Japanese Pancakes- It's Breakfast For Dinner!

Pancakes are a universal food. They are literally perfect with anything and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Like the potato, they are the perfect food, and Japan did not miss the memo.

The first Japanese pancake showed up in the 16th century, and was called "Funo-yaki". It was invented by a gentleman known as Sennorikyuu, the founder of the Japanese tea ceremony. (Japanese Pancake World) The cooking process went something like this:

"... mixed flour with water and sake and char-grilled the flattened dough. Sweet miso was then spread on this savory pancake before being rolled and cut into a bite-size portion. At the height of the pancake's popularity, there were even Funo-yaki specialty shops." (Japanese Pancake World)

Pancakes dropped out of popularity in the Edo era, it came back in the Meiji era, when candy stores started selling "Monji-yaki" or "letter cooking", where kids would come into the stores and learn the Japanese alphabet by drawing the letters with watery pancake dough. Thicker dough was adapted to make the Monji-yaki sellable in mobile stands. (Japanese Pancake World)

Western influence came with Worcester sauce in the Taisho era (1912-1926), which the Japanese people loved to spread on their pancakes with some scallion. (Japanese Pancake World) During WWII, when food was scarce, people would stuff the pancakes with as much cabbage as they could, and meat, if it was available- this would become known, eventually, as a different kind of pancake, the okonomiyaki. (Japanese Pancake World)

Link: http://japanesepancakeworld.com/pancake-history/

For Sake's Sake!

Sake is a popular alcoholic beverage in Japan. While nobody knows exactly when sake was first made, it is believed to have first been recorded as being produced in China around 500 B.C. (Afshar) The original process to make sake went something like this:

"... villagers would gather to chew rice and nuts, spitting the contents into a communal tub which would then be stored and left to ferment (the enzymes in their saliva aided the fermentation process.)" (Afshar)

But fortunately, a much more hygienic method was found:

"Perhaps for the best, this method was soon abandoned after the discovery of koji, a mold enzyme that could be added to rice to begin fermentation. This brewing technique is believed to have spread throughout Japan in the Nara period (710 to 794), resulting in sake as we know it today." (Afshar)

Sake didn't see much mass production in Japan until the 10th century, when temples and shrines began brewing the beverage and selling it, often as a ceremonial drink. (Afshar) Today, however, there are over 2,000 breweries in Japan making the sweet rice wine!

Pug Cafe!

Not for eating! In Japan, different themed "cafes", where you can hang out with critters such as owls, macaws, and, in Kyoto, pugs!

At this cafe in Kyoto, you have eleven, count 'em, eleven pugs to hang out with! For a few yen, you can get a handful of treats and play, cuddle with, and wrestle with the pups! The deals are pretty nice:

"Guests can choose one of two drink courses when they come to Living Room. For 500 yen (US$4.80), you get one drink and an hour of play time. For 1000 yen ($9.60), you get unlimited time and unlimited drinks!" (Miller)

Reservations are filling up fast, so if you plan to visit, be sure to call ahead! These cafes are not only popular tourist spots, but also excellent for people who have anxiety or just want a lot of puppy cuddles!

Want A Brewski? Try Asahi! - Beer in Japan

Hendrik Doeff: The Beer Father

When one thinks of alcohol in Japan, beer isn't necessarily the first beverage that comes to mind. Usually, sake is associated with Japan, and with good reason- the sweet rice wine is uniquely associated with Japan and is a very popular Japanese beverage, both at home and abroad. However, beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in Japan. (Grimm) Beer was first introduced in Japan as a "specialty import" by Dutch merchants in the 17th century, with the first actual brewery starting up in the 19th century. (Grimm) Necessity begets genius, and when the Napoleonic wars saw a beer shortage in Europe, a Dutch brewer and tradesman, Hendrik Doeff, decided to take matters into his own hands and open his own brewery in Dejima. (Grimm) Commercial beer production began when Norwegian-American William Copeland opened the Spring Valley Brewery in Yokohama in 1870. (Grimm)

