Washoku and Culture Japan, located in the North Pacific Ocean of East Asia, has at total of 3,000 islands that consist of four major islands that stretch for a total of 1300 miles. Early inhabitants of the area are believed to have migrated to the area of present day Japan from the continent of Asia and the South Pacific some 2000 years ago. The majority of the population is homogenized; mainly Japanese although some Koreans, Chinese, and people from other countries live there including Brazilians and Filipinos.
Buddhism and Shintoism are the two most common religions practiced in Japan. Shintoism has been traced back to 550B. C. and is largely practiced to show respect for one’s ancestors due to the belief in Kami, natural or ancestral spirits. Shinto’s emphasizes purity and became the national Japanese religion in the late 19th Century. Inanimate objects of profound beauty are sometimes worshiped as well as people. In fact, the placement of a red disk in the center of the Japanese flag symbolizes the sun which Shinto’s consider to be the most divine.
In contrast, Buddhism was first introduced by Chinese immigrants though the two religions began to blend. Buddhism focuses on the attempt to achieve a state of nirvana, being free from anger and discontent, with peace of mind. Shrines throughout Japan are often visited for the worship of both religions. The Japanese culture is enhanced by the enjoyment of traditional dishes. The term Wakoshu means Japanese food.
The preparation of Washoku requires skill and is labor intensive. Most of all, Japanese cuisine is characterized by fresh ingredients, simplicity, in that each dish requires only a few ingredients, and careful preparation. Fresh ingredients include fish with bright eyes and shiny scales, and vegetables such as the Daikon radish, eggplant, and the most abundant crop of Japan; rice.
With rice being the main crop cultivated in the northern region of Japan, it is the main staple of their diet. Also fish is consumed more often than any other type of meat such as pork or beef. This is due to the fact that both cold and warm water fish thrive off the Pacific coast where six million tons of seafood is captured every year. Just off of the eastern coast of Honshu, tuna, salmon, eel, octopus, squid and clams are also found.
For added flavor, foods made from soy bean are used daily, including soy sauce. The simplest seasoning called Dashi only contains two ingredients, Konbu, or giant kelp and Shoyu or Japanese soy sauce. For most vegetable preparations, a number of geometric shapes are created after unique knife work skills are acquired. For instance, decorative shapes are carved into carrots and shiitake mushrooms to make miso- soup.
Miso, fermented bean paste, is as important to Japanese cooking as oil is to the Italians. Miso soup has many variations ranging from sweet to salty depending on which paste is used. The versatility it has to offer makes miso an important staple in the Japanese diet. Bean paste varies in taste, aroma, and texture but miso is made with only one method: Boiled soy beans are crushed and combined with wheat, barley, and rice and aged anywhere from a month to three years in a yeast mixture.
Colors identify the type of bean paste and flavors they have. Red, yellow, and dark brown miso is used in a combination of dishes from soups to sauces and as a base for pickling. Pickled vegetables are a kind of delicacy served often with green tea at the end of a meal rather than a dessert. Miso is so popular that in some households it’s served at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Additionally, common cooking methods include simmering, steaming, grilling, and frying.
Frying is done carefully when making shrimp tempura, a fried fish dish. The shrimp is lightly coated in oil and is considerably healthier than the American version. A grilled or pan- fried dish is called yakimono whereas a simmered dish is called nimono. Yakimono simply means the food is subject to fire or heat in terms of searing or grilling.
Food is cooked to just the right temperature and a good Japanese cook makes certain not to overcook anything. For health reasons, excess calories are often avoided by combining cooking methods.
A simmered one-pot meal, called nabemono, contains fish or the fish can served raw as sashimi. Popular foods include miso soup, sushi that uses cold rice flavored with vinegar, and udon noodles. Vegetables that Japan produces include the Daikon radish, as mentioned before, Shiitake mushrooms, Japanese cucumber, and eggplant. Vegetables are often steamed or pickled. Seaweed, since it grows naturally offshore adds variety to the Japanese diet. Edible seaweed includes Nori, kelp, and brown algae.
