Japanese Food

By Paul & Isaiah

Country/Area:
Japan, Area in East Asia
Location on Map:
LOCATION
Japan is off the
Coast of east
Asia.
Population:
The population of Japan is 127.3 million
people.
Language Spoken:
Hachijo, Eastern,
Western and Kyushu
are the Japanese
languages.
Religious Groups:
Shinto and Buddhism.
Buddhism
Is a nontheistic religion that encompasses a
variety of traditions, beliefs and practices
largely based on teachings attributed to
Siddhartha Gautama, who is commonly
known as the Buddha, meaning "the
awakened one"
Shinto
is the indigenous religion
of Japan and the people
of Japan. It is defined as
an action-centered
religion, focused on ritual
practices to be carried
out diligently, to establish
a connection between
present-day Japan and
its ancient past.
Form of Government:
Constitutional Monarchy
with a parliamentary
democracy.
Type of Money:
Japanese Yen
U.S. Dollars converted to Japanese Yen
1 US = 100 Yen
10 US = 1,000 Yen
100 US = 10,000 Yen
1,000 US = 100,000 Yen
10,000 US = 1,000,000 Yen
100,000 US = 10,000,000 Yen
1,000,000 US = 100,000,000 Yen
For Now because the pricing changes every
2 years or so.
Climate:
In winter, its quite dry and sunny along the pacific coast
and the temp rarely drops below 32 degrees fahrenheit. In
spring, temps are warm but not too hot, plus there isnt
much rain. In summer, 3 to 4 weeks of rain and the farmers
plant their rice. Its hot, temps are often in the high 90s. In
autumn, has light winds and cooler temps of around 46-
50F.
Mostly rugged and mountainous, can easily compared
to Norway, both having about 70% of their land in the
mountains.
Terrain:
Agriculture/Main Crops:
The primary industry of Japanese economy, together with
the Japanese mining industry. Only 20% of Japans land is
suitable for cultivation, and the agricultural economy is
highly subsidized and protected. Non-paddy farmland share
the terraces and lower slopes and are planted with wheat
and barley in the autumn, sweet potatoes and veggies in
the summer.
Delicacies:
Sticky rice dumpling with sweet azuki paste
served in spring, steamed sweet rice cake,
Hamo which is a type of fish, often eel.
Osechi is a new years special, which comes
in a 3 tiered box with combinations of a lot of
different seafood, pork, sauces, fruits and
etc.
Staples of Their Food:
Deep fried food known as tempura, which is mostly seafood and veggies. Saki
which is rice wine, udon noodles which is thick wheat noodles, and soba which
is a thin, grayish-brown noodles.
In this order
Tempura, Sake(Saki), Udon Noodles, Soba Noodles
Religious Influences on Food Traditions:
Most regions in Japan have their own
unique preparations for popular dishes, for
example, Ise Udon is remarkably different
from nearby Kansai Udon.
Ise Udon
kansai udon
One Historic Story:
The first foreign influence on Japan is China around 300 B.C., when the
Japanese learned to cultivate rice. The use of chopsticks and the consumption
of soy sauce and tofu also coming from China.
Famous Food in the Country:
Sea Urchin and salmon Roe Rice Bowl, Seafood rice bowl, Grilled mutton,
Salmon Hot Pot and sushi are the most famous foods in Japan.
In this order
Sea urchin and salmon roe rice bowl, seafood rice
bowl, grilled mutton, salmon hot pot, and sushi.
Beverages & Holiday Foods
Boss coffee was released in 1992 and is one of many brands of Japanese
canned coffee. Osechi-ryori are traditional Japanese new years foods. The
tradition started in the Heian Period (794-1185). Osechi are easily recognized
by their special box called Jubako (meaning three-tiered box), which resembles
bento boxes. Like bento boxes, Jubako are often kept stacked before and after
use.
Takoyaki Recipe
Takoyaki is a ball-shaped
Japanese snack made of a
wheat flour-base batter and
cooked in a special Takoyaki
pan. Its typically filled with
minced or diced octupus(Tako)
tempura scraps, pickled
ginger, and green onion.
Recipe (Continued)
3 cups water
1.5 teaspoons Dashi
2 eggs
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2-3 green onions, finely chopped
2 Tbsp Benishoga (pickled red ginger), chopped
5-6 oz octopus, cut into 1/2" cubes
oil
Takoyaki sauce or Okonomiyaki sauce
mayo
Aonori (green dried seaweed)
Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
1. In a large bowl, mix well Dashi, eggs, soy sauce,
salt, and flour with a whisk.
2. Heat a Takoyaki pan with oil to very hot, just until
the oil begins to smoke. Use enough oil to coat the
pan using a paper towel so that the batter won't
stick. Then pour batter to fill the holes of the pan.
3. Drop octopus pieces in the batter in each hole,
and sprinkle chopped green onions and ginger all
over the pan.
4. Cook at medium heat for 1-2 minutes and turn
over using a Takoyaki turner (you can use a
chopstick too). It can be a little tricky at first, so
watch the video to see the technique. Cook
another 3-4 minutes, turning constantly.
5. Place the cooked Takoyaki on a plate and pour
Takoyaki sauce and mayo over them (to taste).
Finish the dish by sprinkling the Takoyaki with
Aonori (green dried seaweed) and Katsuobushi
(dried bonito flakes).
History of Takoyaki
Japan in the 1930s. However, its roots go far back to the 1600s when French
cuisine was first introduced to Japan. Different variations of battered foods
became popular in Osaka and Tokyo at the time. in Japanese history brought an
increase in the use of simple flour and water. The Tokyo earthquake in 1923 left
the area short of food. In an effort to make cheap, yet filling food, the Japanese
began experimenting with flour and water to make various dishes. After a few
decades in the aftermath of World War II, wheat flour was sent to Japan as relief
from the United States. It was then that even more kinds of food were created and
once again they gained popularity but on an even greater scale.
Reflect
The similarities between Japans foods and ours is that how we have new year
s feasts. We always have snacks similar to their Japanese cuisine whenever
theres a holiday. People celebrate in that particular holiday. The difference is
that they have certain foods that we dont have around here like the octopus
and bamboo shoots that we cant get these in this part of the world.