What do the Japanese like to eat. Japanese food system: the diet of the Japanese
Rice
You probably know that rice is the basis Asian cuisine and the most important element in the nutrition system of any Japanese. This is not only the main side dish, but also a bread substitute. Despite the fact that rice is a product with high content carbohydrates, it is considered the main element of the Japanese diet. True, the Japanese cook rice in a completely different way than we are used to: they do not salt it, do not fill it with oil, and, most interestingly, do not boil it, but soak it in water. By the way, all the benefits of rice do not apply to rolls that are served in Russian restaurants. To dietary products these analogues of Japanese dishes can not be attributed!
Fish
Japanese women practically do not eat fatty meat, but they cannot imagine a day without fresh fish and seafood. It is virtually impossible to get better if there is a lot of fish, but to saturate the body useful substances- easy! You probably know that seafood is a source of iodine and omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, as well as thyroid problems.
Japanese slimming secrets
Small portions
Even in completely non-traditional Japanese restaurants in Russia, the portions are rather modest - and this, by the way, is not the greed of the establishments, but the real attitude of the Japanese to food. They never eat a lot - only modest portions. Even traditional Japanese boxes for lunch, bento, would seem ridiculous to us - and that's the whole lunch? Ha! Thus, the Japanese are accustomed from childhood to one of the basics healthy eating- eat very small portions, but often.
Cooking method
fried food- This is clearly not about Japanese cuisine. The Japanese are not used to eating this at all! Of course, in the menu of restaurants you can find something breaded and fried in oil, but in Everyday life Japanese girls eat steamed or boiled food. Do I need to tell you in detail why it is much more useful and does not provoke weight gain?
Green tea
Green tea is not only a source of antioxidants that slow down the aging process of the body, but also a faithful assistant in the process of losing weight: it is a diuretic, which means it removes excess fluid from the body. Now guess what is the main drink in the life of a Japanese? No, not sake. AND green tea! The traditions of tea ceremonies, which have existed for hundreds of years, are still popular today. Of course, an ordinary Japanese does not conjure two hours over a teapot, but it is customary to drink green tea several times a day. Take an example!
Soya
Protein-rich, low-fat and low-calorie soy accompanies every meal of the Japanese, whether it be sauce, soy milk or tofu. Thus, in the diet of the Japanese there is no shortage of vegetable protein, the necessary material for the "building" of the muscle.
Vegetables
Every Japanese is very sensitive to the choice of vegetables: without them, lunch is not lunch, and dinner is not dinner! The Japanese love daikon, leek, cabbage, and they also eat such exotic dishes for us as bamboo shoots and lotus roots ... But most importantly, in the Land of the Rising Sun, they make only simple fresh salads, without intricate dressings and, of course, without a favorite mayonnaise in Russia.
Only fresh products
The Japanese try to eat only fresh food cooked only “here and now” - such a thing as “shelf life” practically does not exist for them. In a word, our favorite way to “fry cutlets 5 days ahead” does not work at all here. However, Japanese cuisine itself makes life much easier for people in this regard: raw fish, rice soaked in water, vegetables without heat treatment ... Actually, you almost don’t need to cook anything!
Why Japanese women don't get fat
Sweet? No, haven't heard
Of course, the Japanese are also people (although as if from another planet!), which means they also love sweets. But their ideas about desserts are very different from ours - no biscuit, fat cream, cream, chocolate cakes for you ... The Japanese even manage to make ice cream from rice (moichi)! Generally Japanese desserts low-calorie, not very sweet, and perhaps not the most delicious for Europeans. But no deposits on the stomach!
Zen Buddhist attitude to food
In Japan, there is such a thing as "temple cuisine" - it has been practiced by Japanese monks for eight hundred years, but this principle of nutrition is still popular among many residents of the Land of the Rising Sun. The Zen Buddhist attitude to food is that food should be the basis of spiritual growth. Thus, a complete rejection of meat and asceticism is assumed. Believe it or not, many Japanese women do this! They eat only small portions of dishes exclusively from herbal products which can be subjected to only minimal heat treatment. This, of course, is a rather harsh way of eating, but real samurai could not stand it! Recall at least the Japanese method of losing weight tabata - the fastest and most difficult. That's all the secrets of the harmony of Japanese women! Do we take note?
