By Tamara Pottrick and Tia Kooner

The Ancient History of Cooking  In 400 BC, Korea introduced the first main food to Japan, which was rice  In 300 BC, China introduced the second main food to Japan, the soy bean  By the 6 th century, Buddhism became part of the Japanese culture, bringing the law of not eating fish and meat, lasting 1200 years  When the Europeans came in the 16 th century, they brought western fried foods, sugar, and corn  After the Meiji Restoration in 1867, meat was reintroduced to Japanese culinary

Modern Day Cooking  Modern day cooking is still influenced by geography and seasons with seafood and veggies the most common foods  Freshness, presentation, and balance of flavours are very important in Japanese culinary  Meals always include rice and soup, but with few dairy products  Sushi and sushimi (raw fish) are often eating at the beginning of a meal  Dessert is rarely served with the exception of fresh fruit on occasions

Japanese Restaurants  There are about 15 different types of restaurants that specialize in different types of Japanese foods –e.g. Sushi-ya specializes in sushi; Kaiten-zushi specializes in sushi on a conveyor belt; and Soba-ya specializes in soba and udon noodles  In traditional restaurants, you must take off your shoes before entering, you sit on cushions and the tables are lower to the floor  Chopsticks are set in a box in the middle of the table

Modern Japanese Restaurants  In the front window of the restaurant, they display plastic or wax replicas of each dish  Waiters greet you as you enter and lead you to your westernized table  When you sit down you are given either water or tea for free, and a wet towel for your hands  The bill is presented either as you receive your meal, or after you have eaten  Tipping is not expected and waiters may chase you out of the restaurant to give back any change left behind

Etiquitte  A meal in Japan traditionally starts with the phrase itadakimasu and ends with gochisousamadeshita  Never stab food  Pouring soy sauce all over your rice is considered greedy  Never stick chopsticks straight up in rice as it represents incense at a funeral  Never pass food from chopstick to chopstick  It is polite to clear your plate

Menu  Breakfast – fish, rice, miso soup, japanese pickles, nori, raw egg to mix with rice  Lunch - obentos including rice, sushi, tempura with raw egg to dip, onagiri, and vegetables  Dinner – miso soup, rice, soy beans, baked fish, tea These are only a few of the combinations that you would typically eat in a Japanese restaurant or household

Kitchen Tools

Bibliography  Shiro/7757/dinner.html Shiro/7757/dinner.html  country/Japan.htm country/Japan.htm  

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