The first native run brewery was began when hops were discovered in the island of Hokkaido- Seibei Nakagawa was sent to Germany to learn German brewing, and when he returned, he began the Pioneers Brewing Company, which would brew a very famous flagship beer: Sapporo Cold Brew! (Grimm) Other famous brands would be Kirin and Asahi. (Grimm)

Link: http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2011/08/a-brief-history-of-japanese-beer-sapporo-ichiban-craft-beer-in-japan.html

Tasty Taiyaki: There's Something Fishy About This Dessert

One of the most popular traditional desserts in Japan is a really cute little fish cake known as a taiyaki! Don't be fooled by its fishy exterior: taiyaki is only shaped to look like a fish, but it's filled with a yummy red bean curry paste. (Asahi) The name "taiyaki" literally translates to "baked sea bream", despite there being no fish in the treat. (Asahi) Taiyaki stands are a common sight in winter, as many people like to warm up with a hot, sweet treat! (Asahi)

Taiyaki was first baked a little over a century ago, and the recipe remains generally unchanged (but still extremely popular) today. (Asahi) While it was first sold in the Edo period, its first big rise in popularity came in 1976, when the kids' song Swim Tayaki-Kun became a hit, ultimately rising to become the top song in Japan, selling over 4.5 million records. (Asahi)

The pastry itself is very similar in taste, texture, and cooking procedure to a pancake, while the paste is merely red beans and sugar mashed up into a paste. (Asahi)

Links:

Taiyaki

Swim, Tayaki-Kun

Taiyaki filled with ice cream- there is actually a God, and He is benevolent

Chocoholics in Japan

So, everyone is universally pretty crazy about chocolate, but for the most part, chocolate and sweets aren't something we typically consider "Asian". Yet, with the influx of Western culture and desserts, chocolate has risen in popularity in Asia, especially in Japan.

Bear in mind, Japan was isolated for a period of time, and there were very few ports that could actually receive European goods. One of the few European peoples allowed into Japan for trade were the Dutch, and they did bring the drinking version of chocolate with them, but it was largely restricted to the upper classes in Japan. (Tofugu) The first solid chocolate bar was introduced to Japan during the Meiji era, and interestingly:

"... was marketed as チョコレート , but with the kanji 貯古齢糖. Interestingly, those kanji individually mean "save", "old", "age", and 'sugar'." (To

Ice Cream Flavored Chocolate!

fugu)

During the American occupation of the second World War, chocolate was brought along as a treat for civilian children. (Tofugu) In fact, one of the first English phrases that Japanese children learned was often, "Give me chocolate!" (Tofugu)








Japanese chocolates are unique from chocolates around the world in that they are usually individually wrapped to maintain their unique flavors, including but not limited to a special hazelnut flavor (Tofugu), and some of them are not even necessarily chocolate: for example, a Kit-Kat flavor that is popular in Japan is green tea!





Link: https://www.tofugu.com/japan/japanese-chocolate/

Video: To give you an idea of how crafty Japanese chocolatiers are, watch this video, which is a game show that has contestants take a bite! Is it chocolate... or not? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEcC7LGXDQc

Everything's Better On A Stick! Kushikatsu!

Fried food is good. Sticks are good. What happens when you put them together?

Well, if you visit the Japanese city of Osaka, you'll find that kushikatsu is what happens! This popular dish is best described as a "fried kebab" (Turtle), and in Osaka, it is an extremely common food to find, with kushikatsu places all over, including restaurants where you can fry your own kushikatsu. Kushikatsu can be anything from pork to chicken, and from seafood to vegetables (even pumpkin!), and then it is dipped in egg, flour, and breadcrumbs before being fried in veggie oil (Turtle) and served on a skewer.

The snack is a fixture at bars due to its greasy nature and quickness (Turtle), but there are also many cafes and ritzy restaurants that serve it too.