It is unlikely that people in Western countries will ever be able to fully understand Japan with its amazing and mysterious culture. Despite the fact that recently there has been a literally boom in Japanese aesthetics, some facets of life in the Land of the Rising Sun remain incomprehensible to Europeans. We go to Japanese restaurants, we read Japanese literature, watch Japanese cartoons and movies, listen to Japanese music, buy clothes from Japanese designers, but still we remain at a decent distance from understanding all the subtleties of the closed Japanese soul. One of the first trends of Japanese culture that came down to us was Japanese cuisine. The dishes of this country are very different from the dishes we are used to, thanks to which, in many respects, a variety of rolls, sushi, sashimi and other delicacies quickly gained popularity.
A very small percentage of the Japanese population is obese. A fat person on the Japanese islands is rather an exception than a rule. Our weight directly depends on what we eat. The diet of an ordinary Japanese includes natural and fresh products, balanced in composition and taste. We can say that the entire Japanese cuisine rests on two pillars: the preservation of the usefulness of products and the aesthetic presentation of dishes.
The art of serving is an integral part of cooking. Any violation of the rules in Japanese cuisine is considered a manifestation of bad taste and bad education. On the one hand, a special aesthetics compensates for the modesty of the dishes, and on the other hand, it allows you to preserve what is created by nature itself.
It can be assumed that rice egg noodles is the basis of Japanese cuisine. Rice is included in most dishes, in addition to being the most common side dish. The Japanese have a special relationship with rice. In their language, this cereal is called "gohan". According to the Japanese, it is rice that delivers the main satiety. All other dishes that are served with rice, that is, fish, vegetables, sometimes meat, are just additions, and not mandatory.
The number of varieties of rice in Japan exceeds several dozen. You can find almost all of these types in most Japanese stores, and at a very affordable prices. However, rice has not always been so accessible and widespread. A few centuries ago, only noble people could afford it. Later, he entered the life of the rest of the Japanese and became so popular that now it is already impossible to imagine Japanese cuisine without him.
The Japanese, like many Europeans, eat three meals a day. I must say that in the Japanese language, as such, there are no words denoting the usual breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also, the Japanese meal is not divided into first, second, third courses. The day is usually started with morning meal basically breakfast. Served as morning meal boiled rice and a variety of snacks. Soy sauce is a mandatory attribute of all meals. Usually, rice is not salted or stirred during cooking. Exceptions can be made only for the preparation of some special dishes.
After cooking, rice is recommended to be transferred to a special tub made of wood, which will retain heat for a long time. Put the rice in the cups with a wooden spoon. According to one tradition, three cups of rice should be eaten for each meal. Don't think it's a lot. In fact, a Japanese bowl-like cup is much smaller than a regular plate.
Rice snacks are served in small quantities. Vegetables, fish, meat are usually used as snacks. For breakfast you can afford to eat large quantity food, adding scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, soup. Eating soup for lunch is not customary in Japan. Snacks include our well-known sushi and rolls. Recall the difference between rolls and sushi. To prepare the rolls, the filling is covered with rice and wrapped in a dried sheet of seaweed, that is, nori. Sushi is prepared in a different way: a slice of fish or some other product is placed on a rice ball. In general, from boiled rice you can cook a lot of different and at the same time simple meals, including cakes with sesame seeds. Rice also serves as the basis for drinks - sake and Japanese beer.
It is impossible to ignore soybeans, which mean a lot in Japanese cuisine. Many products are made from them, and the beans themselves are sometimes called white meat due to their nutritional properties. Not only the sauce we know is made from soybeans, but also cottage cheese, desserts, soups and much more. Japanese cottage cheese made from soybeans is called "tofu". To make soup, soybeans are ground, salt and malt are added to them, resulting in miso broth. A variety of sweets are made from soy dough.
Plant-based foods are also incredibly popular in Japanese cuisine. In Japan, we eat vegetables known to us, as well as those products that are either not common in our country, or are considered inedible at all. Examples include gingko nuts and burdock root, which is called "gobo" in Japan.
An integral part of Japanese cuisine is algae, which is sometimes called sea vegetables. You can collect edible algae almost along the entire coast. The most delicious are red and brown algae, known as nori and kombu. No less popular are wakase and hijiki. Many scientists are sure that it is thanks to algae that most of the Japanese are different. good health and longevity.
