what is traditional japanese cuisine?

Question

typical type of food that is eaten

Answer 1

Japanese cuisine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

This article is part
of the Cuisine series
Preparation techniques and cooking items
Techniques - Utensils
Weights and measures
Ingredients and types of food
Food
Spices and Herbs
Sauces - Soups - Desserts
Cheese - Pasta - Bread - Tea

Other ingredients

Regional cuisines
Asia - Europe - Caribbean
South Asian - Latin America
Mideast - North America - Africa
Other cuisines...
See also:
Famous chefs - Kitchens - Meals
Wikibooks: Cookbook
There are many views of what is fundamental to Japanese cuisine. Many think of sushi or the elegant stylized formal kaiseki meals that originated as part of the Japanese tea ceremony. Many Japanese think of the everyday food of the Japanese people—especially that existing before the end of the Meiji Era (1868–1912) or before World War II. Food in Japan is generally of a very high quality and most Japanese people tend to be quite well informed diners. Local, regional and seasonal dishes are invariably a key tourist attraction for the domestic traveller.

Contents [hide]
1 Food individual to the country
2 Traditional Japanese table settings
3 Dishes for special occasions
4 Japanese ingredients
5 Japanese flavorings
6 Common Japanese staple foods (Shushoku)
6.1 Rice (gohanmono)
6.1.1 Congee
6.1.2 Donburi
6.1.3 Sushi
6.1.4 Sake
6.2 Noodles (men-rui)
6.3 Bread (pan)
7 Common Japanese main and side dishes (okazu)
7.1 Deep-fried dishes (agemono)
7.2 Grilled and pan-fried dishes (yakimono)
7.3 Nabemono (one pot "steamboat" cooking)
7.4 Nimono (stewed dishes)
7.5 Itamemono (stir-fried dishes)
7.6 Sashimi
7.7 Soups (suimono and shirumono)
7.8 Pickled or salted foods
7.9 Miscellaneous
7.10 Chinmi
8 Sweets and snacks (okashi, oyatsu)
8.1 Japanese-style sweets (wagashi)
8.2 Old-fashioned Japanese-style sweets (dagashi)
8.3 Western-style sweets (yōgashi)
8.4 Other snacks
9 Tea and other drinks
9.1 Tea and non-alcoholic beverages
9.1.1 Soft drinks
9.2 Alcoholic beverages
10 Japanese influence on other cuisines
11 Imported and adapted foods
11.1 Washoku and yōshoku
11.2 Tempura
11.3 Fusion foods
12 See also
13 References



[edit] Food individual to the country

Ichijū-issai style: rice, soup, and an okazu
One course of a multi-course Kaiseki meal, showing a careful arrangement of the foodsSimilar to Chinese cuisine, there is a concept of staple foods (主食, shushoku) prepared from five carbohydrate-rich cereals (五穀: 米, 麦, 粟, 豆, 黍 or 稗, or rice, wheats and oats, foxtail millet, beans, proso millet or Echinochloa) and main and side dishes (副食, fukushoku, or more commonly, おかず, okazu) of which role is adding flavors to staple foods. Okazu are usually designed "salty" to eat with shushoku with synergistic harmonization and basically not expected to have them alone in Japan.

A standard Japanese meal nearly always consists of a bowl of cooked white Japanese rice (gohan) as shushoku with accompanying tsukemono (pickles), a bowl of soup, and a variety of dishes known as okazu - fish, meat, vegetable, etc.

Traditional Japanese meals are sometimes classified by the number of okazu which accompany the rice and soup. As Japanese meals, especially at the higher end, consist of several small dishes, the concept of a "side dish" is not a part of Japanese meal organization. The simplest Japanese meal, for example, consists of ichijū-issai (一汁一菜; "one soup, one side" or "one dish meal"). This means soup, rice and pickles, and one accompanying dish. A traditional Japanese breakfast, for example, usually consists of miso soup, rice, a pickled vegetable and grilled fish. The standard traditional meal, however, is called ichijū-sansai (一汁三菜; "one soup, three sides"), or soup, rice & pickles, and three dishes, each employing a different cooking technique. The dishes may be raw fish (sashimi), or grilled, simmered (sometimes called boiled in translations from Japanese), steamed, deep fried, vinegared, or dressed dishes. Ichijū-sansai often finishes with pickles such as umeboshi and green tea.

This Japanese view of a meal is reflected in the organization of traditional Japanese cookbooks. Chapters are organized according to cooking techniques: fried foods, steamed foods, and grilled foods, for example, and not according to particular ingredients (e.g., chicken or beef) as are western cookbooks. There may also be chapters devoted to soups, sushi, rice, noodles, and sweets.

