Food Culture in Japan of Recent Article

Sushi Terminology and Meaning and Pronunciation

Have you ever heard or read something in a sushi bar and did not understand what it was?
This is a list of common vocabulary at a sushi.

Types of Sushi

にぎり/にぎり寿司 Ｎigiri/Nigiri zushi		太巻き Futo maki
Created by delicately placing a fresh cut of fish on top of a loosely shaped ball of sushi rice. It is usually enjoyed by dipping the nigiri in a mixture of soy sauce and wasabi (the green stuff). Pieces of fish on top of two balls of sushi rice, sometimes it is roasted. This style was developed in Tokyo, then known as Edo, at the beginning of the 19th century, and was served at food stalls. It is also known as Edo-style sushi or Edomae-sushi. Conveyor belt sushi(Kaiten sushi) is more popular than Edo-style sushi in recent Japan. "Kaiten Sushi" is cheaper and simple.		Futomaki are long, thick rolls, covered in the traditional seaweed, and rice, with a number of different fillings. These ingredients can vary significantly, and some forms do not even contain fish. Sushi roll, usually containing egg, cucumber, かんぴょう/干瓢[kanpyou](Dried gourd shavings boiled down with soy sauce, sugar, and DASHI) and 桜でんぶ[sakura denbu]. Thick rolled sushi with many ingredients inside and each piece is very large. They're usually at least 1.5 inches (3.81 cm) in diameter, if not larger.

 

細巻き Ｈoso maki		なっとう巻き/納豆巻き Natto maki
Thin Rolled sushi with the 海苔[Nori] (seaweed) on the outside. When the sushi is wrapped in nori (toasted seaweed) it is rolled up as a small circular tube-shaped creation that is then sliced into finger-sized rolled portions. The opposite of thin sushi rolls is "futomaki" which refers to thick sushi rolls, and thus, thick rolled sections when sliced.		Natto maki is sticky, strong tasting fermented soybean rolls. And natto maki is a thin roll with natto. A lot of Western people think natto(fermented soy bean ) is gross because of it's gooey texture and stinky smell. But we eat natto always in Japan. For breakfast we have rice with natto and miso soup. Especially, Japanese children like natto maki very much.

 

かっぱ巻き/カッパ巻き Kappa maki		かんぴょう巻き Kanpyo maki
Kappa maki is, simply put, cucumber sushi. Not only is it vegetarian, it is also vegan, so just about anyone can eat it. Because Kappa maki is a low calorie, it is suitable for dieting. The name "Kappa maki" comes from Japanese mythology. It is said, that small goblins called "Kappa" living in water like cucumber as favorite food. Kappa goblin has one plate in the parietal region. The kappa goblin dies when the plate dries. For the kappa goblin, the cucumber was a very favorite food.		Kanpyo is dried shavings of calabash (Lagenaria siceraria var. hispida), a type of gourd. Kanpyo- is an ingredient in traditional Edo style Japanese cuisine, and cooked and flavored kanpyo- is commonly used in Futomaki sushi or Hosomaki sushi roll. Kanpyo used for Maki sushi is seasoned with the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and dashi. Kanpyo has the texture like soft feel of rubber. Kanpyo, also known as gourd is is pickled veg, used widely as filling for sushi rolls. Kanpyo is a great filling for small vegetarian sushi hosomaki rolls.

 

