About Japanese Food & Cuisine

When talking about Japanese food, healthy diet often comes to mind because of the large amount of vegetables and fish involved. Great attention is usually attached to authentic flavors, gentle cooking methods and fresh ingredients. Most Japanese foods are eaten raw or prepared only for a very short time.

Soy sauce and many other Japanese seasonings are usually used to enhance the food’s intrinsic flavor – a good example for this is the combination of soy sauce and sushi.

In the West, Japanese food was once known either in the form of the exotic “sushi” or “sukiyaki”. In recent years, Japanese cuisine gained more appreciation and is becoming more familiar around the world. Anyone who has dined in a Japanese restaurant would have already sampled the mouth-watering batter-fried shrimp or raw fish. Eating in a Japanese restaurant is usually an experience to be remembered and enjoyed.

Difference between Japanese Food and other Asian Food

The Asian cuisine is a very rich one and diversified. We could write a whole article about every country and compare it and still would not be done, as the regions had to follow. So let’s just take Thai cuisine as an example as it is relatively well known to Westerners.

For every country Japanese is usually made of raw and fresh fish, tofu, tempura (vegetables which are lightly battered and then deep fried) and rice. Thai foods are known to be very spicy and/or sweet. Coconut milk is often found in most recipes and uses basil as ingredients. Thai food, most prominent example: Thai Pad recipes, seek to balance all 5 basic flavors: Sour, sweet, bitter, and salty and hot (savory). Overall, to many Westerners a traditional Thai dish would seem rather hot than balanced. Japanese food, however, avoids such extremes. The main challenge for many Westerners is to overcome the fear of eating raw fish. Another obstacle are the names of the dishes, which are actually quite hard to remember, without a little training. Thus, we prepared a list for you with popular Japanese dishes, please notice also the guide on typical Japanese cooking and it’s ingredients.

Most Popular Japanese Dishes

In Japanese restaurants outside Japan, some dishes are adjusted to adapat to the taste of Europeans and Westerners. There are dishes which are quite impossible to eat if you’re not used to them. Here is a list of famous Japanese dishes:

• Sukiyaki. Preparation is done right at the table. Thinly-sliced beef are cooked together with vermicelli, tofu and various vegetables
• Tempura. Its main ingredients are vegetables, seasonal fish and prawns. It is cooked by deep frying the food in vegetable oil after coating it with a mixture of wheat flour, water and egg.
• Sushi. A tiny piece of raw seafood which is placed on a small ball of rice which is vinegared. The most common ingredients of sushi are prawn, squid and tuna. Sweet egg omelette, pickled radish and cucumber are also served.
• Sashimi. Raw fish which is sliced and is always eaten with soy sauce.
• Kaiseki Ryori. Considered as Japan’s most exquisite refinement in culinary. It’s famous for its refined taste. The main ingredients of the dish are fish and vegetables with mushrooms and seaweed.
• Tonkatsu. The main ingredient is composed of pork cutlets which are rolled in breadcrumbs and then deep-fried.
• Shabu-shabu. Made of thin and tender slices of beef. It’s usually prepared by taking the slice of beef with the use of chopsticks, then swishing it in a boiling pot of water and then dipped in a special sauce before it is eaten.
• Udon and Soba. Two types of Japanese noodle. Udon is made from wheat flour while Soba is from buckwheat flour. They’re usually served either dipped in a sauce or in a broth. They’re available in many delicious variations.
• Mozuku. A kind of seaweed which is the Japanese approved to be nutritious, healthy. It’s also believed to increase immunity. Usually, it’s served with a quantity of vinegar to beat off the sharp smell of fish.
• Koyadofu. This is a sublimated tofu. This isn’t advisable to be eaten raw. It’s commonly prepared with broth to make it soft.
• Natto. These are overfermented soybeans which are known for their sharp smell. They are commonly served for breakfast with rice or mixed with raw egg.
• Shishamo. This is a tiny fish which is prepared by frying in the pan whole.

This guide should help you when you face the menu at  your next visit in a Japanese restaurant.