Japan has a relatively small territory and a high population density, which means that it cannot afford the cultivation of huge fields and the creation of large-scale farms. But the Japanese islands are surrounded on all sides by the sea, the gifts of which are actively used in Japanese cuisine. all sorts of Marine life- fish, crabs, shellfish, octopuses - add local cuisine flavors and variety.
Fish soups in Japan can be tasted in all restaurants. However, do not expect a richness like fish soup from Japanese fish soup. To prepare the broth, seafood and fish are lightly scalded with vegetables, and all components are mixed in one dish just before serving. Often the broth is generally cooked on the basis of dried "grated" fish and seaweed.
Boiled fish is called "nimono" in Japan. But this is far from the only way to cook. You can order almost everywhere fried fish steamed or completely raw. For example, for many types of sushi, raw fish flavored with vinegar and some kind of sauce.
Japanese cuisine in general is exotic for us. But some dishes are especially surprising. For example, in Japan there is a dish whose name can be translated as "dancing perch." To prepare this culinary delight you need to scald a live perch with boiling water, pour over the sauce, then cut it into pieces and eat it. During the process of eating food, the perch remains alive, beats with its tail, moves its fins ... You must admit that this is shocking to a person of Western civilization.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the dish, the price for enjoying which can be your own life. It's about fugu. Fugusashi is prepared from this fish. The fish itself is spherical in shape. There are thorns on the body of the fugu, and poison is contained in the muscles, caviar, and liver. The strength of the poison is ten times greater than the strength of such poisons as potassium cyanide and curare. In Japan, fugu has been made for thousands of years. Every year, at least one and a half thousand tons of poisonous puffer fish are caught and eaten in this country.
Fugu is so poisonous that the poison contained in one fish is enough to take the lives of thirty people. A fugu cook must be trained in a special school and obtain a license giving him the right to carry out activities. For the cooked dish, which is by no means cheap, the chef is responsible. The price for poisoning a client is the life of the cook: if the client is poisoned by cooked fugu, then the cook is obliged to make hara-kiri.
In order for fugusashi to be safe for human health, almost all the poison must be eliminated from the fish. However, a small part of the poison still remains - this allows the one who eats fugusashi to experience a feeling of slight intoxication. To eliminate the poison, the cook removes all those parts of the fish that contain the poison. The puffer fillet is cut into transparent slices and washed very thoroughly. However, dozens of people suffer from fugu poisoning every year. But this does not diminish the popularity of the extreme dish.
Meat dishes, as well as poultry dishes in Japan, are less common than a variety of seafood. Of the popular meat dishes yakitori can be noted - in fact, this chicken kebab. Pieces of chicken for such a kebab are much smaller than for ordinary kebabs, and a bamboo stick is used instead of a skewer. Quail meat is quite common in Japan. These birds can be seen in many private yards. They are bred in the same way as chickens or ducks. But with such meat as lamb, veal, beef and pork, the Japanese are much more modest. This meat is very expensive and therefore used very rarely.
One of the main roles in Japanese cuisine is played by sauces, which include different components: soy sauce, miso, vinegar, sake, mirin, shoyu. By the way, it is not entirely correct to call sake rice vodka. According to the principle of preparation, this drink is rather wine. And the degree in sake is closer to wine - no more than 16.
Perhaps the most popular drink in Japan is green tea. The description of the tea ceremony deserves a separate article, because it is a truly magical process.
Shiochu - rice wine
Sushi is not only a pleasure, but also a risk
Japanese cuisine dessert
Chinese dishes on our table
Cooking sushi at home the right way
Positive points in ordering food at home
Udon (wheat noodles)
Udon noodles are used in soups composite component in complex dishes And How independent dish, usually in a liquid sauce, with the addition of various seasonings. Most often, noodles are made from wheat flour, but special types it is also prepared from other products, including legumes.
It is about a bowl of steaming noodle soup that a hungry Japanese dreams of. Photo 4563_pic from Flickr
Udon is usually served hot, such as kake udon soup, which is made with dashi broth, seasoned with soy sauce and mirin, and sprinkled on top. green onions. Also, tempura, tofu fried with sugar, mirin and soy sauce can be added to kake udon, or fish sticks kamaboko. To taste, you can add shichi-togarashi.
Soba (buckwheat noodles)
A dish with buckwheat soba noodles. Photo by N-ino via Flickr
Soba - national Japanese dish in the form of long brown-gray noodles from buckwheat flour known since the middle of the 16th century. It is served most often chilled without broth, with sauce on a special dish, and sometimes with hot broth as a noodle soup.