鉄火巻き Tekka maki		ねぎトロ巻き/ネギトロ巻き Negitoro maki
Tuna roll. Tekka maki is rolled sushi with centers consisting of red tuna meat. Tekka Maki are hlgh in protein and iron, and the seaweed used to wrap the tuna is also high in vitamins and minerals. Tekka maki is a kind of the Edo style sushi and a kind of Hoso maki(Nori maki). Tekka maki's filling is lean tuna. White tekka maki that makes the whitefish like the yellowtail, the great amberjack, and the amberjack, etc. a wick exists because tuna's demand is a little in Nagasaki Prefecture, too. The lean tuna is usually rolled with wasabi. The origin of the name of the tuna rolled in rice and sea weed has various theory. The color of tuna's lean looks like "Iron that is heated and reddens". In past Japan, people did not have the custom of eating the tuna. Therefore, "You eat the raw tuna" is "You touch iron as hot as the fire". Because it was an easy meal that Tekka maki can eat while gambling in gaming room (gambling house).		Toro and chive roll uses chopped toro (tuna belly) trimmimgs and chopped chive. It is made into a thin roll, or it is made into a thick roll(chuu maki [中巻き]). Negitoro with which the fat substitute is mixed with the tuna of lean is often used in recent Japan. It is because a natural tuna is expensive. Negitoro maki is made with the "Artificial toro" and chive and wasabi. In Japan, chive is called "万能ネギ(banno negi)", "あさつき(asatsuki)". etc. The child in Japan dislikes chive and wasabi. Therefore, children in Japan eat negitoro maki without chive and wasabi. It is just "Tekka maki". By the way, "without wasabi" is expressed as "サビ抜きで(sabi nuki de)" in Japanese.

 

手巻き寿司 Temaki zushi		裏巻き Ura maki
Temaki sushi, also known as hand rolled sushi, is a popular casual Japanese food. Hand rolled cones of sushi rice, fish and vegetables wrapped in 海苔[Nori](seaweed). Cone shaped hand rolls that are meant to be eaten from the hand like an ice cream cone. You can make nori maki without having sushi chef's skill.		Rice on the outside roll. Sometimes called inside-out roll. This style of sushi has become very popular and is most seen in sushi bars in America. Some people say that it is popular in America because海苔/のり[nori](the seaweed) is hidden on the inside of the roll and sushi beginners are less intimidated to eat it.

 

軍かん/軍艦/軍艦巻き Gunkan/Gunkan maki		いなりずし/稲荷寿司 Inari zushi
Gunkan maki is a common, more traditional type of sushi. Battleship sushi, sushi with nori wrapped horizontally around a piece of rice, forming a cup to hold ingredients that do not lend themselves to maki-sushi or regular nigri-sushi. A type of Nigiri that holds the ingredients like a boat, usually seen when ordering とびっこ[tobikko], えびっこ[ebikko], いくら[ikura] or うに[uni]. Thses are Uni gunkan and Ikura gunkan.		The sushi rice stuffed in 油揚げ[abura-age]. Inarizushi is a simple and inexpensive type of sushi, in which sushi rice is filled into aburaage (deep fried tofu) bags. Fried, seasoned tofu pockets are stuffed with sushi-meshi (sushi rice). The tofu pockets is seasoned with the soy sauce, sugar, Sake, and Dashi, etc.

 

ちらし寿司 Chirashi zushi		五目寿司/五目ちらし Gomoku zushi/Gomoku chirashi
The ingredients(sushi cut fish) are casually scattered and layered on top of the rice. It is a bowl of sushi rice with the ingredients placed or scatter on the top verses rolled like tradition sushi. It is a quick inexpensive way to have a great meal. There is no fixed recipe and you don't need to use raw fish either if you don't like, but you can add any ingredient you prefer. You simply place your favorite ingredients whether it is fish, shrimp or even egg.		Gomoku zushi is a kind of chirashi zushi. The difference is "Rice". Vinegar, sugar, salt, and some seasonings are mixed with the rice of chirashi zushi. There is another one material for the rgomoku zushi rice. That is the root vegetable that had seasoned by soy sauce(syoyu), vinegar, suger, mirin, dashi etc.. They are a carrots, a dry mushrooms, the lotus roots, and dried gourd shavings. So, the gomoku zushi rice is a light soy sauce color though the chirashi zushi rice is white.

 

飯寿司 Izushi		てまり寿司/手毬寿司 Temari zushi
This kind of sushi is very ancient, called "cooked rice sushi" (izushi, iizushi）. Izushi (Isushi), a Japanese delicacy made from a mixture of fish, rice, and other vegetables is produced by fermentation with lactobacilli. A form of sushi that initially served as a method of food preservation and is quite different from the famous nigiri style we see today. Fresh salmon or other fish is fermented with steamed rice and vegetables such as julienned carrots, daikon and ginger over a period of one to two months. Akita is particularly famous for this sandfish Izushi. The main fish used for Izushi is sandfish, salmon, herrings, mackerel pike etc. Rice malt for lactic fermentation		"手(Te)" means "hand" and "毬(Mari)" means "ball". Temari zushi, or temari sushi, are small and ball-shaped sushi. These cute little balls of sushi are simple to make. These are easy to eat sushi and good for parties. <How to make Temari zushi> Put down the sheet of plastic. Using about 1 1/2 tablespoons of rice, form a ball. Unwrap the plastic and there you have it. Lay your fish or vegetable on the plastic and set the ball of rice on top. now pull the corners together to form a bundle and twist tightly. It's a great way to use up those small extra pieces of fish or vegetables.

