Japanese Food

Sushi

Sushi is the most famous Japanese food in the world. The name indcates dishes that use sushi rice, which is seasoned with a sweet vinegar mixture. Centuries ago, the raw fish was fermented in salt to preserve it, then eaten. This method has since become more of an "enthusiast" dish due to the strong taste produced by the fermentation process. Nowdays, popular sushi is not fermented, giving a more sublte flavour. Two styles exist, Kansai style orginating in Japans commercial centre, Osaka, and the more popular Edo style from Tokyo.

Other Dishes

Japenese cuisine is not just about raw fish. An extensive array of pork, beef and chicken dishes are available as well, and probably more well known and popular than sushi with consumers in the west. Some beef dishes include, Shabu Shabu, thinly sliced beef (or pork) cooked with a variety of vegetables (Sukiyaki is very similar) and Gyu-don, shredded beef serverd with rice. Pork dishes include, Tonkatsu, deep fried pork cutlet and Katsu-Don, deep fried pork peices served with rice and egg topping. The most famous chicken dish is Teriyaki Chicken, tender chicken breast marinated in soy sauce and rice wine. Other chicken dishes include, Oyako-don, chicken with egg topping served with rice and Tori Zosui, a japanes style chicken risotto. These examples are are only a small selection of the wide variety of "cooked" Japanese cuisine available. Curries, noodle dishes, ommlettes and soups are also on the menu.

Miso Soup

Miso Soup is Japan's most popular soup. The origins of miso extend back to the seventh century when it is beleived the product (a paste made from fermented soy beans and rice or barley with salt) was first imported from China. The paste served as a vital source of protein and nutrients for the Japanese, who for a large part of their history have not eaten meat. By the tenth century, miso had become a daily food in Japan, and in the early twnetieth century, the Japanese began disolving the paste in water mixed with vegetables, creating miso soup. The soup is served in a cup, as an acompainment to a meal, traiditionaly, one cup is severed with one vegetable dish. Miso soup has a warming relaxing effect, and has been said to prevent cancer and lower blood pressure.