One way to eat buckwheat noodles is to dip them in a sauce flavored with wasabi, grated daikon radish and finely chopped green onions.
Tofu
Tofu on the right. Photo by alansangma from Flickr
Tofu is bean curd, obtained by adding thickeners (nigari) to soy milk. There are many varieties of tofu, but all of them can be divided into two large groups:
- hard tofu (momen) - easier to cut, goes well with most foods, contains more protein than soft tofu and resembles mozzarella cheese in texture;
- soft tofu (kinugoshi) - better suited for soups, sauces and desserts, similar in texture to pudding.
Miso
A bowl of miso soup. Photo by nipotan from Flickr
Miso is a food product used in traditional Japanese cuisine that comes from Korea. Along with rice, it is the cornerstone of Korean and Japanese cuisine, or rather, the tradition of eating. No home table is complete without miso, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner.
There are over 100 varieties of miso soup in Japan. Each type has its own special taste and completely different from the rest.
Miso can be classified in many ways, such as rice-based and soy paste, on barley and on soy paste, or based only on soy paste. In addition, miso also differs in color.
rice miso
Today, 80% of the miso produced in Japan is rice miso. From north to south, miso is made in different areas, but there are significant differences between different types and varieties of miso for color and taste.
soy miso
This miso is made from soy and salt. Its preparation is considered original. Mamemiso is made in Aichi, Mie and Gifu prefectures and is a local product of these regions.
wheat miso
Wheat miso was made for home consumption, it is also called "Inaka-miso" (country miso). It is more commonly made in the northern part of the Kanto region, in the regions of Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu.
Takikomi gohan. Photo by yuichi.sakuraba from Flickr
According to one of Japanese recipes, rice should be boiled in a strong seasoned broth along with various other ingredients. Such a dish is called takikomi gohan (takikomi means "cooked together" and gohan means "rice"). Ingredients - vegetables and maybe some meat - soak the rice and give it juiciness, besides, the bowl of rice looks more colorful thanks to these components. In the old days, rice was expensive, and to prolong the pleasure, cooks often cooked it with vegetables such as daikon radish, potatoes, beans, and grains such as millet and foxtail. Boiling rice with other ingredients served as the basis for various kinds takikomi gohan.
Tamago-yaki
Tamago-yaki. Photo by orimo from Flickr
Kanto-style tamago-yaki with characteristic eye-pleasing brown marks, like meat that has been stewed after frying. The taste is very sweet.
The Japanese are very fond of tamago-yaki. It is made by beating chicken eggs, and then mixing in the broth, which has sugar, soy sauce, salt, and possibly other seasonings. The mixture is fried, turning several times during cooking.
Oh-hagi
O-hagi are steamed glutinous rice cakes, usually topped with adzuki bean paste.
Oh hagi. Photo by CookieM from Flickr
In the old days, o-hagi was usually made by hand at home, but it's now more common to buy it from a local store that sells traditional Japanese confectionery. They are quite popular and often stand in shop windows. Demand peaks around the spring and autumn equinoxes. At this time, even small shops sell thousands of o-hagi a day.
Onigiri
Onigiri. Photo by keatl from Flickr
Onigiri is a Japanese dish made from rice shaped like a triangular or round shape. Usually onigiri is filled with stuffing and wrapped in a leaf. dried seaweed nori. The filling can also be evenly mixed into the rice, and lettuce leaves, scrambled eggs, and even slices of ham are sometimes used instead of nori as a wrapper. In Japan, onigiri is so common and popular that there are specialty shops that only sell onigiri.
Wasabi
Wasabi field. Photo by TANAKA Juuyoh (田中十洋) from Flickr
Real wasabi, also called honwasabi (which means "real wasabi" in translation), can only be found in Japan, but even there it grows in special conditions: in running water and at a temperature of 10-17 degrees. That is why it is so precious and so appreciated. Few Japanese dishes do without wasabi, and most often wasabi is mixed with soy sauce or (in the case of sushi) made into a thin strip on rice.
Given the complexity of wasabi production, it's safe to say that no restaurant outside of Japan uses real wasabi. A seasoning is used there, prepared from the wasabi-daikon vegetable. So the vegetable was named in Japan, where it was brought from somewhere in Europe and relatively recently. In Europe itself, this type of horseradish is used as a seasoning for roast beef, and in Japan, wasabi daikon is mainly grown in Hokkaido. Of course, wasabi-daikon and honwasabi are completely different plants, but the taste and sharpness are almost the same. And given the ease of cultivation and the cheapness of the vegetable, it is no wonder that wasabi daikon has become the most widespread.