Since Japan is an island nation, its people consume much seafood including fish, shellfish, octopus, squid, crab, lobster, shrimp, whale and seaweed. Although not known as a meat eating country, very few Japanese consider themselves vegetarians. It is particularly difficult to find vegetarian cuisine in Japan, as even vegetable dishes are prepared with fish stock or garnishes. However, Shojinryori is a type of cooking which is reputed to follow the strict vegetarian requirements in minor sects of Buddhism, is available in specialty restaurants in Japan. Unfortunately for strict vegetarians most Shojinryori meals contain dashi made from katsuobushi and other non vegetarian elements. Some monks in the temples in Kyoto eat this cuisine. Beef, pork and chicken are commonly eaten as most forms of Buddhism in Japan allow the eating of meat and have become part of everyday cuisine. Lamb is eaten in colder parts of Japan but is not as popular in the remainder of the country.

Noodles, originating from China, have become an essential part of Japanese cuisine, usually (but not always) as an alternative to a rice-based meal. There are two traditional types of noodle, soba and udon. Made from buckwheat flour, soba (蕎麦) is a thin, grayish-brown noodle. Varying amounts of ordinary wheat flour are added, depending on the maker, with a higher content of buckwheat (and hence, a darker color) signifying a higher quality product. Made from wheat flour, udon (うどん) is a thick, white noodle. Both are generally served in a soy-flavored fish broth with various vegetables. Both soba and udon exhibit regional variations throughout Japan. A more recent import from China, dating to the early 19th century, is ramen (ラーメン; Chinese wheat noodles), which has become extremely popular. Ramen is served in a variety of soup stocks ranging from soy sauce/fish stock to butter/pork stock.

Although most Japanese eschew eating insects, there are a couple of exceptions. In some regions, grasshoppers (inago) and bee larvae (hachinoko) are not uncommon dishes. The larvae of a species of caddis fly (zaza-mushi), harvested from the Tenryū river as it flows through Ina City, is also boiled and canned, or boiled and then sautéed in soy sauce and sugar. Salamander is eaten as well in places.


[edit] Traditional Japanese table settings
The traditional Japanese table setting has varied considerably over the centuries, depending primarily on the type of table common during a given era. Before the 19th century, small individual box tables (hakozen, 箱膳) or flat floor trays were set before each diner. Larger low tables (chabudai, ちゃぶ台) that accommodated entire families were becoming popular by the beginning of the 20th century, but these gave way to western style dining tables and chairs by the end of the 20th century.

Traditional table settings are based on the ichijū-sansai formula. Typically, five separate bowls and plates are set before the diner. Nearest the diner are the rice bowl on the left and the soup bowl on the right. Behind these are three flat plates to hold the three side dishes, one to far back left (on which might be served a simmered dish), one at far back right (on which might be served a grilled dish), and one in the center of the tray (on which might be served boiled greens). Pickled vegetables are often served as well, and eaten at the end of the meal, but are not counted as part of three side dishes.

Chopsticks are generally placed at the very front of the tray near the diner with pointed ends facing left and supported by a chopstick rest, or hashioki (箸置き).


[edit] Dishes for special occasions
In Japanese tradition some dishes are strongly tied to a festival or event. Major such combinations include:

Botamochi (sticky rice dumpling with sweet azuki paste): Spring equinox.
Chimaki (steamed sweet rice cake): Tango no Sekku and Gion Festival.
Hamo (a kind of fish) and somen: Gion Festival.
Osechi: New Year.
Sekihan, literally "red rice", rice cooked with adzuki: celebration in general.
Soba: New Year's Eve. This is called toshi koshi soba (年越しそば) (literally "year crossing soba").
Chirashizushi, Ushiojiru (clear soup of clams) and amazake: Hinamatsuri.
In some regions every 1st and 15th day of the month people eat a mixture of rice and adzuki (azuki meshi, see Sekihan).


