Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura

The History of Tempura

In middle of the sixteenth century, the Portuguese landed on Japanese shores. In addition to establishing trade, trying to convert the Japanese to Catholicism, the Portuguese introduced tempura, the technique of dipping fish and vegetables into a batter and frying them. This is one example of Japanese food evolution by incorporating foreign influences.

Tempura comes from the Latin word tempora, which refers to Ember Days or quattuor tempora. Ember Days refer to the days when Catholics avoid meat and instead eat fish or vegetables.

Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, loved tempura so much that he apparently died after eating too much of it according to The Ethnic Food Lover’s Companion: A Sourcebook for Understanding the Cuisines of the World. Could you imagine that—dying from overeating?

Bowl on brown background