Japanese Cuisine
Food Preparation & Nutrition: AQA GCSE, topic 5.2.2
Japanese Cuisine
A cuisine is a type of cooking characterised by unique ingredients, preparation and serving techniques, usually associated with a specific region or country.
Main components
- Japanese cuisine is predominantly made up of steamed rice (gohan) and other dishes to consume alongside rice (okazu).
Culinary traditions
- Three meals daily (morning, midday and early eve).
- Common pieces of cooking equipment include:
- Hocho (Japanese knife).
- Bamboo steamers (for things like dumplings).
- Woks.
- Bamboo mat/Makisu (for rolling sushi).
- Rice cookers.
- Bamboo sieve/Zaru.
- Common culinary techniques include:
- Frying.
- Steaming.
- Boiling.
Japanese desserts
- Common desserts include:
- Mochi (sticky rice ball).
- Daifuku (mochi with a sweet filling).
- Taiyaki (fish-shaped pancakes containing red bean paste).
Eating styles
- People don't tend to use cutlery or their hands to eat Japanese cuisine. Traditionally, people use chopsticks.
- Slurping soups is often a positive sign of enjoyment.
- Instead of sitting on chairs at high tables, people tend to sit on floor mats at low tables.
Test yourself on Japanese Cuisine
How many daily meals do the Japanese traditionally have?
Which of the following are common pieces of Japanese cooking equipment?
In which country is it traditional to eat with chopsticks?