[edit] Japanese ingredients
This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it.
Rice
Short or medium grain white rice
Mochi rice (glutinous rice)
Beans:
adzuki
soy
Eggs:
chicken
quail
Flour:
Katakuri flour
kudzu flour
rice powder
soba flour
wheat flour
Fruits:
chestnut
citrus fruits:
amanatsu
daidai
iyokan
kabosu
kumquat
mikan
natsumikan
sudachi
yuzu
loquat
nashi pear
persimmon
Fu (wheat gluten)
Meats:
beef
chicken
horse
pork
sometimes as minchi (minced meat)
Mushrooms:
enokitake
eringi
matsutake
maitake
nameko
hiratake
shiitake
shimeji
Noodles:
soba
somen
ramen
udon
Seafood: Every type of seafood imaginable feature in Japanese cuisine. Only the most common are in the list below. Includes freshwater varieties.
Finned fish:
skipjack tuna (katsuo)
pacific saury (sanma)
flounder (karei / hirame)
yellowtail (buri / hamachi)
mackerel (saba)
horse mackerel (aji)
salmon (sake)
tuna (maguro)
sea bream (tai)
pufferfish (fugu)
sardine (iwashi)
Japanese eel (unagi)
ayu
Shellfish:
prawn, shrimp (ebi)
squid, cuttlefish (ika)
octopus (tako)
crab (kani), in particular the snow crab (zuwaigani), horsehair crab (kegani), king crab (tarabagani) and horse crab (gazami)
sea urchin (uni)
scallop (hotate-gai)
littleneck clam (asari)
freshwater clam (shijimi)
oyster (kaki)
japanese lobster (ise-ebi)
horned turban (sazae)
roe
salmon roe (ikura)
herring roe (kazunoko)
pollock roe (tarako)
flying fish roe (tobiko)
Processed seafood:
chikuwa
kamaboko
niboshi
surimi
Satsuma age
Seaweed (see Category:Sea vegetables):
hijiki
konbu
nori
wakame, etc.
Soy products (see also Category:Tofu):
Edamame
Miso
Soy sauce (light, dark, tamari)
Tofu
soft: kinugoshi-dōfu (silken), oboro-dōfu, kumidashi-dōfu
firm: momen-dōfu (cotton)
freeze-dried: kōyadōfu
fried: aburage, agedōfu, atsuage, ganmodoki
residue: Okara
Soy milk, Yuba
Vegetables:
cucumber
daikon
eggplant
fuki (butterbur)
gobo (greater burdock)
kaiware (radish sprouts)
Konnyaku (shirataki)
moyashi (mung or soybean sprouts)
negi (Welsh onion)
nira (Chinese chives)
renkon (lotus root)
Sansai (wild vegetables)
spinach
sweet potato
takenoko (bamboo shoots)
Tsukemono (pickled vegetables)
See also Category:Japanese ingredients.


[edit] Japanese flavorings
It is not generally thought possible to make authentic Japanese food without shōyu (soy sauce), miso and dashi.

Kombu (kelp), katsuobushi (flakes of cured skipjack tuna, sometimes referred to as bonito) and niboshi (dried baby sardines) are often used to make dashi stock.
Negi (welsh onion), onions, garlic, nira (Chinese chives), rakkyō (a type of scallion).
Sesame seeds, sesame oil, sesame salt (gomashio), furikake, walnuts or peanuts to dress.
Shōyu (soy sauce), dashi, mirin, sugar, rice vinegar, miso, sake.
Wasabi (and imitation wasabi from horseradish), karashi (hot mustard), red pepper, ginger, shiso (perilla or beefsteak plant) leaves, sansho, citrus peel, and honeywort (called mitsuba).
Less traditional, but widely used ingredients include:

Monosodium glutamate, which is often used by chefs and food companies as a cheap flavor enhancer. It may be used as a substitute for kombu, which is a traditional source of free glutamate
Worcestershire sauce, which is commonly used as a table condiment as well as a sauce for Okonomiyaki

[edit] Common Japanese staple foods (Shushoku)

Tamago kake gohan (left), Tsukemono and Miso soup
[edit] Rice (gohanmono)
Rice served in Japan are of the short grain Japonica variety. In a traditional Japanese setting (e.g. served in a bowl) it is known as gohan or meshi (generally only males say meshi). In western-influenced dishes, where rice is often served on the plate (such as curries) it is called raisu (after the English word "rice".)

Gohan or Meshi: plainly cooked white rice. It is such a staple that the terms gohan and meshi are also used to refer meals in general, such as Asa gohan/meshi (breakfast), Hiru gohan/meshi (lunch), and Ban gohan/meshi (dinner). Some alternatives are:
Genmai gohan: white rice cooked with brown rice
Okowa: cooked glutinous rice
Mugi gohan/meshi: white rice cooked with barley
Soy-flavored raw egg (Tamago kake gohan), nori, and furikake are popular condiments in Japanese breakfast
Ochazuke: hot green tea or dashi poured over cooked white rice, often with various savoury ingredients
Onigiri: balls of rice with a filling in the middle. Japanese equivalent of sandwiches.
Takikomi gohan: Japanese-style pilaf cooked with various ingredients and flavored with soy, dashi, etc.
Kamameshi: rice topped with vegetables and chicken or seafood, then baked in an individual-sized pot
Sekihan: red rice. white rice cooked with adzuki beans to Glutinous rice
Kare Raisu (Japanese curry): Introduced from UK in the late 19th century, kare-raisu is now one of the most popular dishes in Japan. Not as spicy as its Indian counterpart, and eaten with a spoon.
Hayashi rice: thick beef stew on rice; origin of the name is unknown, but may be "hashed (beef) rice"
Omurice (Omu-raisu オムライス): omelette filled with fried rice, apparently originating from Tokyo
Mochi: glutinous rice cake

