Food
in General Food, of all types and from every country under the sun,
is one of the great pleasures of life in Japan. Not only has Japan developed
one of the world's great cuisines, which offers palate-tickling sensations
that range from the subtle joys of "sashimi" to the hearty
basics of its noodles, but some of the best world-class chefs have come
to Japan to cook for its discriminating gourmets. Tokyo especially,
as befits its status as a global capital of finance and business, is
host to a lipsmacking cornucopia of food flavors and textures.
To begin scratching the surface of Japan's vast selection of culinary
variety, take a walk in the vicinity of any subway or train station.
The eating and drinking estabishments that congregate here are sure
to represent a plethora of domestic cooking, with prices generally quite
reasonable. For non- Japanese speakers, some restaurants display plastic
and wax replicas of their dishes in their front windows, or provide
a menu with color photos.
Another good place to find reasonably priced meals is in larger department
stores, which will often devote an entire upper or basement floor to
different restaurants. Some modestly priced restaurants ask patrons
to purchase tickets for each dish, either from the cashier's counter
or a vending machine. Tipping, by the way, is not practiced in Japan.
Japanese Cuisine
Once
known in the west either in the form of "sukiyaki" or the
more exotic "sushi," Japanese cuisine has in recent years
become much more familiar and appreciated around the world. Many visitors
to Japan will have already sampled the pleasures of raw fish or batter-fried
shrimp. But few first-time visitors to Japan are prepared for the variety
and sumptuousness of the food as it is traditionally prepared. Eating
in Japan is an experience to be enjoyed and remembered fondly for the
rest of your life.
Among the types of cooking found
in Japan are:
Sukiyaki is prepared right at the table by cooking thinly sliced
beef together with various vegetables, tofu and vermicelli.
Tempura is food deep-fried in vegetable oil, after being coated
with a mixture of egg, water and wheat flour. Among the ingredients
used are prawns, fish in season and vegetables.
Sushi is a small piece of raw seafood placed on a ball of vinegared
rice. The most common ingredients are tuna, squid and prawn. Cucumber,
pickled radish and sweet egg omelette are also served.
Sashimi is sliced raw fish eaten with soy sauce.
Kaiseki Ryori is regarded as the most exquisite culinary refinement
in Japan. The dishes are mainly composed of vegetables and fish with
seaweed and mushrooms as the seasoning base and are characterized by
their refined savor.
Yakitori is made up of small pieces of chicken meat, liver and
vegetables skewered on a bamboo stick and grilled over hot coals.
Tonkatsu is a deep-fried pork cutlet rolled in bread crumbs.
Shabu-shabu is tender, thin slices of beef held by chop-sticks
and swished in a pot of boiling water, then dipped in a sauce before
being eaten.
Soba and Udon are two kinds of Japanese noodle. Soba is
made from buckwheat flour and Udon from wheat flour. They are served
either in a broth or dipped in a sauce, and are available in hundreds
of delicious variations.
Japanese "sake," or rice wine, goes extremely well
with a variety of Japanese dishes. Brewed with rice and water, sake
has been a Japanese alcoholic beverage since ancient times. Because
it can be drunk warmed up, the "feelings" come on more quickly
and in winter it warms the body. When drunk chilled, good sake has a
taste similar to fine-quality wine. There are local sake breweries in
every region across the country, which make their respective characteristic
tastes based on the quality of rice and water as well as differences
in brewing processes.
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