Tempura
Different types of tempura on the counter. Photo by istolethetv via Flickr
Tempura is made from a variety of ingredients. One of the most popular is ebi tempura, made from fresh shrimp. Vegetables are also cooked in batter (most often it is asparagus, Bell pepper, cauliflower), sweet fruits, fish, other seafood, less often meat.
Tempura is usually served with a side dish of shredded daikon radish and seaweed, as well as soy sauce and wasabi.
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16/10/2014 14:20
History of Japanese cuisine is inseparable from the traditions of this country and the people inhabiting the islands. main food are rice, vegetables and seafood.
The philosophy of Japanese cuisine is to preserve the original form of the product as much as possible - whether it be vegetables or fish. The long isolation of the people in the archipelago led to a special respect for nature, its power, and all its components, including products.
Features of nutrition in Shinto - why do the Japanese eat with chopsticks?
Philosophy of Shinto,Japanese people's religions , speaks of the divine origin of everything that is on earth. Therefore, each object, plant or living organism is of particular importance in the overall harmony of man with nature.
The mention of sticks was recorded for the first time 15 centuries ago. Noble people used them for eating. Commoners continued to eat with their hands.
Confucius, himself a vegetarian, approved the use of wooden chopsticks for eating. Once he said that we should not have knives and cutting objects at the table that remind us of edged weapons and bloody battles produced with their help.
Principles and rules of Japanese traditional food
Japanese food– an integrated approach to achieving a combination nutrients and aesthetic harmony. Food in Japan is an art, and for some dishes, chefs have been trained for several years.
Principles of Japanese cuisine:
- 5 colors– white, red, yellow, green, black
- 5 flavors salty, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy
- 5 ways to cook – boil, fry, steam, grill, salad
- 5 senses- taste, smell, sight, hearing, touch
Processing and cooking Japanese food
According to the canons of Japanese philosophy, only high-quality and best products. The main goal of any cook is to protect beneficial features and the original taste of seafood and nature.
The rule of every cook in Japan is to find and discover the unique taste of any product, but with a minimum use of spices and flavorings.
Product processing methods:
Spices
The most famous Japanese seasonings
: shiso, wasabi, ginger. Separately, we can highlight the fact that wild plants are used in Japanese cuisine. spices sansai.
During cooking, the chef does not add spices and seasonings to the dish. This is already done by the consumer in order to highlight or emphasize the taste of food. Many use spices to increase the spiciness of the product.
Table setting
Serving utensils Japanese table
stands out for its small size and elegance. The design of bowls, plates and bowls for soup follows the rule that the dishes must be held in hand while eating.
The color and shape of the dishes can be completely different. If you come across a set of dishes called "Japanese service", you should understand that this is made for a European buyer.
List of dishes on the Japanese table:
- Bowls and plates.
- Soup bowls.
- Wooden coasters for serving dishes.
- Gravy boats.
- Ceramic spoons for soup.
- Tea utensils.
- Wooden sticks.
tea utensils
For tea ceremony kettles are used for brewing tea and bowls. The teapot can be made not only of ceramics, but also of cast iron. In such teapots, you can heat water and directly brew tea.
The bowls are made in the proportion that the height is greater than or equal to the diameter. There are no handles on bowls and cups. The shape of the dishes is so diverse that it is impossible to characterize it according to some criteria.
Ten Rules for Using Japanese Chopsticks
Japanese diet - what do the Japanese eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
Traditional Japanese breakfast
Japanese lunch Bento
The Japanese usually take lunch with them to work or on a trip. Special attention given temperature regime cooking dinner. Before packing lunch, it must be cooled down. Due to the need to store food, raw fish and undercooked meat are not suitable for making Bento.
Onna Lars Exclusive to j4w.co.il
The Japanese are obsessed with food, but you rarely see fat men and fat women on the streets of Tokyo. Japanese women are the most slender women in the world, they know nothing about obesity, at thirty they look eighteen, and at forty - twenty-five.
And it's not just feelings. This is statistical data. However, this data does not apply to Japanese living in other countries. So it's not about genetics, but about the very way of life, most of which is nutrition.