If you would be interested in seeing kushikatsu made in real time (and don't mind intermittent language- like PG-13 language), then you should check out Solo Travel Blog's video on kushikatsu in Osaka!

http://www.timetravelturtle.com/2013/04/kushikatsu-japanese-food/


Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aQ1YaPmUjM

Delicious Donburi

Japanese food is often associated with healthy eating, and it's easy to see why: with the lean proteins like fish, healthy grains like rice, and the wide array of veggies used in cooking, Japanese food is diverse, yummy, and nutritious. However, everyone needs comfort food, and what's better than a piping hot bowl of steamed rice covered with (usually fried) bits of your favorite meat, a yummy fried egg, and savory sauce?

Gyudon- Beef donburi

Donburi is a comfort food dish that is served in Japan, and while it varies from region to region: the sauce in some regions is different, though it is typically made with "... soy, dashi and mirin" (Turtle) and the meat that is used can be everything from eel to katsu (breaded pork) depending on what region you're visiting or what your preferences are! The first donburi was a theater snack made in the Edo period that typically involved eel (Turtle), so if you want to go old school donburi, then order the eel! The fried meat donburis came into prominence during the 1800s. (Only Native Japan)

Kaisendon- Seafood donburi

On a slightly darker donburi note, the name for chicken and egg donburi, oyakodon, quite literally translates to "parent and child" due to the "parental" nature of the chicken and the egg!

Links http://onlynativejapan.com/2015/08/24/%E3%80%90food%E3%80%91donbur-rice-bowl-dishes-everyones-favorite/5675

http://www.timetravelturtle.com/2013/04/donburi-japanese-food/

My personal favorite- Katsudon, with fried pork!

Takoyaki: Having A Ball- A Ball of SQUID!

Takoyaki is a delicious snack that hails from the city of Osaka, Japan. They are one of my very favorite snack foods, and is made out of boiled pieces of octopus that are then deep fried in a yummy batter. They are then skewered on a stick and covered in takoyaki sauce and mayonnaise. (Wiren) These are very popular snacks, and takoyaki stands are a common sight around Osaka (and, if you're curious to try this local delicacy, in San Francisco's own Japan Town!) However, in Osaka, it is possible to make the takoyaki at home! There are little grills that have hemispherical pockets so that you can pack the octopi and batter in to make the little balls.



Takoyaki has its roots in seventeenth century Japan, when wheat recipes and French cuisine were beginning to gain influence- there was even a Japanese version of a crepe, which involved red bean paste rolled up into a pastry made out of a thin batter of flour and water. (Wiren) In the 1920's, Japan started experimenting more with Western fried foods, called "issen-yoshoku, which roughly translates to "one-penny Western food". (Wiren)

Okonomiyaki: The Pancake With The Mostest

In my quest to eat lots of really yummy food copiously, well, and often, the okonomiyaki has often come across my plate. Oddly, not many restaurants serve it, but it is a speciality dish that actually hearkens from Hiroshima. (Baser) This dish literally translates: "okonomi" ("whatever you want") "yaki" ("grilled"), and it's the perfect dish for getting rid of leftovers (Baser). The exact concoction of the first okonomiyaki is not concrete, but it was believed to have come together sometime in the 17th to 18th century. (Baser)

Essentially, an okonomiyaki is a cabbage and flour-based pancake that you can throw a little bit of everything into: pork, seafood, veggies, etc, and you top it off with some delicious okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, and lots and lots of fish flakes.

I have often compared okonomiyaki to pizza. The texture is very similar and it's just as filling and viscerally satisfying. However, in reading this article, I found out that, similar to New York versus Chicago style pizza, there's a contest between Osaka and Hiroshima for the best okonomiyaki! Osakans like to use cabbage, flour, and egg for a particularly thick pancake, then add "... anything from shrimp, octopus, mochi to cheese added in, smothered in the authentic okonomiyaki sauce made of dates and Worcester sauce and powdered with dried seaweed and bonito flakes." (Baser)

However, in Hiroshima, the pancake is done in layers, then the chef will "... top it with a mountain of cabbage, grill it down, flip and top it with a cake of grilled soba noodles, also dripped with the signature sauce." (Baser)


Link: http://theplate.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/04/beyond-the-bomb-hiroshimas-beloved-okonomiyaki-pancake/

Ramen: It's What's For Dinner!

