Typical Japanese cuisine
Tempura An easy favourite! Vegetables and seafood deep fried in batter.
Gyoza Dumplings filled with cabbage, pork, onion, garlic, ginger and soya sauce, Chinese in origin.
Domburimono A bowl of rice covered with boiled beef, chicken and egg, shrimp or pork, and is a popular and inexpensive dish, often served with miso soup and pickles.
Shabushabu Diners have a little stove in front of them and a bowl of boiling water into which they put vegetables and soy sauce to make a stock to their taste. Wafer thin slices of beef are then boiled in the stock and eaten with sesame sauce, and more vegetables and tofu can also be added and cooked to the diner’s taste.
Ramen noodle soup These are the most popular, and restaurants serving these will often have long lines out the door at lunchtime. You usually get the noodles served in miso, salt, pork or soy soup, and you should eat them noisily to show your appreciation! These noodles are Chinese in origin, and you can usually find Gyosa dumplings in these restaurants as well as fried rice.
Soba noodles Soba noodles are spaghetti-style noodles made from buckwheat and wheat flour, and can be eaten hot or cold, dipped in a soya sauce.
Udon noodles Long flat wheat noodles.
Okonomiyaki Japanese ‘as you like it’ pancakes. You sit in front of a hotplate and the pancake-like batter is brought to you for you to cook to your liking. It’s filled with all sorts – pork or fish, beansprouts, cabbage, onions – whatever you like really. When it’s cooked you sprinkle it with sauce and dried seaweed and off you go! The cities of Hiroshima and Osaka have a bitter rivalry as to which boasts the best Okonomiyaki!
Yakitori Chicken kebabs But all parts of the chicken may be used – the liver and skin for example, as well as thigh meat – and cooked on skewers.
Japanese food
Soya beans The staple of most Japanese food, and used in a variety of ways;
Miso Soya bean paste dissolved in hot water to make a thin sauce – drink it out of the bowl.
Tofu Pressed soybean curd, pressed into blocks and often fried. Low in fat, cholesterol free and high in protein.
Edamame Young green soybeans in the pod, boiled and eaten whole as a snack.
Natta Fermented soybeans eaten for breakfast with rice. Hmm.
Wasabi A spicy green paste, the Japanese equivalent of horseradish.
Sweets Red and white bean paste, rice, sugar, sweet potatoes and chestnuts can all be used to make exquisite little ‘tea sweets’, traditionally eaten with tea rather than after meals.
Burgers Freshness Burgers, ZATS Burger and MOS Burgers are well-known Japanese variants on the traditional American takeaway.
Bento boxes These are lunch boxes, found at convenience stores, supermarkets, stations etc.
About the author: Tara
The travel professional with years of experience in the travel industry – in guiding, reservations, operations, contracting, customer service and product development – and have travelled extensively in Asia and Eastern Europe not just on holiday but also for work, inspecting hotels, visiting attractions and seeing exactly what each destination has to offer. The only way I could do this properly was with my own guide, car and driver and this inspired me to create my own range of customised private day tours for other people to be able to explore in-depth and learn to love their destination as much as I do.
Website: www.readyclickandgo.com
Website: http://www.readyclickandgo.com