So what is the secret of Japanese cuisine? There are several.
Japanese cuisine is based on fish, soy, rice, fruits and vegetables.
In Japan, fish consumption per capita is twice that of, for example, America, and consumption soy products- ten times more. The Japanese eat mountains of rice and are obsessed with vegetables. The Japanese also love algae - marine plants with valuable nutritional properties.
Do not think that the nutritious and simple Japanese diet is monotonous and reduced to a limited set of products. In fact, the Japanese manage to create huge variety dishes. According to a study conducted among two hundred elderly Japanese women, they consume more than fifty per week. different products, while only thirty are typical for the European way of eating.
The Japanese serve food to the table in small portions in beautiful miniature dishes.
The Japanese believe that food should be eaten twice, the first time with the eyes.
- Hara hati bumne, which means "eat until you are 80 percent full."
It is customary to chew food slowly, savoring every bite, food is served on plates, in cups and bowls, which, compared to Western counterparts, are suitable for a inch. This is what significantly reduces the size of portions and enhances the aesthetic appeal of food.
Japanese food is light.
The Japanese subject products only to light processing.
Instead of frying and baking, Japanese women most often resort to such types of food processing as steaming, grilling, sautéing, boiling, or quickly frying food over medium heat. The advantage of these methods is that more nutrients are retained this way. Japanese women are very careful in their use of seasonings. Instead of dishes richly flavored with thick sour cream or butter sauces or heartily sprinkled with spices, in Japanese cuisines you will most likely find only a hint of seasoning. The whole point of Japanese cuisine is to bring out the natural beauty, color and taste of food. There is one more fundamental difference: instead of animal fat, butter or heavy vegetable oils Japanese women cook with a small amount of rapeseed oil or with dashi. Dashi (fish and sea vegetable broth).
The Japanese eat rice instead of bread at every meal.
In general, much less bread is eaten in Japan than in the West, and rice is still the mainstay of the national cuisine. The Japanese eat a medium portion of rice with almost any meal. Such regular consumption of rice replaces the unhealthy stomach chips and beasles, rolls and White bread, which we constantly consume, and sometimes several times a day.
Japanese women know what an invigorating breakfast is.
Japanese women don't eat pancakes in the morning. You will not see mountains of scrambled eggs and ham on their tables. They don't eat buns butter, no sausage sandwiches, no sweet cereals. A typical Japanese breakfast consists of green tea, a cup of boiled rice, miso soup with tofu and onions, small sheets of nori seaweed, and maybe an omelet or a piece of smoked salmon. The Japanese breakfast is completely different from the typical Western counterpart. Instead of croissants, sandwiches, and a bowl of cereal that shake you up and then make you sleepy, a Japanese breakfast keeps you full of energy and nutrients for a long time.
Japanese women are crazy about desserts... in their own way.
Japanese women love chocolate.
They love sweets, ice cream, pastries, rice crackers, and bean cakes.
However, unlike in the West, they eat desserts much less often and (you guessed it) in small quantities. A typical Japanese pastry is one third the size of its Western counterpart.
The Japanese drink a lot of green tea.
From dawn to dusk, green tea flows like water in Japanese homes and restaurants. The Japanese, of course, love both coffee and black tea, but they are simply obsessed with green tea. Japanese green tea is mild in taste, with a pronounced aroma. It's kind of the opposite of coffee. It invigorates the soul, refreshes the mouth and is good for the body.
Green tea is never served with sugar or cream, unless it is part of a dessert, such as green tea ice cream.
The Japanese are actively moving during the day.
On the narrow streets and sidewalks of Tokyo, you'll see entrepreneurs pedaling bikes and women running courier errands or going shopping. And everything that happens in Tokyo is typical of the country as a whole.
At a typical train station in Japan, you will encounter rows of parked bicycles belonging to passengers.
Is it hard to arrange Tokyo cuisine for yourself?
You won't believe it, but you probably already have some of it. Most likely, your kitchen has a lot of what is needed for Tokyo cuisine. There are not so many differences between the equipment of Western and Japanese cuisines. Almost all devices are very similar or identical. You probably already have most household appliances, new products can be acquired in supermarkets or with a few clicks on the keys. Basically for the Japanese home cooking western dishes will fit perfectly, Appliances and products, provided they are of high quality. The main thing is that the knife is sharp and cuts well, and the pan quickly and evenly conducts heat.
