Types of Japanese Cuisine

Tempura, sukiyaki, sashimi, sushi – even the words used to describe the most basic of Japanese dishes are exotic and beautiful. Japanese dishes is one of the healthiest food in the world, with its huge concentration on fresh fish, seafood, rice and vegetables. The pungent sauces and delicate flavors of fresh foods complement each other perfectly, and the methods of presentation turn even simple meals into beautiful events.

The Japanese have many different names for rice, depending on how it is prepared and what it is served with. The most common meal is a rice bowl, a bowl of white rice served with various toppings or ingredients mixed in. So popular is it that the Rice Bowl has even made its way into the world of Western convenience foods alongside ramen noodles. Domburi is a bowl of rice topped with another meat or food : domburi tendon, for instance, is rice with tempura and domburi gyudon is rice with beef. The Japanese adopted fried rice from the Chinese dishes, and a century ago, when curry was first introduced, developed Kare Raisu, curry rice. It is now such a famous dish that there are many fast-food restaurants that serve several versions of it in take-away bowls.

Besides white rice served as a side dish, Japanese cuisine also features onigiri – rice balls wrapped in seaweed, often with a ‘surprise’ in the middle, and kayu, a thin gruel made of rice that resembles oatmeal.

As an island country, it’s not surprising that seafood is featured in Japanese cuisine. Sushi and sashimi both are raw fish and seafood with various spices. Without a doubt fresh fish is the secret to wonderful sashimi and sushi, served with wasabi and soya sauce. The Japanese love of beauty turns slices and chunks of raw fish into miniature works of art. Fish sliced so thin that it’s transparent may be arranged on a platter in a delicate fan that alternates pink-fleshed salmon with paler slices of fish. Sushi is prepared in away to best display the colors and textures, turning the platter and plate into palettes for the artistry of the chef.

Traditionally, meat plays a small role in the Japanese diet, though it has been taking a larger and larger role over the past fifty years as Japan becomes more westernized. Beef, chicken and pork has been served with several meals a week now. One of the more popular dishes is ‘yakitori’ – chicken grilled on a skewer and served with japanese sauce. A typical lunch might include a skewer of yakitori and a rice bowl with sushi sauce.

Interestingly, Japan has also adopted dishes from other cuisines and ‘Japanized’ them, adopting them as part of their own cuisines. Korokke, is actually croquettes adopted from those introduced by the English last century. In Japan, the most common filling is a mixture of mashed potatoes and minced meat. Other Soshoyu – western food that have made their way into Japanese everyday cuisine include ‘omuraisu’, a rice omelet, and hambagau, the Japanese version of the American hamburger.

Japanese cuisine has become popular all over the world including Thailand. A popular Japanese Restaurant in Chiang Mai known as Genki Ramen Tei serves a wide range of Japanese cuisine including the popular Japanese Ramen in Chiang Mai, visit the company website at www.GenkiRamenTei.com - Chiang Mai Food for more information on the menu available. Be sure to stop by the restaurant when looking for Japanese Ramen Chiang Mai

Also refer to cooking portal for Cooking Lesson of Japanese Cuisines.