Preview

Japanese Food

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2233 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Japanese Food
What are major characteristics of traditional Japanese food, and how has it been influenced by geography and religion?
Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. Japanese cuisine is known for its emphasis on seasonality of food, quality of ingredients and presentation. Japanese food is well known all over the world for its low fat and nutritional values. The Japanese food might appear bland and less spicy because they don’t use spices as they prefer to retain the natural tastes of the food. The balance of flavor, freshness, elimination of artificial flavors and retaining the real flavor of the fish, aesthetic beauty of the dish served are the can be attributed as the characteristics of a traditional Japanese meal.
Japanese food is said to be seasonal. Vegetables, beverages and fish are consumed according to the climate in Japan. The people in Japan are well accustomed to the seasonal eating habits and it is so popular that even the presentation of the dishes and the ambience on the table changes according to the seasons. For ex, using green bowls in spring and using glassware which looks liked chilled with ice cubes in summer and warm wooden bowls in winter are few of the presentations followed by Japanese.
Japanese concentrate on quality and presentation rather than quantity, almost all the foods served are served in minimal quantity so that the diner enjoys its quality. There is also famous Japanese saying “stand up from the table satisfied rather than full” which also indicates the importance of minimalist food intakes which keeps makes up for the healthy diet habits.
The Japanese view of a meal is one major characteristic which influences the west as well. Any traditional Japanese meal is made up of a soup, rice bowl, side dish, pickle, sauce and a beverage. Desserts are added to the meal in the later 19th century. Japanese consider a meal should supplement appropriate amounts of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    GLT task1

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Prior to the start of McDonald’s, Japan’s culture when it came to meals was sitting all together and eating with chopsticks. In addition, having rice served at every meal was considered the main course while meat with meals was not something of tradition (Koetse, 2012) The Japanese used several decorative bowls to eat from instead of just one and made sure to hold them with both hands. The…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cultural Diffusion: Sushi

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages

    a native treat of Japan into an international delicacy. To scope out on how sushi became an…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In haute cuisine these words immediately inspire a sense of awe, prestige, and luxury. Ironically enough, prior to 1868, Buddhism prohibited the Japanese people from eating any four-legged animals. At the beginning of 1868, the Japanese began a movement to become more “modern.” In their attempt to do this, the people of Japan began to mimic Western culture by changing their fashion and even their diets. Even so, beef was not very popular nor was it easily accessible until 1955.…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Chef Toshiro has also written down some cuisine books. There you will find never-ending list of Japanese delicacies with well-known recipe for the convenience of the eager readers. His book also marked detailed professional suggestions and distinctive cooking style. In his book “Modern Japanese Cooking At Home” (Kandagawa, 1998) he made people realize that old-fashioned Japanese cooking is easy and healthy. All recipes are illustrated and easy to…

    • 422 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    psy200

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Being part of a community and having hobbies or attending religious services, being with friends gives people a purpose and to feel part of something. Also the Japanese diet is very healthy and they use portion control with smaller plates and eat lots of fish, tofu, vegetables don’t eat until they are full. The world health organization reports the the Japanese have the lowest obesity rates in the developed world at 1% compared to Americans at 32%.…

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Food Influence: How Sushi came to Southern California Nowadays, Sushi is becoming a popular fast food which is available almost anywhere in the U.S. For example, it is available at the mall, at the airport terminal, and even at the local supermarket such Superior…..etc. A spicy tuna roll, and a California roll is as easy to come by as a hot dog or hamburger, or many other fast foods in America. However, it is not always this way in the past, Sushi is remarkably a fast growing fast food, and it is recently had been add to the American diet. Although sushi in some form has been part of Japanese culture for well over a thousand years, it did not make it to American shores until 1966 [1].…

    • 918 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Sick Around the World

    • 2943 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Diets of the World: The Japanese Diet. (n.d.). WebMD - Better information. Better health.. Retrieved February 28, 2011, from http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diets-of-world-japanese-diet…

    • 2943 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The people in Japan have depended on rice for about two thousand years, and it still plays a vital part in their diets today. It was so important, that the Japanese word for rice, “gohan,” is also used to mean “meal.” During the summer months, the people of Japan pray for rain so that the rice may grow. It has been idolized as the core of any Japanese meal. Rice, along with sake and mochi, are all powerful symbols in Japan. Other dishes the Japanese men brought with them when they migrated to Hawaii was Japanese plums (ume), tofu, and bento boxes. But believe it or not, America also had it’s lasting impression on Japan. In World War II, during the food shortage of the 1940s, the American Occupation brought about a powerful Western influence to the people of Japan. 1971 marks the beginning of Japan catching up with the rest of the world culinary-wise. It’s amazing how much we’ve affected each other over the times. Hawaii even introduced hula to the Japanese! Since we’ve talked about food and culture, I will lastly talk about creating the nisei…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Food and Culture

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Anne Allison points out an interesting point about the relationship between food and Japanese women in her article “Japanese Mothers and Obentos: The Lunch-Box as Ideological State Apparatus”. She has insightful and different point of view of obento, a japanese lunch box which are highly crafted elaborations of food, that it is endowed with “ideological and gendered meanings” under state ideology (155). That is, both mother and child are being watched, judged, and constructed by society since making a good obento may please her child and also affirm that she is a good mother, and child consuming their entire meal in a appropriate manner is considered well-taught. This social phenomenon represents that culture is constructed with power which exerts a force which operates in ways that are subtle, disguised, and accepted as everyday social practice.…

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    My Hawaii Culture

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages

    One can find foods inspired by Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Korean, and American cuisine in a 7-11 convenience store. I find the spam musubi absolutely delicious! Additionally, they serve steamed manapua, hotdogs, li hing mui products, and pork shumai. Furthermore, we do have cuisines that are completely Japanese, Chinese, Filipino etc.…

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Japanese Cooking Terms

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Dashi - base broth for soups or stew dishes made of kombu (sea kale) and kezuri-bushi. You can prepare it by yourself or dilute in water dashi-no-moto.…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The influence of Japan can be seen everywhere, from fashion and interior design to the chopsticks and sake. As we are living in a world that everything seems to move fast. We’re pressed to work longer now than any generation before us, to work faster to keep up with the Internet, and our lives have become hectic, filled with the urgent demands of contemporary life. So people seek to bring clam and simplicity into their everyday lives. This is why more people in the West are drawn to things Japanese. Japanese cuisine is popular because it gives people a chance to experience the relaxed, lucid culture. Another reason is globalization. Globalization allows people to travel more frequently; this reduces language and cultural barriers. When people travel to one place, they tend to bring in something originated from their home town and in this case of course, Japanese Food which its main ingredient contains soy sauce.…

    • 1841 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Sumo and Tokyo

    • 1412 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Tokyo is the capital city of Japan, an island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan (CIA, 2010). It has a rich history, experiencing changes in governance, partial destruction during the war and periods of deep depression. Japanese culture is very strong and their traditions are still upheld today. It is important to respect and mirror these traditions when visiting the country. The uniqueness of mixing tradition with the fast-paced technological culture makes Tokyo a fascinating city to visit.…

    • 1412 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Japanese Food and Culture

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Eating may be viewed simply as a biological function based upon physical and physiological needs, but when it comes to eating habits and the content of meals, a variety of factors must be considered. Japanese cuisine changed according to seasonality, politics, history and customs, which displayed distinctive characteristics from one culture to another.…

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    with reference to the consumer culture of living areas in Japan. It mainly sells snacks,…

    • 1805 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics