Wednesday, March 11, 2009

An incomplete list of foods eaten in Japan

Agedashi Tofu
Fried tofu served with light soy sauce.

Akafuku
A confection made by spreading bean jam on top of small mochi.

Amanattō
Sweetened beans Any of several types of whole beans and peas cooked by boiling with sugar. Fine sugar is then sprinkled on top to make a coating. Azuki is one of the types of beans used to make this, others commonly include endō-mame and ingen-mamae.

An - A thick sweet paste usually made of sugar and pulses. The main use for an is as a filling for wagashi (traditional confections) and to make other sweet snacks such as anpan and yōkan. White an, called shiroan, is made from white kidney beans, azuki is used to make red an, the most common type, which comes in two forms koshian, which is smooth, and tsubuan, which is chunky. An is also sometimes made from chestnuts, potatoes, lily roots, and sweet potato

Anman (sweet filled bun)
A Chinese style steamed bun made of wheat flour filled with an.

Anmitsu
A sweet dish made of gelatinous kanten and other ingredients with syrup.

Anpan
baked bread filled with a sweet been paste.

Bentos
A Japanese lunch box that may contain a variety of different foods.

Chankonabe
This is famous as a sumo wrestler's dish. A variety of ingredients such as meat, fish and vegetables are cooked at the table in a large pot.

Chawanmushi
Cup-steamed egg custard with chicken, shrimp and vegetables. Trefoil leaves are often put on top as a garnish. A type of custard. The main ingredients are egg (tamago; The Anime Companion 2 p.97) and cooled dashi (The Anime Companion 2 p.15), it also has several other ingredients. The other ingredients often depend on the season and are items such as prawns, mitsuba, chicken, kamaboko, nama-shitake, seri, bamboo shoot (takenoko; The Anime Companion 2 p.96), yurine and ginkgo nuts (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.35). A type of lidded china cup is used to both steam and serve chawan mushi. There is a variety made in shōjin ryōri (The Anime Companion 2 p.87) style vegetarian cooking where yamamotoimo or kabu are used instead of egg. While it is often eaten with a spoon it is traditional to use chopsticks (hashi; The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.42), then drinking any liquid left in the cup.

Chirashi-zushi
A dish of sliced raw fish, vegetables and pickles on sushi rice (vinegared rice) served in a layered lacquer box.

Choko Flake
A snack food made from corn flakes and chocolate.

Curry Rice
Japanese-style mild curry on rice.

Daifuku
A bun stuffed with sweet red bean paste.

Donburi
Is the bowl served with a dish such as Katsudon.

Dorayaki
A pancake with sweet red bean paste inside.

Fugu
Japanese puffer fish, a highly toxic fish eaten in Japan from approved restaurants.

Green Gum
A brand of mint flavored chewing gum.

Gyoza
Fried dumplings with pork and leek.

Gyudon
A bowl of rice topped with thinly sliced beef and onions which have been cooked together in a soy-flavoured sauce.

Gyu Tataki
Raw beef slices served with garlic, spring onion and soy-flavoured sauce.

Inari-zushi
A kind of sushi wrapped with sweet bean curd.

Ishiyaki Imo
Sweet potatoes baked over hot stones. Selling from a cart equipped with such an oven, the vendor calls out a chant-like "ishi-yaki-imo" to attract customers.

karintō
A snack made from a mixture of wheat flour, eggs and sugar. The mixture is made into strips and fried, then white or brown sugar is sprinkled on them.

kashiwa mochi
A round, filled piece of mochi wrapped in an oak leaf and commonly eaten on children's day.

Katsudon
A bowl of rice topped with deep fried crumbed pork and egg.

Kitsune Udon
A bowl of white thick noodles and soup topped by sweet bean curd.

konpeitō
Candy in the shape of small spiky balls, made from sugar and cornstarch.

kuzu mochi
White cakes made from the starch of arrowroot usually cut into triangle shapes and served sweetened.

kuroame (hard black sugar candy)
A black, or very dark brown, hard candy made mainly of coarse and black sugar with some starch.

Maki-zushi
Vinegared rice rolled in a sheet of seaweed usually with egg, vegetables or dried gourd in the center. It is served in bite-sized pieces.

Makunouchi Bento
A box lunch usually consists of small rice balls sprinkled with black sesame seeds and an assortment of broiled fish or fish cakes, rolled omelettes, vegetables and pickles.

Miso Shiru
Fermented soybean paste soup with some fish or vegetables served in a layered lacquer bowl.

Manjū is a popular traditional Japanese confection. There are many varieties of manjū, but most have an outside made from flour, rice powder and buckwheat and a filling of an (red bean paste), made from boiled azuki beans and sugar. They are boiled together again and kneaded. There are several varieties of bean paste used including koshian, tsubuan, and tsubushian.

monaka (stuffed wafer cake)
A wagashi (traditional confections) originating in the early nineteenth century. Monaka originally was just dry wafers. Today it consists of double light wafers stuffed with an. The shape and size can greatly vary as can the type of an used in the filling.