 

Hararie

 

 

 

The side dish of today's main is Yakisoba.

I cook nearly every day bento.
And, I eat the bento in my company at noon.
Bento for lunch cooked by oneself is low cost and low calorie.
In addition, it is very good for "my health and food cost".

Well, I explain the content of today's bento to you.
Can you see the number on the bento's photograph?

 

A, B, and C are おにぎり[Onigiri].

Tawara: the bag of straw to wrap farm products

These おにぎり(Onigiri) is very small.
And, this Onigiri is shape that is called "Tawara type", it is called the "俵おにぎり(Tawara-Onigiri)".

*Tawara;
Tawara is a bag of the straw knit for the column type.
Tawaraha is used to wrap farm products chiefly, and indicates the straw rice bag.

Tawara: たわら(tawara in hiragana)/俵(tawara in kanji)

I cooked three kinds of Tawara-Onigiri today.

A is Twara-Onigiri of the black sesame and the salt.

B is Tawara-Onigiri of Ume-Katsuo.

C is Tawara-Onigiri of Nori and the salt.
The triangle and the circle of the shape of Nori-Onigiri are general.

D is Ohitashi of the chrysanthemum.

*Ohitashi;
おひたし(ohitashi in hiragana)/御浸し(ohitashi in kanji), boiled vegetables seasoned with blended soy sauce.

Medamayaki

E is Tsukemono of Hakusai.

*"Hakusai" is a Chinese cabbage.
In general, because Tsukemono has a strong smell, "Tsukemono with a faint smell" is suitable for Bento.
Because Takuwan is Tsukemono with a very strong smell, it is unsuitable to Bento.

When the temperature and the room temperature are high, the stink of Takuwan becomes strong further.
Therefore, if you brought Takuwan with Bento to your office, the stink of Takuwan might be filled in the room.

 

F is a fried egg.

The fried egg is "目玉焼き(Medama-yaki)" in Japanese.
"目玉(medama)" is meaning "Eyeball".
"焼き(yaki)" is meaning "frying with pan".

 

G is Benishouga.

Benishouga is used as the most general Yakisoba's garnishes in Japan.
It is especially garnishes to "焼きそば(Yakisoba)" and "牛丼(gyuudon)".

*Benishouga; べにしょうが(benishouga in hiragana)/紅生姜(benishouga in kanji)

Yakisoba source

 

H is yakisoba.

Yakisoba, literally "fried noodles", is a dish often sold at festivals in Japan, but originates in China .
The dish was derived by the Chinese from the traditional chow mein.
And, the Yakisoa's noodle has been gradually changed by a Japanese culture.
Even though soba ( noodle s made from buckwheat ) is part of the word, yakisoba noodles are not made from buckwheat, but are similar to ramen noodles and made from wheat flour .

Yakisoba is usually seasoned with the Worcester sauce (source for Yakisoba).

Japanese Yakisoba is prepared by stir-frying ramen-style noodles with bite-sized pork , vegetables (usually cabbage , onions or carrots) and flavoured with yakisoba sauce, salt and pepper. It is served with a multitude of garnishes, such as aonori (seaweed powder), benishoga (shredded pickled ginger), katsuobushi (fish flakes), and Japanese mayonnaise.

Medamayaki

Yakisoba is loved as the main dish or a side dish by Japanese people.

By the way, Yakisoba of today's Bento is Yakisoba with the easiest recipe in Japan.
It is a chow mein set of the manufacturer named "Maru-chan" of Japan.

There is steaming noodle and powdery Yakisoba sauce in this bag.