Food and condiments are easy to find in the nearby shops. Now more and more health food supermarkets and gourmet shops are selling Japanese products in the so-called "Asian" or "ethnic" departments.
It is worth noting that there is too much salt in Japanese cuisine - for example, in dried fish, pickled vegetables and soy sauce. Therefore, you should choose lightly salted soy sauce and miso.
Those wishing to learn more about the secrets of Japanese cuisine can be advised to read the book by William Doyle and Naomi Moriyama "Japanese women do not get old and do not get fat", as well as the book by Kamizaki Satomi Japanese cuisine (Kihon no washoku recipe).
Source: //j4w.co.il/
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There is such a country - Japan, where women almost do not suffer from obesity, live longer than residents of other countries, rarely get sick and at the same time eat without limiting themselves in anything.
One of the secrets of Japanese health and longevity is the cuisine - delicious, healthy, energizing and in a great mood.
Surprisingly, the origin of Japanese cuisine as we know it was food shortages. The scarcity of flora and fauna of the country rising sun tamed its inhabitants to reverently treat everyday food, they tried to give modest dishes the most aesthetic appearance. The lack of fuel forced the Japanese to focus on a raw food diet, and bread was not known here until a few decades ago. The date of birth of Japanese cuisine is the moment when the Japanese began to cultivate rice. According to legend, it was brought to Japan in a cane staff by the rice deity Inari-sama. It happened 2500 years ago. Rice was everything: food and money. The leaders of the tribes kept it in special barns - okura. Even now in Japan, the Ministry of Finance is called Okura-sho, that is, the Ministry of Barns.
For most Europeans Japanese food are sushi and rolls. Sushi is indeed one of Japan's favorite foods, but there are plenty of other foods besides it. The Japanese are passionate epicureans. No other country in the world has such a developed culture of food. Food is everywhere here. And most highest quality. The Japanese have a cult of freshness. This is the basis of the preparation of any dish. Products should be either from the garden or still warm. Japanese supermarkets are temples of freshness. On packages with meat, fish or vegetables, the time and day of packaging are indicated with an accuracy of half an hour. Japanese food culture is almost free of frozen foods and preservatives. Actor, screenwriter and director Donald Ritchie wrote, “Japanese food's amazing freshness is like a whisper among screams. The authentic look and taste of products is revealed. They are offered and eaten practically raw, nothing is cooked for too long. You enjoy the almost natural taste of food.” At the heart of all the variety of Japanese cuisine are ten principles that make it the most useful way food on earth.
1. Fish
The Japanese are obsessed with fish. It is eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She is placed on rice balls, inside rice balls, eaten raw, smoked, baked, fried, stewed with spices and just like that. But among tuna, eels and trout, the Japanese have a favorite fish - salmon, and they have come up with a lot of ways to cook it. These are salmon steaks, salmon skin marinated in vinegar, salmon caviar, salted salmon kidneys and much more. The passion of the Japanese for fish originated in the 7th century, when the Buddhist emperor issued a decree forbidding to kill and eat anyone who runs on the ground. The imperial decree was in effect for twelve centuries, which was more than enough to change the taste preferences of the nation. But now Japan consumes about ten percent of the world's fish production, although only two percent of the world's population lives on its territory. At the same time, researchers around the world note that thanks to the omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish, the risk of heart disease is significantly reduced. vascular diseases, Alzheimer's disease, rheumatoid arthritis and some forms of cancer.
2. Vegetables
The average Japanese woman knows everything about vegetables. She is well versed in the virtues and varieties of onions, eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, beets, baht and turnips. Residents of the Land of the Rising Sun love vegetables. Particularly popular mixtures are steamed, stewed on rapeseed oil, consisting of red pepper, green peas, zucchini, eggplant, white onion, nagi, cilantro and of course rice. Don't forget the shiitake mushrooms. Finely chopped, they are a great addition to clear soup. Zucchini is good grated with ginger root and don't forget the herbs: shiso, mitsuba and moyoga. Japanese women constantly cook their children food with seaweed, which is rich in vitamin C, fiber, potassium and iodine. Based on vegetables rich in vitamins and minerals, Japanese cuisine is distinguished low content calories and does not give rise to overeating.
