CURIOSITIES...
PUFFER FISH (河豚 )
The pufferfish is one of the most delicious dishes in Japanese cuisine. It is a very expensive and potentially deadly fish because its guts contain a very powerful poison.
Only a few experienced chefs with a special license can prepare it, following a very delicate and precise procedure. In Europe, it is forbidden to serve it almost everywhere.
SUSHI (寿司)
HASHIWATASHI (橋渡)
You should not pass food to another person from wand to wand, this gesture recalls a very precise moment of the Eastern funeral ceremony, in which the cremated bones are transferred inside the urn.
EATING SOUP NOISILY
It is a surprise to many Westerners that eating soups noisily is perfectly acceptable in Japan. In fact, drinking the soup noisily is not only acceptable but even encouraged.
It is considered a sign that the food is delicious, and is a compliment to the chef. It makes it easier to eat noodles quickly while they're still hot, which is the best way to appreciate the flavor.
HOTOKEHASHI (仏箸)
You should not stick the chopsticks upright inside the rice bowl. The chopsticks are placed in this way only during funeral ceremonies.
When not used, they should be placed on the appropriate drumstick supports ( 箸置 - hashioki ).
MISO (味噌)
"Everything is fine as long as there is miso" reads an old popular saying, aimed at emphasizing the importance of this "pasta" in Japanese culinary culture.
Miso is a seasoning produced from soybeans to which are added barley or rice, yeast "Koji" and salt. The result is a dense paste, very tasty and rich in protein, linoleic acid, and lecithin, important to control the level of cholesterol in the blood.
...AND SOME RECIPES
Some recipes of traditional Japanese dishes for you to try at home
DAIFUKU MOCHI (大福餅)
Daifukumochi, literally "Good luck glutinous cake", is a Japanese confection consisting of a small round mochi stuffed with a sweet filling, most commonly Anko ( sweetened red bean paste made from adzuki beans ).
Plain Daifuku (大福) recipe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfBGFsp0Krw&t=455s
Strawberry Daifuku (苺大福) recipe**:
DANGO (団子)
Dango is a Japanese dumpling made from mochiko ( rice flour), related to mochi. It is often served with green tea. The many different varieties of dango are usually named after the various seasonings served on or with it.
A common Japanese proverb "Hana yori dango" (花より団子, literally, "dango rather than flowers") refers to a preference for practical things rather than aesthetics.
Mitarashi dango (みたらし団子) recipe:
NIKUMAN (肉まん)
Nikuman is the Japanese name for the Chinese baozi made from flour dough, and filled with cooked ground pork, beef, or other ingredients. It is a kind of chūka man, Chinese-style steamed bun, also known in English as pork buns.
Nikuman are steamed and often sold as street food. During festivals, they are frequently sold and eaten. From about August or September, through the winter months until roughly the beginning of April, Nikuman are available at convenience stores, where they are kept hot.
Nikuman recipe:
TERIYAKI CHICKEN (照り焼き鶏)
The teriyaki chicken is chicken cooked with a traditional Japanese sauce, the teriyaki sauce. The term teriyaki is composed of the words "teri" ( 照り) which means glossy or shining, in reference to the color conferred by the sauce, and "yaki" (焼き), which means cooked on metal. Each food cooked with teriyaki sauce requires specific measures that depend on several factors, such as the texture, taste and cooking time of the food itself. According to Japanese tradition, a teriyaki dish should be consumed with steamed rice and vegetables as a garnish.
Teriyaki chicken recipe:
OMURICE (オムライス)
Omurice is an example of
yōshoku (a Western-influenced style of Japanese cuisine) consisting
of an omelet made with fried rice and thin, fried scrambled eggs,
usually topped with ketchup. It is a popular dish both commonly cooked
at home and often found at western-style diners in Japan. Children,
in particular, enjoy omurice. It is often featured in Japan's version
of a children's meal, okosama-ranchi (お子様ランチ).
Omurice recipe:
GYOZA (餃子)
Gyoza are the Japanese version of the jiaozi. The biggest difference compared to Chinese jiaozi is the strong garlic flavor and the delicate flavor of other toppings such as salt or soy.
They are always served with soy sauce in which to dip them, to which rice vinegar is added and possibly rāyu (sesame oil with spicy chili).
The
most common recipe involves a mixed filling of minced chicken meat,
garlic, cabbage, ginger, nira (Chinese chives), sake, soy sauce,
salt, pepper and sesame oil, all wrapped in thin paste. The nira can
be replaced by onion or leek.
Gyoza recipe:
**if you can't find the glutinous rice flour to make the white dough you can follow the link above for the dough of the regular mochi