Japanese Cuisine Explained

Tempura, sukiyaki, sashimi, sushi – even the words used to describe the most basic of Japanese dishes are exotic and beautiful. Japanese food is one of the healthiest diet in the world, with its concentration on fresh fish, seafood, rice and vegetables. The pungent sauces and delicate flavors of fresh foods complement each other perfectly, and the methods of presentation turn even simple meals into beautiful events.

The Japanese have more than a dozen different names for rice, depending on how it is prepared and what it is served with. The most common meal is a rice bowl, a bowl of white rice served with various toppings or ingredients mixed in. So popular is it that the Rice Bowl has even made its way into the world of Western convenience foods alongside ramen noodles. Domburi is a bowl of rice topped with another food: domburi tendon, for instance, is rice topped with tempura and domburi gyudon is rice topped with beef. The Japanese adopted fried rice from the Chinese dishes, and a century ago, when curry was first introduced, developed Kare Raisu, curry rice. It is now such a popular dish that there are many fast-food restaurants that serve many versions of it in take-away bowls.

Besides white rice served as a side dish, Japanese cuisine also features onigiri – rice balls wrapped in seaweed, often with a ‘surprise’ in the middle, and kayu, a thin gruel made of rice that resembles oatmeal.

As an island nation, it’s not surprising that seafood is featured in Japanese food. Sushi and sashimi both are raw fish and seafood with various spices. Without a doubt fresh fish is the secret to wonderful sashimi and sushi, served with wasabi and soya sauce. The Japanese love of beauty turns slices and chunks of raw fish into miniature works of art. Fish sliced so thin that it’s transparent may be arranged on a platter in a delicate fan that alternates pink-fleshed salmon with paler slices of fish. Sushi is typically arranged to best display the colors and textures to their best advantage, turning the platter and plate into palettes for the artistry of the chef.

Traditionally, meat only plays a minor role in the Japanese diet, though it's role has grown larger over the past 50 years as Japan becomes more westernized. Beef, chicken and pork has been served with several meals a week now. One of the more popular dishes is ‘yakitori’ – chicken grilled on a skewer and served with japanese sauce. A typical quick lunch might include a skewer of yakitori and a rice bowl with sushi.

In an interesting twist, Japan has imported dishes from other cuisines and ‘Japanized’ them, adopting them as part of their own cuisines. Korokke, is actually croquettes adopted from those introduced by the English last century. In Japan, the most common filling is a mixture of mashed potatoes and minced meat. Other Soshoyu – western dishes that have made their way into Japanese everyday cuisine include ‘omuraisu’, a rice omelet, and hambagau, the Japanized version of an American hamburger.

Japanese cuisine has become increasingly popular all over the world including Thailand. A popular Japanese Restaurant in Chiang Mai known as Genki Ramen Tei serves a wide range of Japanese cuisine including the popular Japanese Ramen in Chiang Mai, visit the company website at www.GenkiRamenTei.com - Food in Chiang Mai for more information on the menu available. Be sure to stop by the restaurant when looking for Chiang Mai Restaurants

Also refer to cooking portal for Cooking Instructions of Japanese Cuisines.