Japanese Food Overview

Japanese cuisine is often described as delicate, subtle, highly visual, meticulous, refined, understated, and small.

Because the Japanese islands are mainly mountainous, and therefore arable land was scarce, over the centuries, Japanese cuisine developed into one where quality was prized more than quantity. It would be unheard of to see Japanese food served in heaps. Everything is served in small portions. The presentation is artful.

Introduction to Japanese Food Dishes

Teriyaki – marinated beef, chicken, or fish seared on a hot plate as shown on the picture on the left
Yakitori – essentially the same as teriyaki (even the sauce is the same). The difference is that teriyaki is marinated while yakitori is not. When the meat is cooking, the sauce is basted on.
Tempura – this is one of those dishes which is so much associated with Japan, but really its’ roots are Portuguese. More on this in a future post.
Sushi – slices of raw seafood on sushi rice; the whole thing is dipped in shoyu (soy sauce). When people think of Japanese food, almost everyone will think of sushi.
Sashimi – slices of raw seafood without the sushi rice.
Soba Noodles with Miso. Miso paste, which comes from soy bean show up in many forms in Japanese cusine.

That’s the introduction for now. The next few postings I will be talking more about Japanese food ingredients—what are the key ingredients of Japanese cuisine. I’ll also be talking about Japanese food flavours.

Published 9 November 07 · Up Next: Japanese Food Flavor Principle · Previously: Red Pomelo

Japanese Food Overview

Introduction to Japanese Food Dishes

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