[edit] Congee
Kayu or Okayu: rice congee (porridge), sometimes egg dropped and usually served to infants and persons in ill as easily digestible meals
Zosui (Zōsui) or Ojiya: a soup containing rice stewed in stock, often with egg, meat, seafood, vegetables or mushroom, and flavoured with miso or soy. Known as juushii in Okinawa. Some similarity to risotto and Kayu though Zosui uses cooked rice

[edit] Donburi
A one-bowl lunchtime dish, consisting of a donburi (big bowl) full of hot steamed rice with various savory toppings:

Katsudon: donburi topped with deep-fried breaded cutlet of pork (tonkatsudon), chicken (chickendon)
Tekkadon: donburi topped with tuna sashimi
Oyakodon (Parent and Child): donburi topped with chicken and egg (or sometimes salmon and salmon roe)
Gyūdon: donburi topped with seasoned beef
Tendon: donburi topped with tempura (battered shrimp and vegetables).
Unadon: donburi topped with broiled eel with vegetables.

[edit] Sushi
Sushi is vinegared rice topped or mixed with various fresh ingredients, usually fish or seafood.

Nigiri-zushi: This is sushi with the ingredients on top of a block of rice.
Maki-zushi: Translated as "roll sushi", this is where rice and seafood or other ingredients are placed on a sheet of seaweed (nori) and rolled into a cylindrical shape on a bamboo mat and then cut into smaller pieces.
Temaki: Basically the same as makizushi, except that the nori is rolled into a cone-shape with the ingredients placed inside. Sometimes referred to as a "hand-roll".
Chirashi: Translated as "scattered", chirashi involves fresh sea food, vegetables or other ingredients being placed on top of sushi rice in a bowl or dish.

[edit] Sake
Sake is usually considered as an equivalent to rice (gohanmono) in Japan and one of them is chosen as a "staple food" and not simultaneously taken except in case with Sushi.


[edit] Noodles (men-rui)
Noodles often take the place of rice in a meal. However, the Japanese appetite for rice is so strong that many restaurants even serve noodles-rice combination sets.

Traditional Japanese noodles are usually served chilled with a dipping sauce, or in a hot soy-dashi broth.
Soba: thin brown buckwheat noodles. Also known as Nihon-soba ("Japanese soba"). In Okinawa, soba likely refers to Okinawa soba (see below).
Udon: thick wheat noodle served with various toppings, usually in a hot soy-dashi broth, or sometimes in a Japanese curry soup.
Somen: thin wheat noodles served chilled with a dipping sauce. Hot Sormen is called Nyumen.
Chinese-influenced noodles are served in a meat or chicken broth and have only appeared in the last 100 years or so.
Ramen: thin light yellow noodle served in hot chicken or pork broth with various toppings; of Chinese origin, it is a popular and common item in Japan. Also known as Shina-soba or Chuka-soba (both mean "Chinese soba")
Champon: yellow noodles of medium thickness served with a great variety of seafood and vegetable toppings in a hot chicken broth which originated in Nagasaki as a cheap food for students
Okinawa soba: a thick wheat-flour noodle served in Okinawa, often served in a hot broth with sōki, steamed pork. Akin to a cross between udon and ramen.
Yaki soba: Fried chinese noodles
Yaki udon: Fried udon noodles

[edit] Bread (pan)
Bread (the word "pan" is derived from the Portuguese pão) is not native to Japan and is not considered traditional Japanese food, but since its introduction in the 19th century it has become common.

Curry bread (karē pan): deep fried bread filled with Japanese curry sauce.
Anpan: sweet bun filled with red bean paste.
Yakisoba-pan: bread roll sandwich with yakisoba (fried noodles and red pickled ginger) filling.
Katsu-sando: sandwich with tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) filling.

[edit] Common Japanese main and side dishes (okazu)

[edit] Deep-fried dishes (agemono)
Kara-age: bite-sized pieces of chicken (sometimes fish) floured and deep fried. Common izakaya food, also often available in convenience stores.
Korokke (croquette): breaded and deep-fried patties, containing either mashed potato or white sauce mixed with minced meat, vegetables or seafood. Popular everyday food.
Kushiage: skewered meat, vegetables or seafood, breaded and deep fried.
Tempura: deep-fried vegetables or seafood in a light, distinctive batter.
Tonkatsu: deep-fried breaded cutlet of pork (chicken versions are called chicken katsu).

