Japanese Cooking
Do you love Japanese food? The funny thing about Japanese cooking is that you either love it or you hate it. There is no in-between. And chances are, if you hate it, you probably haven't really tasted Japanese food yet or haven't given yourself a chance to sample it enough. Japanese cooking is hard to appreciate after only one bite. And sometimes, the idea that you are tasting raw food just won't escape your mind that you are already predisposed to hating Japanese food even before you actually taste it.
Personally, I love Japanese food and Japanese cooking. There really is no other cuisine like it in the world in terms of its unique taste and presentation. Who would believe that something so raw could be so delicious? For those of you who have not yet discovered the pleasures of Japanese food, allow me to present the following primer.
The standard Japanese meal always involves a bowl of white rice as well as soup and side dishes such as pickles, vegetables, meat and fish. Japanese food is classified by the number of viands or "okazu" that are served with the rice, soup and side dishes. A meal with one okazu is called ichiju-issai and a prime example of this is the traditional Japanese breakfast which consists of miso soup, rice, grilled fish and one pickled vegetable
The regular Japanese meal usually involves three okazu to go along with the soup, rice and pickles. Traditionally, each of these three okazu are cooked in a different way from the others. They can either be served raw or grilled, simmered, steamed or deep fried.
Another hallmark of Japanese cooking is seafood, which is
the most popular and most widely consumed food in Japan. The most popular
dishes include all types of fish as well as shellfish, squid and octopus.
Crab is another favorite delicacy and so are whale and seaweed. Despite the
fact that Japanese are not heavy meat eaters, you will hardly find any
vegetarians among them either probably owing to their deep fashion for
seafood. Beef and chicken are also popular among the Japanese cooking
culture.
Japanese Culture and Society Links
Japanese Sports 競技 (スポーツ)
Japanese Food 食品 (しょくひん)
Japanese Pop Culture 文化(ぶんか)
- Hello Kitty Phenomena
- Japanese Anime, Japanese Manga
- Japanese Hair Straightening: All You Ever Wanted to Know
- Japanese Karaoke
- Kawaii
Miscellaneous
- Creating a Japanese Garden Theme
- Keeping and Handling Japanese Inro
- Misconception about Ninja
- Japanese Bonsai
- Japanese Geisha
- Japanese Wedding
- Why Do Japanese Have Long Lifespan?
- Decorate with Japanese Art
Japanese Literature Links
- Haiku Poetry
- Japanese Alphabet
- Japanese Language
- Japanese Pronunciation
- Learning Japanese Kanji
- Tanka Poems
Japanese Art Links