..Japanese Cuisine

 

Japanese Meal: The word for "meal" in Japanese is gohan. This word actually refers to steamed rice, but rice is such an important food to the Japanese that gohan has come to mean all sorts of meals--even Western ones like spaghetti.The most traditional Japanese meal is a serving of plain, white rice, along with a main dish (fish or meat), some kind of side dish (often cooked vegetables), soup (either miso soup or clear broth), and pickled vegetables.

Itadakimasu: Before eating, Japanese people say "itadakimasu," a polite phrase meaning "I receive this food." This expresses thanks to whoever worked to prepare the food in the meal.

Sushi: Sushi is one of the most popular rice dishes in Japan and is also widely enjoyed in countries around the world. In addition to the nigiri type with slices of raw or cooked fish sitting on top of an oblong sushi rice, there is also the norimaki (sushi roll), where pieces of fish and/or vegetable are rolled with rice in nori (dried seaweed), and chirashi-zushi with a variety of ingredients sitting on top of or mixed with a bed of Sushi rice.

Rice: The type of rice Japanese people eat is short grain, which is different from the long-grain variety that's enjoyed in most other parts of the world. When cooked, short-grain rice is soft and moist while long-grain rice is rather dry.

Miso Soup: Miso soup is made by mixing miso paste (a traditional flavoring) and dashi (stock). The paste is made by fermenting soy beans, rice or barley, and salt. There are different kinds of miso depending on the region, just like there are different varieties of cheese. The most common type of miso is a light brown color, although there are also some that are pale yellow and others that are dark brown. The soup can be prepared with vegetables, meat, fish, tofu, or any combination of these.