[edit] Grilled and pan-fried dishes (yakimono)
Genghis Khan barbecue: barbecued lamb or mutton, with various seafoods and vegetables.
Gyoza: Chinese ravioli-dumplings (potstickers), usually filled with pork and vegetables and pan-fried.
Kushiyaki: skewers of meat and vegetables.
Okonomiyaki: savory pancakes with various meat and vegetable ingredients, flavoured with the likes of Worcestershire sauce or mayonnaise(see also Okonomiyaki restaurants).
Takoyaki: a spherical, fried dumpling of batter with a piece of octopus inside. Popular street snack.
Teriyaki: grilled, broiled, or pan-fried meat, fish, chicken or vegetables glazed with a sweetened soy sauce.
Unagi, including Kabayaki: grilled and flavored eel.
Yakiniku: various bite-sized meat and offal (most often beef) barbecued, usually at the table. Including Korean bulgogi.
Yakitori: barbecued chicken skewers, usually served with beer.
Yakizakana: flame-grilled fish, often served with grated daikon. One of the most common dishes served at home.

[edit] Nabemono (one pot "steamboat" cooking)
Nabemono includes:

Oden: surimi, boiled eggs, vegetables, etc. simmered in a dashi stock. Common wintertime food and often available in convenience stores.
Motsunabe: beef offal, chinese cabbage and various vegetables cooked in a light soup base.
Shabu-shabu: hot pot with thinly sliced beef, vegetables, and tofu, cooked in a thin stock at the table and dipped in a soy or sesame-based dip before eating.
Sukiyaki: thinly sliced beef and vegetables cooked in a mixture of soy sauce, dashi, sugar, and sake. Participants cook at the table then dip food into their individual bowls of raw egg before eating it.
Tecchiri: hot pot with blowfish and vegetables, a specialty of Osaka.

[edit] Nimono (stewed dishes)
Kakuni: chunks of pork belly stewed in soy, mirin and sake with large pieces of daikon and whole boiled eggs. The Okinawan variation, using awamori, soy sauce and miso, is known as rafuti.
Nikujaga: beef and potato stew, flavoured with sweet soy
Nizakana: fish poached in sweet soy
sōki: Okinawan dish of pork stewed with bone

[edit] Itamemono (stir-fried dishes)
Stir-frying is not a native method of cooking in Japan, however mock-Chinese stir fries such as yasai itame (stir fried vegetables) have been a staple in homes and canteens across Japan since the 1950s. Home grown stir fries include:

Chanpurū: A stir-fry from Okinawa, of vegetables, tofu, meat or seafood and sometimes egg. Many varieties, the most famous being gōyā chanpurū.
Kinpira gobo: Thin sticks of greater burdock (gobo) and other root vegetables stir-fried and braised in sweetened soy.

[edit] Sashimi
Sashimi is raw, thinly sliced foods served with a dipping sauce and simple garnishes; usually fish or shellfish served with soy sauce and wasabi. Less common variations include:

Basashi: sliced horse meat, sometimes called sakura, is a regional speciality in certain areas such as Shinshu (Nagano, Gifu and Toyama prefectures) and Kumamoto. [1].
Fugu: sliced poisonous pufferfish (sometimes lethal), a uniquely Japanese specialty. The chef responsible for preparing it must be licensed.
Rebasashi: usually liver of calf, completely raw (rare version is called "aburi").
Shikasashi: sliced deer meat, a rare delicacy in certain parts of Japan.
Tataki: ei skipjack tuna or beef steak seared on the outside and sliced, or a finely chopped fish, spiced with the likes of chopped spring onions, ginger or garlic paste.

[edit] Soups (suimono and shirumono)
Soups include:

Miso soup: soup made with miso dissolved in dashi, usually containing two or three types of solid ingredients, such as seaweed, vegetables or tofu.
Tonjiru: similar to Miso soup, except that pork is added to the ingredients
Dangojiru: soup made with dumplings along with seaweed, tofu, lotus root, or any number of other vegetables and roots
Imoni: a thick taro potato stew popular in Northern Japan during the autumn season
Sumashijiru: a clear soup made with dashi and seafood
Zoni: soup containing mochi rice cakes along with various vegetables and often chicken

[edit] Pickled or salted foods
These foods are usually served in tiny portions, as a side dish to be eaten with white rice, to accompany sake or as a topping for rice porridges.

Ikura: salt cured salmon caviar.
Mentaiko: salt-cured pollock roe.
Shiokara: salty fermented viscera.
Tsukemono: pickled vegetables, hundreds of varieties and served with most rice-based meals.
Umeboshi: small, pickled ume fruit. Usually red and very sour, often served with bento lunch boxes or as a filling for onigiri.
Tsukudani: Very small fish, shellfish or seaweed stewed in sweetened soy for preservation.