Nabeyaki Udon
A pan of white thick noodles and soup served with deep fried prawn and vegetables.

Nasu Dengaku
Grilled eggplant with sweet soy bean paste.

Nigiri-zushi
A kind of sushi consisting of a slice of raw fish on a small oval-shaped ball of vinegared rice.

ningyōyaki
Small pastries with a sweet bean paste center made in various shapes by pouring batter into a mold. The ningyō part of the name means doll so the name is often translated as "doll cakes" or "doll shaped pastries". The shapes can be quite varied ranging from faces, animals, everyday items etc.

Ochazuke
A large bowl of rice with hot water or green tea poured over it. Broiled salted salmon, cod roe, dried laver or pickles are usually put on top. A little wasabi (Japanese horseradish) may be added.

Oden
A stew in which a variety of ingredients such as tofu, eggs, white radish, fried fish paste and potatoes boiled together in a large pot of seasoned fish broth. Hot mustard is served as a condiment.

Ohagi
An oval-shaped sweet made from sticky rice coated with sweet red bean paste.Ohagi aka Botamochi are seasonal treats traditionally eaten during the spring and autumn equinox in Japan (Shunbun no hi). The “hagi” in ohagi are Japanese bush clover which bloom in the autumn and the “botan” in botamochi are peonies; a spring blooming flower (botamochi means peony rice cake).
O-Higan is a seven day period around the equinox when people visit family graves, pray for their ancestors, and clean out the house. Offerings are also made to Buddhist temples in the form of food, flowers, and incense. Ohagi are eaten/ offered in the autumn equinox and botamochi are eaten/ offered in the spring equinox.

Okonomiyaki
A Japanese-style pancake usually grilled on an iron plate. It is made from batter with bits of meat, seafood, egg and chopped cabbage.

Osuimono
Clear soy base soup with some fish or vegetables served in a layered lacquer bowl.

Oyakodon
A bowl of rice topped with chicken and egg in a soy-flavored sauce.

Ramen
A bowl of yellow noodles and soup with slices of roast pork, fishcake and spring onion.

Sashimi
Sliced raw fish eaten after being dipped in soy sauce mixed with wasabi. Among the most popular fish are tuna, yellowtail and cuttlefish.

Sekihan
Sticky rice steamed with red beans. Since red is considered to be the color of joy, it is prepared for auspicious occasions such as festivals and birthdays.

Shabu Shabu
A dish of thinly sliced beef and vegetables cooked in a shallow pan. The meat is first quickly boiled in broth and then dipped in ponzu & sesame sauces.

Somen
Very thin white noodles served with slices of cucumber and other vegetables in a large glass bowl of icy water. Eaten after being dipped in a soy-flavoured sauce.

Sukiyaki
A dish of thinly sliced beef, tofu, onions, siitake mushrooms, corn marigold and other vegetables cooked in a pan at the table. Sugar, soy sauce and sake are added for flavour.

Takosu
A kind of Japanese salad made of vinegared octopus and vegetables.

Takoyaki
Grilled octopus dumpling including batter, octopus and spring onion. Sold at street stands, it is grilled on an iron plate and served with shaved bonito and a thick sauce.

Tanuki Soba
A bowl of brown noodles and soup topped by sweet bean curd.

Tatsuta Age
Deep fried marinated chicken with garlic, ginger and soy sauce.

Tempra
Dish of prawns, small fish, squid and vegetables deep-fried after being in batter. It is served with a light say sauce.

Teppanyaki
A fried dish on a hot plate with a combination of seafood or meat and vegetables.

Tonkatsu
Deep fried crumbed pork served with Japanese BBQ sauce.

Tsukemono
Pickled vegetables in salt, rice bran, miso or sake sediment. They are usually served to complement other dishes.

Tsukudani
A preserved food made by boiling an ingredient, which may be fish, shellfish, a vegetable or seaweed, with sugar and soy sauce.

Unaju
A dish of grilled eel on rice with a sweet glaze sauce served in a layered lacquer box.

Yakimeshi
Japanese-style fried rice with some meat, vegetables and egg.

Yakisoba
Fried or steamed ramen mixed on a hot plate with vegetables, meat, and sauce. Ukyo uses this as a weapon in the manga (VIZ version volume 8).

Yakitori
Chunks of chicken and vegetables arranged on bamboo skewers grilled over a charcoal fire and dipped in a special sweet soy sauce.

Yakizakana
Grilled fish. Among the most popular fish are saury, yellowtail and salmon.

Yasai Itame
Fried vegetables such as cabbage, beansprouts and bell pepper with some meat.

Yosenabe
A dish of various kind of meat or fish and vegetables cooked in a earthen pot at the table. Served with ponzu or sesame sauce.

Zaru Soba
Cold brown noodles dish dipped in a sauce with wasabi, spring onion and quail egg.

Zoni
A soup containing rice cakes and vegetables. It is a special dish for the New Year holidays and each region has different style.

Zosui
A kind of porridge of rice and vegetables. Boiled rice is cooked in a soup and then mixed with trefoil leaves, egg or seafood.

No comments: