{"id":33082,"title":"Japanese Cuisine","modified":"2025-06-12T08:10:04+02:00","plain":"The History of Japanese Cuisine\n\n\n\nJapanese cuisine has long been influenced by both Korea and China. It is best summed up in three words \u2013 simplicity, presentation, and seasonality. People around the world respect and enjoy Japanese food. The cuisine features more than 1,500 products, with rice at its core.\n\n\n\nMy Latest Japanese Recipes\n\n\n\n\n\n    \nHomemade Yakisoba Sauce\n\n5\/5 (26)\n5 minutes minutes\n\n\n    \nOyakodon - Japanese Chicken and Egg Bowl\n\n5\/5 (26)\n20 minutes minutes\nCharger plus\n\n\n\nJapanese Cuisine and the Rise of Buddhism\n\n\n\nThe spread of Buddhism in Japan forbade the killing of many animals and, among other things, the eating of red meat.\n\n\n\nAs a result, fish and tofu became staples, and countless recipes relied on them. The ban was lifted only in 1872, and even then people were allowed to eat meat only outdoors.\n\n\n\nThe teriyaki chicken is one of the most famous Japanese dishes\n\n\n\nChopsticks, a Sign of Nobility?\n\n\n\nOriginally, only the nobility used chopsticks. Over time, however, economic, social, and political changes spread their use throughout society.\n\n\n\nThe moment ordinary people began using chopsticks marked a clear decline in economic and social inequality.\n\n\n\nTraditional Japanese Cuisine\n\n\n\nTraditional Japanese meals revolve around rice (think of maki sushi), miso soup, and a few side dishes. Seasonal ingredients matter greatly. Typical sides include fish, pickled vegetables, and cooked vegetables such as stir-fried yasai itame.\n\n\n\nSeafood is hugely popular, and grilled fish is common. Raw fish, known as sashimi, is equally celebrated.\n\n\n\nNoodles share the spotlight with rice. Two classics are soba noodles and udon. Soba often stars in dishes such as zaru soba.\n\n\n\nDelicious soba to dip in mentsuyu\n\n\n\nSteamed white rice is often paired with one or more dishes. Stir-fried rice is called yakimeshi. The main and side dishes are traditionally served with a bowl of miso soup and tsukemono.\n\n\n\nKorean and Chinese Influences\n\n\n\nKorea introduced rice to Japan, while China brought soy sauce, ramen (yes, really!), and the cold ramen Hiyashi Chuka. The ramen broth styles Chintan and Paitan also came from China. So did the tare for tantanmen, the classic topping Chashu pork, and even the beloved yakisoba noodles.\n\n\n\nJapanese diners eat first with their eyes, so plating and visual appeal are essential. A Japanese meal is not just nourishment; it is also an occasion for socializing and communication.\n\n\n\nDiscover my karaage chicken recipe, the famous Japanese fried chicken\n\n\n\nDashi (a stock made from kombu) and soy sauce are the two cornerstones of Japanese cooking, appearing in almost every dish. There are three main types of soy sauce, but dark soy is the most common. I explain the differences in my article on soy sauce.\n\n\n\nSome fun East-meets-West dishes include cheese beef yakitori skewers, omurice, korokke, hambagu, and chicken nanban.\n\n\n\nMouth-watering, aren't they?\n\n\n\nMain Characteristics of Modern Japanese Cuisine\n\n\n\nThe Japanese engage all five senses when they eat: taste, touch, sight, hearing, and smell.\n\n\n\nJapanese food is generally simple, healthy, and light. Dishes are often prepared with little or no oil, and absolute freshness is prized.\n\n\n\nMeals are served in small bites and eaten with chopsticks. Even the meatballs come bite-size.\n\n\n\nThe preparation and presentation of food are considered true art forms in Japan.\n\n\n\nDelicious Japanese udon noodles cooking\n\n\n\nJapanese dining comes with many rules. Sipping soup or noodles is encouraged because it shows appreciation (though not soups that contain rice).\n\n\n\nOther customs include never catching falling utensils with your hand, never mixing wasabi into soy sauce, avoiding biting food in half, never resting chopsticks across the bowl, and never lifting food above mouth level.\n\n\n\nSpecific Utensils in Japanese Cooking\n\n\n\nJapanese kitchens use many unique tools. Here are some of the most common:\n\n\n\n\nBamboo mat: used to shape sushi rolls. It is made of bamboo, of course. You will not need one for temaki. Note that sashimi are not sushi, unlike nigiri.\n\n\n\nBento box: a compartmented box that lets you carry lunch or tableware.\n\n\n\nCooking chopsticks: called saibashi, they are twice as long as eating chopsticks. Perfect for picking up pieces of tonkatsu or chicken katsu in a katsudon.\n\n\n\nChopstick rest: called hashi-oki, it holds chopsticks so they never touch the table.\n\n\n\n\nOther staples include cutting boards, knives, miso strainers, mortars and pestles, square omelette pans for tamagoyaki, skewers, and more. \n\n\n\nGrilling and More Grilling!\n\n\n\nGrilling is huge in Japan. Think of chicken yakitori skewers or tsukune meatballs, loved worldwide for good reason. My yakitori sauce recipe is here if you need it.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJapanese Dumplings\n\n\n\nJapan's dumpling scene is diverse, far beyond the popular gyoza. Gyoza, with their flavorful filling wrapped in a thin gyoza wrapper, have conquered palates worldwide.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOther varieties deserve attention. Shumai are steamed dumplings filled with minced pork and shrimp, often seen in dim sum restaurants.\n\n\n\nNikuman are steamed buns stuffed with pork and are a favorite winter snack. Har gow, of Cantonese origin, have found a place in Japan with their translucent wrapper and shrimp filling.\n\n\n\nUdon gyoza \u2013 fried dumplings filled with udon noodles \u2013 offer a unique twist, similar to the fried tofu in kitsune udon or niku udon. Each style showcases the depth and variety of Japanese cuisine.\n\n\n\nThe Art of Donburi\n\n\n\nOyakodon (48734e3c) sits proudly within the broad donburi family, a category that celebrates simplicity and bold flavor in a single bowl. Donburi are typically served in a large bowl about 15 cm across, heaped with toppings such as ajitsuke tamago or even the less traditional onsen tamago.\n\n\n\nThis serving style is practical and allows the rice to blend perfectly with its toppings.\n\n\n\nIn short, saying \"I fried pork and put it on rice with a little sauce\" may sound plain, but \"For lunch I enjoyed a delicious katsu-donburi\" certainly impresses the office.\n\n\n\nAmong the most popular variations is Gyudon (4e803c), where thin slices of beef simmer with onions in a light sauce, creating sweet-savory harmony. \n\n\n\nSoboro don features richly seasoned minced meat.\n\n\n\nKatsudon (4c953c) tops rice with breaded, fried pork cutlets and lightly set egg. For a non-fried option, try butadon or the miso version, miso katsu.\n\n\n\nThe Cult of Ready-to-Eat\n\n\n\nI will not write a novel on Japanese corporate culture, but it has shaped many modern food habits. Take-out donburi, \"sando\" sandwiches such as katsu sando or tamago sando, and a reliance on industrial shortcuts all trace back to hectic work life.\n\n\n\nA fast Japanese meal might be rice cooked with powdered dashi, store-bought furikake, bottled tonkatsu sauce, and Kewpie mayo. Delicious, yes, but marketing teams often hide what is basically pasta plus stock cube plus ketchup and mayo behind exotic names. Fortunately, homemade alternatives exist, so remember: Japanese does not automatically mean healthy.