Cuisine

Japanese (Washoku)

A seasonal, rice-centred cuisine built on dashi, soy, miso and seafood, valuing the natural flavour of ingredients, precise knife work and careful presentation.

Flavour character: Umami-led and clean: dashi, soy, miso and mirin in balance; subtle sweetness and saltiness; acidity from rice vinegar and citrus; heat used sparingly (wasabi, shichimi).

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History

Rice farming and soy fermentation came from mainland Asia; Buddhism discouraged eating meat for long periods, which encouraged fish, tofu and vegetable cookery. The traditional meal structure ichiju-sansai (one soup, three dishes with rice) and the formal kaiseki meal took shape by the 16th century. Portuguese traders in the 16th century are commonly credited with introducing batter-frying that became tempura. Meat eating was officially encouraged after the Meiji Restoration (1868), leading to yoshoku dishes like tonkatsu, curry rice and omurice. Chemist Kikunae Ikeda identified glutamate as the source of umami in kombu dashi in 1908. 'Washoku' was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2013.

Well documented

Geography and influences

A long archipelago of mountains and coast with four distinct seasons: rice in the valleys, seafood all around, and regional produce celebrated in season (shun).

Chinese and Korean cooking (rice, noodles, soy, tea)
Zen Buddhist temple cooking (shojin ryori)
Portuguese traders
Western cooking after the Meiji Restoration (yoshoku)

Regional variations

Kanto (Tokyo): Darker soy-based broths, Edo-style nigiri sushi, tempura and soba.
Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto): Lighter-coloured usukuchi soy, refined Kyoto kaiseki and tofu, Osaka street food (okonomiyaki, takoyaki).
Hokkaido: Dairy, seafood, miso ramen and lamb (Genghis Khan grill).
Kyushu and Okinawa: Pork-bone tonkotsu ramen in Fukuoka; Okinawa's pork, goya and Chinese-influenced cooking.