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Japanese Cuisine
Japanese Cuisine
by Kirsten Hawkins
 Tempura,
sukiyaki, sashimi, sushi - even the words used to describe
the most basic of Japanese dishes are exotic and beautiful.
Japanese cuisine is easily one of the healthiest in the
world, with its concentration on fresh fish, seafood,
rice and vegetables. The pungent sauces and delicate flavors
of fresh foods complement each other beautifully, and
the methods of presentation turn even simple meals into
beautiful events.
The Japanese have easily a dozen different names for rice,
depending on how it is prepared and what it is served
with. The most common meal is a rice bowl, a bowl of white
rice served with various toppings or ingredients mixed
in. So popular is it that the Rice Bowl has even made
its way into the world of Western convenience foods alongside
ramen noodles. Domburi is a bowl of rice topped with another
food: domburi tendon, for instance, is rice topped with
tempura and domburi gyudon is rice topped with beef. The
Japanese adopted fried rice from the Chinese, and a century
ago, when curry was first introduced, developed Kare Raisu,
curry rice. It is now such a popular dish that there are
many fast-food restaurants that serve several versions
of it in take-away bowls.
Besides white rice served as a side dish, Japanese cuisine
also features onigiri - rice balls wrapped in seaweed,
often with a 'surprise' in the middle, and kayu, a thin
gruel made of rice that resembles oatmeal.
As an island nation, it's not surprising that seafood
is featured in Japanese cuisine. Sushi and sashimi both
are raw fish and seafood with various spices. Impeccably
fresh fish is the secret to wonderful sashimi and sushi,
served with wasabi and soya sauce. The Japanese love of
beauty and simplicity turns slices and chunks of raw fish
into miniature works of art. Fish sliced so thin that
it's transparent may be arranged on a platter in a delicate
fan that alternates pink-fleshed salmon with paler slices
of fish. Sushi is typically arranged to best display the
colors and textures to their best advantage, turning the
platter and plate into palettes for the artistry of the
chef.
Traditionally, meat plays a minor role in the Japanese
diet, though it has been taking a larger and larger role
over the past fifty years as Japan becomes more westernized.
Beef, chicken and pork may be served with several meals
a week now. One of the more popular meat dishes is 'yakitori'
- chicken grilled on a skewer and served with sauce. A
typical quick lunch might include a skewer of yakitori
and a rice bowl with sushi sauce.
In an interesting twist, Japan has imported dishes from
other cuisines and 'Japanized' them, adopting them as
part of their own cuisines. Korokke, for instance, are
croquettes adopted from those introduced by the English
last century. In Japan, the most common filling is a mixture
of mashed potatoes and minced meat. Other Soshoyu - western
dishes that have made their way into Japanese everyday
cuisine include 'omuraisu', a rice omelet, and hambagau,
the Japanized version of an American hamburger.
About the Author
Kirsten Hawkins is a food and nutrition expert specializing
the Mexican, Chinese, and Italian food. Visit http://www.food-and-nutrition.com/
for more information on cooking delicious and healthy
meals. |
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