[edit] Miscellaneous
Agedashi tofu: cubes of deep-fried silken tofu served in hot broth.
Bento or Obento: combination meal served in a wooden box, usually as a cold lunchbox.
Chawan mushi: meat (seafood and/or chicken) and vegetables boiled in egg custard.
Edamame: boiled and salted pods of soybeans, eaten as a snack, often to accompany beer.
Himono: dried fish, often aji (Japanese jack mackerel). Traditionally served for breakfast with rice, miso soup and pickles.
Hiyayakko: chilled tofu with garnish.
Natto: fermented soybeans, stringy like melted cheese, infamous for its strong smell and slippery texture. Often eaten for breakfast. Typically popular in Kantō and Tōhoku but hardly elsewhere.
Ohitashi: boiled greens such as spinach, chilled and flavoured with soy sauce, often with garnish.
Osechi: traditional foods eaten at New Year.
Sunomono: vegetables such as cucumber or wakame, or sometimes crab, marinated in rice vinegar.

[edit] Chinmi
Chinmi are regional delicacies, and include:

An kimo
Karasumi
Konowata
Uni: Specifically salt-pickled sea urchin

[edit] Sweets and snacks (okashi, oyatsu)
see also Category:Japanese desserts and sweets

[edit] Japanese-style sweets (wagashi)
Wagashi include

Amanatto
Anmitsu: a traditional Japanese dessert
Anpan: bread with sweet bean paste in the center
Dango: rice dumpling
Hanabiramochi
Higashi
Hoshigaki: Dried persimmon fruit
Imagawayaki: also known as 'Taikoyaki' is a round Taiyaki and fillings are same
Kakigori: shaved ice with syrup topping.
Kompeito: crystal sugar candy
Manju: sticky rice surrounding a sweet bean center
Matsunoyuki
Melonpan: a large, round bun which is a combination of regular dough beneath cookie dough, with a sweet filling in between. It often (but not always) contains a melon-flavored cream, and its general shape is said to resemble that of a melon.
Mochi: steamed sweet rice pounded into a solid, sticky, and somewhat translucent mass
Oshiruko: a warm, sweet red bean (an) soup with mochi: rice cake
Uiro: a steamed cake made of rice flour
Taiyaki: a fried, fish-shaped cake, usually with a sweet filling such as an: red bean paste

[edit] Old-fashioned Japanese-style sweets (dagashi)
Karumetou: Brown sugar cake. Also called Karumeyaki
Sosu Senbei: Thin wafers eaten with soy sauce

[edit] Western-style sweets (yōgashi)
Yōgashi are Western-style sweets, but in Japan are typically very light or spongy.

Kasutera: "Castella" Iberian-style sponge cake
Mirucurepu: "mille crepe": layered crepe

[edit] Other snacks
See also List of Japanese snacks and Category:Japanese snack food
Snacks include:

Azuki Ice: vanilla flavored ice cream with sweet azuki beans
Koara no māchi
Umai Bō　Puffed corn food with various flavors
Pocky
Kit Kat
Hello Panda
Hi-chew
Ice cream: Goma (black sesame seed) and sweet potato are two common flavors of ice cream. Sometimes the green tea ice cream is swirled with sweet potato ice cream similar to the way chocolate and vanilla soft serve ice cream are served in America.
Matcha Ice (Green tea ice cream): green tea flavored ice cream

[edit] Tea and other drinks

Barrels of sake, a traditional Japanese alcoholic drink
[edit] Tea and non-alcoholic beverages
Sea also Japanese green teas and Japanese drinks
Amazake
Genmaicha: green tea combined with roasted brown rice.
Hojicha: green tea roasted over charcoal.
Kombucha (tea): a tea poured with Kombu giving rich flavor in monosodium glutamate.
Matcha: powdered green tea.
Mugicha: barley tea, served chilled during summer.
Sencha: steam treated green tea leaves then dried.
Umecha: a tea drink with Umeboshi giving refreshing sourness.

[edit] Soft drinks
Calpis
Pocari Sweat
Ramune
Yakult

[edit] Alcoholic beverages
Awamori
Sake
Shochu
Umeshu

[edit] Japanese influence on other cuisines
United States

Teppanyaki (hibachi) is said to be an American invention, as is the California roll (not to mention the New Mexico and Philadelphia rolls), and while the former has been well received in Japan as a novelty, the latter have not and have, at worst, been termed not sushi by the Japanese. In Japan, however, a particular restaurant (still operating) in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo is widely credited with having first developed the concept of teppanyaki during the post war period. However thanks to some recent trends in American culture such as Iron Chef and Benihana, Japanese culinary culture is slowly fusing its way into American life. Japanese food, which had been quite exotic in the West as late as the 1970s, is now quite at home in parts of the continental United States, and has become an integral part of food culture in Hawaii.


