Traditional Food in Japan is based on fresh, local ingredients, with minimal processing, highlighting instead the natural flavors of the food. Fish, rice, noodles, and vegetables are some staples that make up the basis of most Japanese diets. Some popular traditional dishes include sushi, ramen, tempura, soba, tonkatsu and okonomiyaki.
Japanese cuisine emphasizes variety and balance. This is achieved through the use of five colors (black, white, red, yellow, and green), five cooking techniques (raw food, grilling, steaming, boiling, and frying), and five flavors (sweet, spicy, salty, sour, and bitter). These principles can be found even in a single meal of one soup and three sides paired with rice.
Sushi is one of the most famous foods to come from Japan. It originated from the process of preserving fish in fermented rice. Today it’s made with vinegared rice and fresh fish. Tempura is a dish of battered and fried fish or vegetables. Special care is given to the way the ingredients are cut as well as to the temperature of the batter (ice cold) and oil (very hot) for deep-frying.
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Nagasaki
Date Maki (伊達巻)
【Introduction to Date Maki】 Date Maki is an egg dish that originally comes from Nagasaki, also called a sweet omelette roll. It is a part of Osechi Ryori, the traditional Japanese new year food. It is like Tamagoyaki but in a sweeter t... -
Japan
Toshikoshi Soba (年越しそば)
【Introduction to Toshikoshi Soba】 After Christmas Day, everyone is looking forward to the new year to come. Wishing that the new year will be prosperous and will be a great year to look forward to. Even everyone is wishing to forget al... -
Japan
Japanese Christmas Food (日本のクリスマス料理)
【Introduction to Japanese Christmas Food】 Christmas is coming and everyone is preparing for their celebration feast to serve during the holiday seasons. What is Christmas? It is a celebration commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, wh... -
Japan
Zouni (雑煮)
【Introduction to Zouni】 Celebrating your new year with Japanese dishes? This dish is the most auspicious dish that the Japanese eat during New Year’s Day. Zouni is a Japanese dish consisting mainly of mochi and seasoned with soy sauce ... -
Tokyo
Taiyaki (たい焼き)
【Introduction to Taiyaki】 Now we have another Japanese sweet dessert that is popular worldwide as Japanese snacks and Japanese candies! Taiyaki is one of the most popular Japanese street snacks where you can see it almost everywhere in... -
Yamanashi
Houtou (ほうとう)
【troduction to Houtou】 Houtou is a traditional Japanese noodle soup made mainly in Yamanashi Prefecture. Basically, it is a kind of dish served hotly by boiling thick and short noodles with pumpkin and other vegetables in miso. However... -
Kyoto
Mushi Zushi (蒸し寿司)
When you think of sushi, you probably think of a dish with sashimi on top of a cold shari. However, in Kansai, there is a hot sushi called "mushi sushi". In this article, we will introduce the detailed origin and history of steamed sushi... -
Fukuoka
Karashi Mentaiko (辛子明太子)
【Introduction to Karashi Mentaiko】 Karashi Mentaiko, or Japanese Spicy Cod Roe, is salted cod roe marinated in togarashi red chili peppers and other spices. It is made from a kind of cod, Walleye pollack, processed by seasoning it with... -
Nagano
Oyaki (おやき)
【Introduction to Oyaki】 Oyaki is a Japanese dumpling stuffed with seasoned vegetables, fruits, and even anko bean paste. It is a local dish of Nagano prefecture and locals wrapped different ingredients in wheat flour and buckwheat flou... -
Mie
Ise Udon (伊勢うどん)
Ise Udon is a thick and soft noodle with a unique dark sauce that combines dashi stock and Ise damari. It is a representative of "Yawa udon" and is loved as a local dish of Ise. Originally, it was the "original fast food" born in the Ed...