Traditional Food in Japan is based on fresh, local ingredients, with minimal processing, highlighting instead the natural flavors of the food. Fish, rice, noodles, and vegetables are some staples that make up the basis of most Japanese diets. Some popular traditional dishes include sushi, ramen, tempura, soba, tonkatsu and okonomiyaki.
Japanese cuisine emphasizes variety and balance. This is achieved through the use of five colors (black, white, red, yellow, and green), five cooking techniques (raw food, grilling, steaming, boiling, and frying), and five flavors (sweet, spicy, salty, sour, and bitter). These principles can be found even in a single meal of one soup and three sides paired with rice.
Sushi is one of the most famous foods to come from Japan. It originated from the process of preserving fish in fermented rice. Today it’s made with vinegared rice and fresh fish. Tempura is a dish of battered and fried fish or vegetables. Special care is given to the way the ingredients are cut as well as to the temperature of the batter (ice cold) and oil (very hot) for deep-frying.
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Curry rice (カレーライス)
Introduction to Curry Rice Did you know that curry is just as popular in Japan as ramen? Furthermore, when most people think of curry, they think of India or Thailand. While these nations have fantastic curry-based cuisines, Japanese Cur... -
Miso Nikomi Udon (味噌煮込みうどん)
"Miso nikomi udon" is a dish made by simmering raw noodles in a clay pot with bonito flakes in the soup made with hatcho miso, which is a standard in the Nagoya area. It is famous as a Nagoya specialty you can find in various parts of t... -
Tamago Kake Gohan (卵かけご飯)
Introduction to Tamago Kake Gohan Did you have any idea what the Japanese eat for their breakfast? Well, this article will be your guide to one of their Japanese breakfast called, "Tamago Kake Gohan". If you are familiar with Japanese' T... -
Kamo nabe (鴨鍋)
When winter comes, what is the food that you want to eat the most? For us, it is definitely nabe (hotpot)! There are various types of hotpot in Japan but today we want to introduce "Kamo nabe". "Kamo nabe" is a hot pot dish in which duck... -
Osechi (おせち)
Introduction to Osechi Osechi Ryori is indispensable for the Japanese New Year. Additionally, each dish has a congratulatory meaning. In addition to that, there are also manners in how to eat osechi dishes. In this article, I will teach ... -
Chorogi (チョロギ)
Introduction to Chorogi After the celebration of Christmas, New Year is coming! Everyone looks forward to the new year being the year of healing, blessings, and success. And so, this article including Tadukuri, Kuromame, Ichigoni, Datema... -
Tadukuri (田作り)
Introduction to Tadukuri It’s the holiday season now and we are now approaching the end of the year and welcoming another year. Everyone is expecting a lot of positivity in the new year to come. Speaking of that, did you know that the Ja... -
Date Maki (伊達巻)
Introduction to Date Maki Date Maki is an egg dish that originally comes from Nagasaki, also called a sweet omelette roll. It is a part of Osechi Ryori, the traditional Japanese new year food. It is like Tamagoyaki but in a sweeter taste... -
Toshikoshi Soba (年越しそば)
Introduction to Toshikoshi Soba After Christmas Day, everyone is looking forward to the new year to come. Wishing that the new year will be prosperous and will be a great year to look forward to. Even everyone is wishing to forget all th... -
Japanese Christmas Food (日本のクリスマス料理)
Introduction to Japanese Christmas Food Christmas is coming and everyone is preparing for their celebration feast to serve during the holiday seasons. What is Christmas? It is a celebration commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, who is...