\n\n\n\nJapanese Desserts\n\n\n\nAmericans may love dessert, but so do the Japanese \u2013 and they have hundreds to prove it.\n\n\n\nDaifuku mochi and ice-cream mochi are firm favorites. The same dough also stars in mitarashi dango.\n\n\n\nA more recent treat is the Japanese fluffy pancake \u2013 recipe here. They feel like biting into clouds.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTakikomigohan\n\n\n\nIn Japan, \"takikomigohan\" refers to rice cooked together with various ingredients so it absorbs all their flavors. For example, mame gohan seasons rice with dashi, peas, soy sauce, and other condiments.\n\n\n\nMany versions exist, including tai-meshi, ayu-meshi, and gomoku-meshi, the last of which features shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, burdock root, bean sprouts, and chicken. \n\n\n\nKey Spices and Condiments in Japanese Cuisine\n\n\n\nFour basic tastes guide Japanese seasoning: salt, sugar, vinegar, and miso. Common flavorings include:\n\n\n\nMiso (soybean paste): Soybean paste often mixed with barley or rice. Used in soups and as a marinade, as in miso salmon.\n\n\n\nBeni-shoga: Red salt-pickled ginger, key in okonomiyaki and yakisoba.\n\n\n\nMitsuba: Also called Japanese parsley, common in donburi.\n\n\n\nWasabi: Served with sushi and sashimi.\n\n\n\nSu: Rice vinegar, golden and milder than white vinegar.\n\n\n\nSake: Japan's signature alcoholic drink, used in many sauces and marinades.\n\n\n\nMirin: A sweet rice wine mainly for cooking. Read more here.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nShichimi: A seven-spice mix that usually includes dried ginger, nori or aonori, sesame seeds, red chili, sansho, dried mandarin peel, and hemp seeds.\n\n\n\nYuzu-kosho: A hot paste of yuzu, green chili, and salt.\n\n\n\nGoma: Black or white sesame seeds for soups, dressings, and goma tofu.\n\n\n\nShiso: A mint-family herb used whole or chopped in sushi, tempura batter, cabbage salad, and more.\n\n\n\nYuzu lemon: Very tangy; used to season soups or stews, or brewed into yuzu tea.\n\n\n\nMyoga ginger: An edible flower bud with a refreshing aroma.\n\n\n\nTeriyaki sauce: A sweet sauce found everywhere. My recipe is here.\n\n\n\nKatsuobushi: Bonito flakes, used for dashi and much more.\n\n\n\nTamari sauce: A rich, typically Japanese soy sauce.\n\n\n\nEnoki mushrooms: Delicate mushrooms that have surged in popularity.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDaikon: A large white radish enjoyed raw, cooked, or as tsukemono.\n\n\n\nBlack sesame paste: Common in sweets.\n\n\n\nAnko: Sweet red-bean paste found in treats like dorayaki.\n\n\n\nRice: Numerous varieties are grown and eaten in Japan.\n\n\n\nFurikake: A tasty seasoning; try my homemade version.\n\n\n\nMasago: Capelin roe widely used in sushi.\n\n\n\nJapanese curry powder: The base for homemade Japanese curry.\n\n\n\nJapanese curry roux: Key to perfect Japanese curry or katsu curry.\n\n\n\nShimeji mushrooms\n\n\n\nBean sprouts\n\n\n\nEggs: Used everywhere, often with Kewpie mayo, as in Japanese potato salad or tamago kake gohan.\n\n\n\nWakame for the classic wakame salad\n\n\n\nKuzu for thickening sauces\n\n\n\nSansho pepper, reminiscent of Sichuan pepper, used in togarashi\n\n\n\nKamaboko: A fish loaf that includes narutomaki\n\n\n\nUnagi sauce: Once made from eel broth; now simplified but still used to glaze eel.\n\n\n\nYakiniku sauce: For Japanese-style barbecue.\n\n\n\nYakisoba sauce: Essential for stir-fried noodles.\n\n\n\nGoma dare sauce: A rich sesame dressing.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33082"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33082\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}