Traditional Food

RICE - "GOHAN"

Rice is so important in Japan that the word for it, gohan, also means "meal." Rice is more than the staple food of Japan... it's cultural identity, mythology, and history rolled into one. Not only is rice served at virtually every meal but it's also the basis for many other foods, miso and sake to name but a few. It isn't surprising that there are hundreds of recipes dedicated to
the making the rice. Some of the examples are ONIGIRI (rice balls), ONIGIRI (grilled rice ball) & KAYAKU GOHAN (mixed rice).

TOFU

Tofu is one of the world's most remarkable foods, and it's perfect for those who desire a meatless diet. It is low in fat and high in protein, cholesterol free, versatile, delicious, and inexpensive. Originally from China, the Japanese has used tofu for a thousand years, and there are literally hundreds of ways to prepare it. There are two basic types of tofu used in Japanese cooking, the standard "firm" variety, which has a rough surface and slightly grainy texture and "silken" tofu (kinugoshi), which is very soft and possesses a glossy surface. While both varieties have the same ingredients they are made in slightly different ways. Some of the examples are YUDOFU (simmered tofu), TOFU DENGAKU (miso topped grilled tofu) & ABURA-AGE (deep fried tofu).

TSUKEMONO

Rarely is there a meal in Japan where tsukemono (pickles) are not served. The simplest and most basic meal is nothing more than a bowl of rice and umeboshi (pickled plum), but tsukemono are also served at the most sophisticated and complex feasts. Japanese pickles are not at all like the pickles found in Western cooking. Tsukemono are prepared in a number of ways with many different types of foods being pickled, fruit, vegetables, eggs, seeds, even fish!
The varieties of tsukemono are endless, with literally thousands of types to choose from and hundreds of techniques for making them! Popular pickled vegetables include Chinese cabbage, daikon radish, carrots, bamboo, turnips, gobo (burdock root), ginger, Japanese cucumbers, and Japanese eggplant.

Tsukemono offer color, texture and aroma to a meal, the earliest known tsukemono were called konomono or "fragrant things". Vegetable tsukemono are crisp and always fresh, with small amounts of several varieties usually served in individual petite dishes. All types of tsukemono are available commercially but many people make pickles at home because it's so inexpensive and easy. Some of the examples are SHIO-ZUKE (salt pickles), KYABETSU TO NINJIN NO ASAZUKE (pickled cabbage and carrot), NUKA-ZUKE (rice bran pickles) & MISO-ZUKE (miso pickles).