Japan

Japan

Japanese Cuisine

 The cuisine of Japan has gone through centuries of development. Japanese cuisine comes from the traditional plate of rice served along side a number of other dishes with attention to numerous different seasonal ingredients. The typical side dish is composed of vegetables or fish that's cooked and served in a broth. One of the most popular dishes is seafood, which is usually either served raw or grilled. Another common food is Tempura, which consists of lightly battered vegetables and seafood that has been deep-fried. Similar to rice, noodles such as udon and soba are also staple foods. There is also a number of dishes in Japanese cuisine that consists of food, such as fish, that has been simmered in a broth. Several different foreign foods, such as hamburgers, curry, spaghetti, and even some Chinese food has also been introduced into Japanese cuisine. Even so, they usually have an added twist and are made with Japanese ingredients so they fit into Japan's cuisine. Likewise, Japanese cuisine has introduced many unique foods, such as sushi, to other cuisines from all over the world. 

Sushi

A traditional Japanese meal consists of steamed white rice served with clear or miso soup, as well as one or more main dishes and sides. Rice is served in a small bowl of its own, while every other dish is served in its own bowl or plate by portion. The reason each food is given its own individual dish is because having different foods coming into contact with each other on a single plate is frowned upon in the Japan. Japanese cuisine prefers to separate foods that vary in flavour. Traditional Japanese cuisine uses  dairy products, oils and fats, and red meats very sparingly. Most dishes also tend to contain high levels of sodium due to the addition of traditional ingredients such as miso, soy sauce, and umeboshi. Japanese cuisine is also seasonally based, so many dishes are created with the arrival of each of the four seasons in mind. 

Japanese Rice Dishes

Throughout history, rice has always been a staple food in Japanese cuisine. In fact, rice is such a significant food in Japan that the word for cooked rice, "gohan" and "meshi", is the same as the word for "meal". Even though many people in Japan would consume rice for pretty much every meal, recent studies have shown that the popularity of this food is slowly decreasing. This is due to the introduction of new foods into Japanese cuisine, which has left a growing portion of the population turning to wheat-based foods, such as noodles and bread, instead of bland, white rice. Given this, however, rice is still traditionally incorporated into a number of popular Japanese dishes. Be sure to check out this website for more information on rice and the various dishes it's used in!

Sources:

https://gurunavi.com/en/japanfoodie/2017/04/popular-japanese-rice-dishes.

https://www.insidejapantours.com/japanese-culture/food/

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2035.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_cuisine