Japanese Cuisine

Outside Influences of Japanese Cuisine

Put out of your mind any preconceived notions about what Japanese cuisine is. Don’t think about a Japanese steakhouse at all—beef was only introduced in the last two centuries or so.

Even tempura, a popular dish, has its origin from a Portuguese word. It refers to the time or rather quatuor tempora or ember days, which was a religious fast when the people couldn’t eat meat, so they consumed fish. Typically, the Portuguese would fry their fish in batter.

The Portuguese introduced the method in the 16th century, and tempura remained long after they were kicked out, along with a whole slew of other foods introduced by the Portuguese: kasutera, which is a Castilla, a kind of yellow sponge cake from Spain (Castile); or konpeito, which are confections (candies); karumera, or caramels.This is a transcript from the video series A Cultural Culinary History. Watch it now, on Wondrium.

Even soy sauce was only introduced in the last century or so. It is a Chinese invention that the Japanese seem to have perfected, but it is one example of the many things that were brought over in the past few hundred years.

Sapporo is a great beer, but it is influenced by German people. Influences also go both ways. You may be surprised to learn the Japanese are now the nation on earth with the highest per capita consumption of mayonnaise. Japan’s culture is a very different, very rapidly changing place today, especially in terms of food.Many of Japan’s cultural and even culinary traditions came from China and Korea in particular. The most important of these is rice, which only arrived in Japan at the end of the Neolithic Period, about 2,400 years ago, with immigrants that came from the mainland.

Before that, in the Jomon Era, the Japanese were still hunters and gatherers. The original inhabitants (Ainu) were Caucasian; they had long beards and very light-colored hair. Their descendants actually still exist in small numbers; most of them are probably of mixed descent and still reside in the mountains.

Asiatic peoples came later from the continent, bringing with them rice and metal tools; and then suddenly, like everywhere else, the population rose.Rice and Noodles in Japanese Cuisine

The variety of rice introduced was short-grained, sticky, and is relatively sweet. To this day, the Japanese don’t generally eat long-grain rice. Much of their cuisine is based on the tactile quality of the rice that they use and the fact that it sticks together, making it easy to pick it up with a chopstick.

Japanese rice

The rice varieties used in Japanese cuisine are sticky so it can be picked up with a chopstick. (Image: Nishihama/Shutterstock)

The respect and reverence afforded to rice is so great that it is not flavored or seasoned with spices or sauces: It is always white and boiled. Other foods may be added on top of rice, but the rice should be pure and bland to start with. This is a kind of respect for the natural flavor and aroma that the rice has on its own, as nature made it.The only traditional preparation that alters the rice dramatically is mochi, little rice cakes that are made by pounding steamed glutinous rice with huge hammers. The idea here is to concentrate the pure spirit of the rice and in making it purer, it is an intensification; mochi is one of those foods you consume on New Year’s, as it is a very important festival.Much the same can be said about sake. Even though it is thought of as a corruption of rice, it is considered raising it to a finer and more spiritual level.