The steaming noodle is stir-fried with meat and the vegetable, a powdery source is sprinkled at the end, and this Yakisoba is stir-fried further.

The recipe is only that.
It is very inexpensive.

It is about two dollars per three food.

Moreover, it is sometimes sold cheap for about one dollar in the supermarket.
Moreover, it is very delicious.

And, this is Yakisoba that sells most in Japan.

 

 

Hararie

 

 

What is ONIGIRI?

おにぎり(ONIGIRI) is a Japanese food made from white rice formed into triangular or oval shapes and often wrapped in のり/海苔(NORI).

Onigiri is not a form of sushi, despite a common misconception.

Traditionally, an ONIGIRI is filled with pickled 梅干し(UMEBOSHO), salted salmon, かつおぶし/かつお節/鰹節(KATSUO-BUSHI), こんぶ/昆布(KONBU), たらこ(TARAKO), or any other salty or sour ingredient as a natural preservative.

Katsuobushi [鰹節]	Konbu [昆布]	Tarako [たらこ]

 

In Japan, KATSUO-BUSHI because of the filling to ONIGIRI is called "おかか(OKAKA)".

Because of the popularity of ONIGIRI in Japan, most convenience stores there stock ONIGIRI with various fillings and flavors.

 

Onigiri is made with plain rice (perhaps lightly salted), while sushi is rice with vinegar, sugar and salt.

Onigiri makes rice portable and easy to eat as well as preserving it, while sushi originated as a way of preserving fish.

Moreover, Onigiri is put in Bento.

 

From the Kamakura period to the early Edo period, ONIGIRI was used as a quick meal.
This made sense as cooks simply had to think about making enough ONIGIRI and did't have to concern themselves with serving.

These ONIGIRI were simply balls of rice flavored with salt.

のり/海苔(NORI) didn't become widely available until the Genroku era in the mid-Edo period, when the farming of NORI and fashioning it into sheets became widespread.

It was believed that ONIGIRI could not be mass produced as the hand-rolling technique was considered too difficult for a machine to replicate.

 

In the 1980s, however, a machine that made triangular ONIGIRI was devised.

This was initially met with skepticism because, rather than having the filling traditionally rolled inside, the flavoring was simply put into a hole in the ONIGIRI, and the hole was hidden by NORI.

Since the ONIGIRI made by this machine came with NORI already applied to the rice ball, over time the NORI became unpleasantly moist and sticky, clinging to the rice.

A packaging improvement allowed the NORI to be stored separately from the rice.

Before eating, the dinner could open the packet of NORI and wrap the onigiri.

The limitation of the machines that required using a hole for filling the ONIGIRI instead of rolling the filling with the rice actually made new flavors of ONIGIRI easier to produce as this cooking process did not require changes from ingredient to ingredient.

 

This is a video of "Onigiri manufacturing factory".

 

Japanese food is almost always eaten with chopsticks, and it is considers poor manners to eat with one's hands.

But, ONIGIRI is exceptional in that it is okay to eat it with your hands.
Another example of handmade Japanese food is SUSHI.

 

 

ONIGIRI's ingredients

The ingredients to ONIGIRI is called GU[具] in Japan.

Or, there is ONIGIRI not stuffed with anything either.

It is called "塩むすび(SHIO-MUSUBI)" etc.
SHIO-MUSUBI is seasoned only with the salt.

Or, there is SHIO-MUSUBI that the black sesame is sprinkled to the surface, too.

 

ONIGIRI's ingredients of various Japan

Various ingredients is used for Japanese Onigiri.

They are the tuna mayonnaises, lobster's tempuras, Tonkatsu, and are the seasoned cod roes, the chicken minced meats, the salmons, Konbu, Umeboshi, Tsukemono, the spring onion misoes, and are natto, and roast meats, etc.

The salmons Onigiri	Tuna and mayonnaise Onigiri

 

Lobster's tempura Onigiri	Okaka Onigiri

 

Tarako Onigiri	Tonkatsu Onigiri

 

Takana(TSUKEMONO) Onigiri	Natto Onigiri

 

Moreover, SHIOKARA is used for ONIGIRI.

 

The Onigiri recipe is next time.

Hararie