Culture and Food

Japan, a chain of islands in Northeast Asia, is only slightly smaller than the state of California, but has less than half the population. This is because Japan is mostly mountains and places where people can't live. The people who do live there enjoy a very unique and rich culture.

Because they live on islands, the Japanese have easy access to many kinds of fresh seafood. That's why you will find a wide variety of seafood dishes in their diet. One very important type of seafood in the Japanese diet is sushi. There are many types of sushi.

Examples of different types of sushi:

• Nigiri Sushi: Small pads of rice with fish/seafood on top
• Sashimi: Best when fresh, this raw sushi is odorless and delicate, and served with raw vegetables, lettuce, shredded daikon (Japanese radishes), or cucumber
• Maki Sushi: Strips of fish or vegetables rolled in rice and wrapped in dried seaweed
• Futomaki: Large fancy roll containing six ingredients (bright pink fish powder, egg, gourd, and other vegetables)
• Oshinko: Sushi containing bright yellow pickled daikon, it is crunchy with a vinegary flavor
• Tekkamaki: Sushi containing tuna
• Kappamaki: Sushi containing cucumber

The most important crop in Japan is rice, grown in the country for more than 2,000 years. Japanese rice is short-grain rice that becomes sticky when cooked. It can be bought polished (hakumai) or unpolished (gemmai). While less popular, gemmai is more nutritious than hakumai.

Important rice products in Japan:

• Rice Cakes: mochi rice ground together, usually grilled and used in soup or sushi
• Rice Wine: sake, an alcoholic drink that is very popular in Japan
• Rice Flour: ground, dried rice used in a variety of Japanese desserts
• Rice Vinegar: used with rice for sushi

Edamame (eh-dah-MAH-meh), the Japanese name for fresh soy beans, is also very important to the Japanese diet. Soybeans are used to make miso, a popular condiment used to flavor a wide variety of foods. Miso is made by combining soybeans, and sometimes a grain such as rice, with salt and a mold culture, then aging in cedar vats for one to three years.

Try these delicious Japanese recipes:

• Yakiniku
• Teriyaki Sauce
• Teriyaki Marinade
• Sushi

Try this months project:

• Make Okonomiyaki