[edit] Imported and adapted foods
Japan has incorporated imported food from across the world (mostly from Asia, Europe and to a lesser extent the Americas). Chinese, French, Italian and Spanish cuisine is of particular interest to Japanese people, whilst the food of Northern European countries and the US is generally held in quite poor regard. Historically, foods such as castella and bread were originally imported from Portugal, and the name pan for bread is a loanword from Portuguese.

Many imported foods are made suitable for the Japanese palate by reducing the amount of spice used or changing a part of a recipe. Similarly, Japanese pizza may have toppings such as sliced boiled eggs, pineapple, sweetcorn, nori, and mayonnaise instead of tomato sauce. Shrimp, squid and other seafood excluded in the US is often retained in Japan, just as in other parts of the world.

Foods from other countries vary in their authenticity. Many Italian dishes are changed, however Japanese chefs have preserved many Italian seafood oriented dishes that are forgotten in other countries. These include pasta with prawns, lobster (an Italian specialty known in Italy as pasta arragosta), crab (another Italian specialty, in Japan is served with a different species of crab) and pasta with sea urchin sauce (the sea urchin pasta being a specialty of the Puglia region of Italy).

Examples of changed imported cuisine include:

Spaghetti with mentaiko sauce topped with seaweed, or made with tomato ketchup, weiners, sliced onion and green pepper (called 'neapolitan')
Japanese-only "Chinese dishes" like Ebi Chili (shrimp in a tangy and slightly spicy sauce)
Barbecue that is unflavored and is dipped in sauce before eating for flavor
Kimchi is a popular pickle in Japan. Japanese Kimchi is thinner than Korean Kimchi.
Usage of Japanese rice instead of indigenous rice (in dishes from Thailand, India, Italy, etc.) or including it in dishes when originally it would not be eaten with (in dishes like hamburger, steak, omelettes, etc.).
The Japanese often eat at hamburger chains such as McDonald's, First Kitchen, Lotteria or Mos Burger, a popular competitor. Other fast-food establishments are similarly popular. These include doughnut and ice cream shops. Okinawa has a chain of A&W drive-in restaurants featuring the company's root beer. The Japanese also alter American-style fast-food, serving such items as green-tea milkshakes and fried shrimp burgers at chains like Lotteria.

In Tokyo, it is quite easy to find restaurants serving authentic foreign cuisine. However, in most of the country, in many ways, the variety of imported food is limited; for example, it is rare to find pasta that is not of the spaghetti or macaroni varieties in supermarkets or restaurants; bread is very rarely of any variety but white; and varieties of imported cereal are also very limited, usually either frosted or chocolate flavored. "Italian restaurants" also tend to only have pizza and pasta in their menus. Interestingly for Italian visitors, the cheaper Italian places in Japan tend to serve the American version of Italian foods, which often vary wildly from the version you might find in Italy or in other countries.


[edit] Washoku and yōshoku
Imported cuisines and foods from America and Europe are called yōshoku (洋食), a shortened form of seiyōshoku (西洋食) lit. Western cuisine. Japanese cuisine is called washoku (和食), lit. Japanese cuisine and Chinese cuisine is called Chūkaryōri (中華料理), lit. Chinese recipe.

A number of foreign dishes have been adapted to a degree that they are now considered Japanese, and are an integral part of any Japanese family menu. Yet, these are still categorized as yōshoku as they were imported. Perhaps the best example is curry rice, which was imported in the 19th century by way of the United Kingdom, and only vaguely resembles the original Indian dish. Another example is "Hamburg steak", which is a ground beef patty, usually mixed with breadcrumbs and fried chopped onions, served with a side of white rice and vegetables. Restaurants that serve these foods are called yōshokuya (洋食屋), lit. Western cuisine restaurants. However, yōshoku basically refers to Japanese-style foreign cuisine of a vague origin.


[edit] Tempura
One of the oldest imported dishes is tempura, although it has been so thoroughly adopted that its foreign roots are unknown to most people, including many Japanese. As such, it is considered washoku. Tempura came to Japan from Portuguese sailors in the 16th century as a technique for cooking fish. Since then, the Japanese have extended its ingredients to include almost every sort of seafood and vegetable. Shrimp, eggplant, squash, and carrots are typical ingredients today. Another food, like tempura, that is now considered washoku is sōmen. Tonkatsu is another food introduced by the Portuguese in the same period.