3. Rice
Japan is an endless rice feast that has been going on for 1,300 years. The Japanese have an almost mystical connection with rice. Rice fields were dedicated to paintings and poems. Long time rice was the main currency of the country. Rice is an obligatory member of the Japanese table and a constant companion of the Japanese. From rice grains, the Japanese prepare ritual and festive dishes, everyday food, oil, vinegar, sake. And finally rice irreplaceable source healthy carbohydrates. The Japanese love round White rice, because it is chewed for a long time, a little viscous and fluffy. The grains should stick together but not stick together. The most popular type of rice is koshihikari, which is slightly sweet. On the occasion of celebrations, Japanese housewives prepare mochi. Rice is pounded for a long time until they get a homogeneous, viscous mass from which square pies are molded.
Rice is the basis of a high-carbohydrate diet, thanks to which Japanese women break all longevity records. Studies have shown that people who eat foods high in carbohydrates do not suffer overweight. In addition, there is almost no salt in rice, there are no saturated fat and cholesterol.
4. Soy
It is unthinkable for a Japanese to go through a day without eating a low-calorie, low-fat, high-protein soybean dish. It is mainly eaten in the form of miso soup, tofu pieces, soy sauce or fermented natto beans. Tofu came to Japan from China about a thousand years ago, quickly becoming a favorite delicacy of Zen Buddhist priests. Miso - fried bean paste with wheat or barley grains also comes from China. Experts believe that the high consumption of soy products in Japan is the cause of the health and longevity of the Japanese nation.
5. Noodles
Another immigrant to Japanese cuisine is noodles. The noodles that arrived in Japan from China along with Buddhism quickly won the hearts and stomachs of the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun. True, in the seventeenth century, soba (noodles) was considered the food of the lower class. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, well-equipped restaurants began to appear, which attracted wealthy citizens to their walls. In 1818, there were over 3,000 soba restaurants in Edo. There are many varieties of noodles and their preferences depend on the region. So in the south and west of Tokyo, in Kyoto and Osaka, they love viscous, white noodles- udon made from wheat flour, and Tokyois like thin, brown noodles made from a mixture of buckwheat and wheat flour.
6. Tea
Green tea is a symbol of Japan. And the tea ceremony is the essence of Zen Buddhism, a process that has been perfected for five hundred years. A Zen Buddhist monk named Eisai brought tea to Japan from China in the 12th century. Soon the Japanese nobility arranged tastings where one could meet hundreds of varieties of this drink. The connection between tea and food was strengthened with the advent of kaiseki reri, special dishes that accompany the tea ceremony. The monk who brought this drink to China wrote that “tea is the secret of longevity. On the mountain slopes, he spreads his leaves, like the soul of the earth.
7. Monastery kitchen
The apotheosis of healthy cuisine is the 100% vegetarian style, or sojin ryori, a temple cuisine that has been practiced by Zen Buddhist priests in Japan for eight hundred years. The main meaning of sojin ryeri is that food should contribute to spiritual growth. Nothing can be thrown away. Only small portions of simple plant foods are allowed. A typical lunch is daikon stew with chopped leeks and miso sauce. The shojin reflects the sacred number five for Buddhists. Five cooking methods (raw, steamed, grilled, boiled, plain fried), five colors (green, yellow, red, white, black), five tastes (sweet, spicy, bitter, sour, salty) and five phrases that monks should say before the meal:
I think about the work that I can eat
I think about my own imperfection and whether I deserved this food
Let my mind be free from preference and greed
May this food give me healing and keep me healthy
May this food help me in my perfection.
8. Breakfast
Japanese women know what a breakfast with a lot of energy, but without buns and pancakes. A typical morning meal is green tea, a cup of boiled rice, miso soup with tofu and onions, small sheets of nori seaweed, an omelet, and a piece of smoked salmon. In Japan, breakfast is the most important and most abundant meal of the day. Try to eat the same way, and you will immediately feel great - right up to lunch.
9. Desserts
Japanese women love sweets, they are crazy about chocolate, ice cream, pastries and cakes. However, unlike the West, they eat desserts much less often and in small quantities.
10. Right attitude to nutrition
Japanese women do not exhaust themselves with starvation and do not terrorize their body with various diets. Their diet and way of eating almost does not change throughout their lives.
All this is certainly great, you say, our dear reader, but we are not in Japan. I am sure that all this is very healthy and tasty, but where do I get all these tofu, miso, soba and other wasabi. Fortunately, most large supermarkets already have the answer to your question. Almost all the ingredients of the main dishes of Japanese cuisine appeared on our shelves.