Nori, red algae, is used to hold sushi together. Furthermore, a drastic difference exists between Japanese and the American style of dining. True Japanese dining is not like what Americans have portrayed it to be. Meals in the US have been artificially recreated and are served to enhance the western style of eating.
Unlike Western dishes that have an appetizer, main entree, a couple of side dishes, and a dessert that are served in a familiar order; none of the Japanese dishes are considered to be the main dish. Instead they each complement each other. The idea is to provide a combination of nutrients, flavors, colors, aromas and textures with artful display.
Upon serving, the dishes are presented simultaneously, rather than being an orderly process. Tasting a little from each dish is encouraged. One should take a sip of the soup first and then move onto the other items in no particular order. The presentation of each dish is almost as important as what is being served. Therefore each food item is arranged in an artful display often with unmatched colored dishes.
Sipping soup from the bowl is customary as well as bringing dishes in towards you to prevent the dropping of food morsels while using chopsticks. There are no worries about which utensil to pick up first since utensils aren’t often used. For this reason, chopstick etiquette is important. For instance, one must never leave their chopsticks sitting upright in a bowl of rice.
Chopsticks are to never be licked or pointed at anyone and it is improper to shovel food in one’s mouth with them. Foods are purposely cut into small bits and pieces appropriate for chopsticks since they are to be used throughout the entire meal. If food is too big for the chopsticks (hashi), simply biting a piece and setting it back down on the plate is accepted. When a communal dish is served, it is necessary to switch to the opposite end of the chopsticks not used for eating and dish out the food. After doing so, one may proceed with eating from the original side. American ining usually includes a dessert whereas in Japan, rather than a dessert, okashi, or confection is served.
Dried Fruit is an example of okashi which compliments green tea by taking away from its bitterness. Formal meals usually include Saki often given with a toast though not drank at the same time as soup or rice. The reason for this is because sake is brewed from rice and the Japanese don’t really eat the same type of foods together. Traditional Japanese beverages are tea, sake, rice milk, soy milk, coffee, and shoshu, rice and fruit based alcohol similar to sake.
Despite the differences in dining preference between Japanese and Americans, American Foods are enjoyed due to the presence of US Food Chains. Hamburgers and pizza are a huge hit among young Japanese college students. Holidays and celebrations in Japan differ greatly from America’s. First of all, none of them are celebrated for religious regions. For example, New Years Day, Ganjitsu, is the country’s most important holiday celebrated on January 1, but the celebration lasts for three days. February marks the founding of the nation in 660 BC. A coming-of-age party is given on January 15 for those who have a 20th birthday.
Greenery day on April 29 celebrates the beauty of nature and is followed by Children’s Day on May 3. July 20th is marine day and Respect for the Elderly day is celebrated on September 15. Nov 3 is a national holiday celebrated for Japanese Culture Day that marked the birth of the emperor as well as the date the constitution was announced in 1946.
In summary, due to the location, the Japanese diet consists primarily of rice, steamed and pickled vegetables, seafood, dried fruit, and small portions of meat, especially fish eaten raw or lightly cooked. Fruits and vegetables provide a good deal of fiber in the diet and most of the protein comes from fish and soy products. Green tea is the national beverage of Japan where it is produced and is often enjoyed with miso soup. Eating practices in Japan differ greatly from the American style of dining and dishes are presented simultaneously in an artful display to be consumed in no particular order. Overall, they are amongst the healthiest people in the world.
References
- Parillo, V. Strangers to These Shores. 8 ed. Pearson Education, Inc. 2006
- DeBarry T, Keene D, Tanabe G, Varley G. Sources of Japanese Tradition. Second Edition. New York: Columbia University Press; 2001.
- Favorite Japanese Dishes. Ashkenazi M, Jeanne J. The Essence of Japanese Cuisine: an essay on food and culture. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia; 2004
- Shizuo, T, Fisher M. F. K. Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art. Kodansha International, Tokyo; 1980
- Shimbo H, Beitchman, S & Prato R. The Japanese Kitchen. Harvard Common Press; 2000.
- Kaneko, A. Let’s Cook Japanese Food! Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA; 2007