[edit] Fusion foods
In a constant quest to adopt and expand Japanese cuisine, Japanese have made hundreds of recipes that are distinctly different from the original recipes but still retain the "air" (and basic taste) of their origins. For example, curry from India, imported via the United Kingdom, has fused with varieties of foods to make new recipes. Curry made with fish based dashi is poured over udon, making kare udon. It is wrapped in dough and deep fried, making kare pan, curry bread. Curry is often eaten with pickled vegetables called fukujinzuke or rakkyo. Other recipes are so exotic by any standard that they remain a local cuisine. Anmitsu (あんみつ), a dish of cream, bean jam, ice cream, and fruits is often served as a dessert in restaurants.


[edit] See also
Wikibooks Cookbook has an article on
Japanese cuisineWikimedia Commons has media related to:
Japanese cuisineAinu cuisine
Cooking
cuisine
Japanese Dining Etiquette
Japanese Biscuits
Iron Chef
Japanese culture
Japanese New Year
List of Japanese cooking utensils
List of Japanese snack food
List of recipes
Shōkadō bentō

[edit]

Answer 2

In Japan they have a tradtional formal style dinner, similar to the Western setup, soups, fish courses, meats, noodles, and fruit dessert courses, but like the tea ceremony, it is more structured and there are set ways to prepare and serve the food.

A Formal Japanese dinner can last several hours, with sake, tea and other beverages included, they tend to do this for executive's in business situations or when you go to one of the Hot Springs for a holiday.

Answer 3

What a question..!!

It depends on what exactly you mean by 'traditional'...!

There was a time when poor people would have to manage with a weak wheat soup / porridge twice a day - and nothing else (unless they were lucky enough to catch a fish..!)

The 'standard' Japanese meal is probably seen to be a bowl of white rice, grilled fish, miso soup - maybe with nattou, or with a raw egg broken onto the rice or the soup. But really that's a breakfast meal. Lots of rice would be cooked, and some put in lunch-boxes for the entire family. Poorer people - or most people in hard times - would just put a pickled plum on top of the rice - IF they were lucky enough to HAVE a pickled plum..! For some people this would have to last for 3 meals - the first meal they would LOOK at the plum, and eat some rice. The second, they would eat some rice with juices from the plum, and lastly they would eat the rest of the rice WITH the plum. Pickled plums have the same effect as lemons - just looking at them makes your mouth go all funny and provides enough saliva to help you eat plain rice..!

I have to point out though, that most 'Japanese' cuisine drifted over from other countries! Even the rice!!

Tenpura came from Portugal, noodles from China ...!

But NOW, I suppose tenpura IS traditional Japanese cuisine! It's been around for hundreds of years, after all! Noodles too..! So, there's tenpura;
http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g141907/img/g141907l.jpg
Domburi;
http://www.dekap.com/resep/images/chickeneggdomburi.jpg
Ramen;
http://park2.wakwak.com/~yamome/eat-big1.htm
Udon;
http://blog32.fc2.com/m/miocel/file/20060622235402.jpg
Soba;
http://www.ycci.or.jp/kanko/bimi/00089.html
Yakisoba;
http://pds.exblog.jp/pds/1/200506/08/97/b0024197_2117246.jpg
okonomi-yaki;
http://gogo-beatmaker.cocolog-nifty.com/gogo/images/vfsh0006.JPG
Obviously sushi
http://www.daikoku.e-kawagoe.jp/index.htm
& sashimi;
http://image.space.rakuten.co.jp/lg01/21/0000074921/69/img4b10b7dekhhfbk.jpeg
Beef sashimi (also available as horse or venison);
http://www.yoshitei.co.jp/menu/alacarte/gyuusashi.html
Curry-rice (also available as the virtually spice-less 'Hayashi-rice');
http://riverland.peko.to/mt/archives/20040801-dinner.png

There's lots of other stuff, but as most of it came to Japan more recently I won't bother mentioning it..!
; )

Oh, and a traditional Japanese meal - even at a restaurant - is all served at once, usually on a tray.
http://sio.ucsd.edu/japan/history/food.cfm

(That reminds me - omu-rice is now a traditional Japanese food..! Omelette with fried rice in it, and a sauce..!)
http://www.ajinomoto.co.jp/recipe/condition/menu/700599.asp??rcptop=KihonNoOkazu

Answer 4

All fruits are fresh vegetables. A "vegetable" is a plant, any part of which is employed for food.

Answer 5

In the superstore, fruits are usually chosen far too soon. Some are rocks, many are bitter. Some of the fruit and vegetables are right (zucchini, onions, garlic, lettuce, greens, and a few others) so I'd have to go with vegetables.

Answer 6

Rice, lots of veg, some meat or fish. Soup - like miso. Cold soba noodles.

Answer 7

Sushi