You will be mistaken if you think Japanese cuisine is just sushi and raw fish.
There must be something very special and medicinal about the Japanese diet because some of the world’s oldest living people are Japanese.
Like their perfection for technology and etiquette, Japanese cuisine has evolved into such a fine and delicate art that the food sometimes looks too good to eat.
With its aesthetic of beautifully presented food and the use of fresh, high-quality seasonal ingredients, it’s no wonder that Japan’s cuisine is so delicious and highly prized.
The rules of five principles
Japanese food is one of the most popular cuisines for good reason as it emphasises vitality, variety, freshness and balance. Like the ancient principles of martial art, Japanese cuisine is also based on the principles of five – five colours (black, white, red, yellow and green), five cooking techniques (raw, grill, steam, boil and fry) and five flavours (sweet, spicy, salty, sour and bitter). Whether it is a broth of miso soup or side dish of pickles, each of these principles can be found in every bite of Japanese food. If you’re looking to expand your knowledge of Japanese food, read on to learn ten of the best traditional Japanese dishes – and not all of them contain raw fish.
Sushi
Sush is without doubt one of the most famous foods to come from Japan. A dish that was born in ancient times, sushi originated from the process of preserving fish in fermented rice. Today it’s made with rice vinegared rice, raw fish and vegetables rolled in roasted seaweed sheets called nori.
Sashimi
Centuries before Japanese people were eating sushi, they first enjoyed raw fish without the rice. While the name ‘sashimi’ refers to any thinly sliced raw food, including raw beef, chicken, pork and even horse (in Japan of course!), Fish and seafood are the most popular varieties. Wasabi horseradish, fresh or pickled ginger and a salty soy such as kikkoman are best enjoyed with sashimi’.
Tempura
Tempura is a dish of battered and fried fish, seafood, or vegetables, like fish and chips. Special care is given to the way the ingredients are cut as well as to the temperature of the batter (ice cold) and oil (very hot) for deep-frying, so that every piece is a bite of crisply fried perfection. In the kanto region around Tokyo, tempura is eaten with a dipping sauce, while in the kansai region around kyoto and osaka it’s dipped in flavoured salt. As I have written previously, food historians believe that the Japanese learned the art of battered foods from ancient indian snacks like bonda and bhajia.
Karaage
Every world cuisine has a deep fried dish and this is the Japanese version, and is sometimes called popcorn chicken. Pronounced “kar-rah-ah-geh”, meats are marinated in soy, mirin, sugar and other seasonings, then lightly coated in corn starch or rice flour to give its juicy interior a crispy, outer crunch. The most popular dish is chicken karaage, and is often served with a good quality or homemade whole egg mayonnaise and finely shredded cabbage.
Yakitori
Yakitori is a dish of bite-sized cuts of chicken grilled on a skewer. It makes use of every part of the chicken including the internal organs. Unlike other traditional Japanese foods, yakitori has only been eaten since around the mid-17th century, as eating meat was largely taboo in Japan for several centuries. Yakitori is commonly marinated in a sweet soy and then skewered before grilling over coals.
Miso soup
Miso soup may seem deceptively simple, but it’s an essential Japanese food that’s served with any traditional meal. The soup is made from dashi stock – either fish or seaweed stock – combined with miso bean paste to bring a savoury umami element to any meal. Tofu and sliced green onions, as well as ingredients like fish, clams, and pork can also be added to create a fuller meal. In Japanese restaurants, the miso soup is often served after eating raw sushi and sashimi, a kind of palate cleanser or wash-down to prepare your tastebuds for the next course.
Tsukemono pickles
Tsukemono are traditional pickles that have been eaten in Japan since prehistoric times. Made with a wide variety of seasonings, chilli, sesame seeds, daikon radish, eggplant and fruits like Japanese ume plum, tsukemono not only add visual appeal to a meal with their bright colours but are also an extremely healthy food.
Udon
Udon is a dense and chewy noodle made from wheat flour. It’s one of the most popular foods in Japan due to its delicious taste, inexpensive cost, and versatility — udon can be eaten hot or cold and customised with any number of toppings. There are three famous regional varieties of udon noodle: sanuki udon from Kagawa prefecture in southwest Japan, kishimen from Nagoya in central Japan, and inaniwa udon from akita in northern Japan.
Soba
Soba is another type of noodle dish that has been eaten in Japan for centuries. Made from buckwheat flour, soba has a long thin shape and firm texture and is very healthy. Like udon noodles, soba can be served in a hot broth or chilled with a dipping sauce, making it a delicious and healthy option any time of year.
Sukiyaki
Sukiyak is a one-pot dish of beef, vegetables, and tofu cooked with a sweet soy sauce broth in a shallow cast iron pot. It is the equivalent of chinese long noodle soup and became highly popular after the centuries-long ban on eating meat was lifted during the meiji period (1968-1912), and is the perfect way to enjoy Japan’s incredibly rich and tender wagyu beef.
Places to enjoy Japanese cuisine
If a holiday in Japan is out of reach, there are many Japanese eateries you can visit right here in Fiji. Daikoku is the perennial favorite of many locals with its fresh sushi bar and live teppanyaki grills, but if you are looking for the real deal cooked by a Japanese chef, my favorite is ikkyu at the Tanoa international in nadi. The food is clean, fresh and transports me to the land of the rising sun with its honest and fresh produce.