice.
This video is a light-hearted look at the traditions of eating at a
sushi restaurant (not to be taken too seriously!).
