Tomoe Gozen – the Legend Survived the Test of Time
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Food, Glorious Japanese Food!
The Japanese cuisine, known as Washoku (和食), is widely regarded today as nutritious and packed with health benefits. Experts support their statements by pointing to the long life expectancy of the Japanese people and slender figures of the general population. Though, I would like to talk about three particular dishes, very popular in Japan today, not only amongst the Japanese people, but also highly appreciated by foreigners. They are: Tempura (天ぷら), Ramen (ラーメン), and Curry Rice (カレーライス).
Tempura
Consisting of battered and deep-fried seafood and vegetables, Tempura is considered today one of the staple food of the Japanese cuisine. However, the Tempura is not a native Japanese dish. Its origins can be traced to the 16th century when a Chinese vessel carrying three Portuguese sailors shipwrecked in the Japanese shores and a long story of love and hatred started between the Portuguese, whom the Japanese used to call Barbarians and the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun, whom the Portuguese called “Olhos Puxados” (Slanted Eyes). Between firearms and Tempura, legacies left by the Portuguese after they were expelled from Japan in 1639, the latter became definitely the most popular (thanks God!). Tempura is usually served with a dipping sauce mixed with grated radish (the Japanese own spin on the dish).
Originated from the Portuguese word “temperar“, which means to season, the Portuguese claims the Japanese dish Tempura stemmed from their “peixinhos da horta“, (garden fishes), which consist of green beans dipped in a batter and fried. One wonders if the word Tempura (天ぷら) is of foreign descent, why then it is not written with katakana (テンプラ) the Japanese alphabet used to write non-Japanese words. The reason is again historical. It is believed that when Japan went through periods of extreme nationalism, to guise the alien origins of the dish, the kanji “ten” (天) meaning celestial and hiragana ぷら were applied to give the dish a lifeline. I’m glad it worked! 🤗
Ramen
The origins of Ramen (ラーメン) might be evident from its main ingredient – the noodle. Introduced by Chinese immigrants in the late 19th century at Yokohama Chinatown, lamian, meaning “pulled noodles” in Chinese, saved the country from famine after the WWII, when Japan recorded its worst rice harvest since the beginning of the century. Cheap wheat flour to make bread flooded from the US to deal with food shortages, but the wheat found its way into Ramen production, which most Japanese ate at black market food vendors to survive. Wheat noodles gained prominence in Japan’s rice-based culture, gradually becoming one of its most popular foods. Ramen can be categorised by its two main ingredients: noodles and broth. In 1958, instant noodles were invented by Momofuku Ando, the chairman of Nissin Foods, which allowed anyone to make a kind of ramen bowl, simply by adding boiling water. A wide variety of ramen exists today in Japan, with geographical and vendor-specific differences. Tokyo has around 5k ramen shops and there are over 24k ramen shops across Japan
Curry
Curry was brought to Japan from India by the British during the Meiji era (1868 – 1912), at the time the Indian subcontinent was still under the rule of the British Empire. The Imperial Japanese Navy ate curry to prevent beriberi, but later adopted it as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Friday dish. However, curry did not have an immediate favourable reception by the Japanese population, whose palate was more accustomed to mild flavours.
As everything else in Japan, curry was gradually adapted to suit its people’s taste and is widely consumed today. Deemed today, a national dish, it became very popular amongst children and in school cafeterias. By year 2000, curry was a more common meal than sushi or tempura. The most popular curry is “Curry Rice” (カレーライス).
With the adapted curry sauce, a variety of vegetables and meats are used to make Japanese curry. They are usually onions, carrots, and potatoes. Beef, pork, and chicken are the most popular meat choices. Katsu-karē, also very popular, is a breaded deep-fried cutlet (tonkatsu; usually pork, or chicken) that is eaten with rice and topped with the sauce. There is also a Karē-pan, which is a curry-filled bread.
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