Ramen is a dish closely associated with Japanese culture, and it has a huge popularity in Japan. That's not surprising- what other dish comes with noodles, delicious broth, savory meat, lots of veggies, and an egg that's been soft boiled to perfection to make the broth taste even richer? (Actually a lot of Japanese dishes, but to this ramen-obsessed reader, this is honestly the perfect "Noodle to Meat to Weeping with Delight ratio", so bear with me here.)

(Something similar to what Chinese "soba" would have looked like)

Yet, ramen is not, intrinsically, a Japanese dish. The ramen noodle originally comes from China- ramen noodles are made with kansui, a mixture of baking soda and water, and gives ramen noodles their "characteristic yellow color" (Herman) There are a couple of different origin stories to ramen, and that's not terribly surprising when you're a dish that's arguably as epic as Batman. The first theory is that, "... a scholar named Shu Shunsui brought the recipe with him when he escaped Manchu rule in China to serve as an advisor to feudal lord Tokugawa Mitsukuni" (Herman), and, it's a cool story, but the problem is that there are no historical records of any scholar by that name ever existing. (Herman)

(The original Nankin Senryo)

So, ramen as we know it today, according to NYU professor, George Holt, probably came into existence around 1910, with, "the founding of Rai-Rai Ken in Tokyo (not to be confused with the shop of the same name in New York’s East Village) by a customs agent who’d worked in Yokohama’s Chinatown." (Herman) The restaurant served shina (the Japanese word for China) and soba (a word for a Japanese noodle dish that already existed). It was really popular with blue collar workers because it was cheap and extremely filling (Herman), but then ramen took a more subversive meaning in the 1930's during the Japanese Rape of Nanjing- take for example, a ramen shop known as Nankin Senryo, which literally translates to "flower", but also can be taken to mean "Nanjing occupation". (Herman) Soldiers and radically political students took a liking to ramen at this time, but that all came to an end during the food shortages of World War II in Japan. (Herman)


When instant ramen noodles were reintroduced in the 1950's, they were not actually aimed at low income people- they were aimed at "... middle-class women and children: supermarket food providing whole, nutritious meals to nuclear families, as opposed to the fare dished out in ramen shops to students and workers flocking to reindustrializing cities by the thousands." (Herman)
Ramen became extremely popular again, and in a Japan with a recovering economy, it became a patriotic dish, something uniquely Japanese, and a powerful counter to the alternative European foods that were being shipped into Japan after the war ended. (Herman)


In short, ramen is a tasty, piping hot treat, with a savory history you can take a bite out of- and, drat, I'm hungry now.

Link: http://firstwefeast.com/eat/2014/05/george-solt-on-the-messy-history-of-ramen

(My personal SF favorite: Clam and garlic ramen, courtesy of Ramen Izakaya in Downtown SF!)

A Brief History of Mochi!

Hello, everyone, and welcome to my blog! I am very excited about the upcoming Asian Area Studies course, and I felt that it seemed only right to do my first post on one of the many amazing aspects of Japanese culture: the food. As someone with quite a bit of a sweet tooth, mochi have always been one of my favorite dishes, and the history of mochi is really quite an interesting one! While we know it as usually being filled with ice cream or chocolate here in the states, in Japan, it is a little bit different (although the ice cream and chocolate mochi are still available there and immensely popular.)





Mochi were typically made at the beginning of the year as part of New Year's festival celebrations, and, while the exact origin is uncertain, have been mentioned in historic documents as early as 1070. (Asian Art Museum) The process to making mochi dumplings, or mochitsuki (which means, "full moon"), for the full name, is fairly laborious:

"Traditionally, glutinous rice is washed and soaked overnight on the evening before the pounding. The next morning the rice is steamed and placed in the usu (large mortar) where it is pounded with a kine (wooden mallet). Once the mass is soft and smooth, it is pulled into various sizes and shapes." (Asian Art Museum)

To celebrate the new year, these little cakes were offered to the kani (deities) and were known as kagami-mochi (mirror mochi) in that setting- they were served with a little slice of bitter orange and were considered lucky for the New Year! (Asian Art Museum)

Today, mochi are typically served as desserts or sweet snacks, and can be served with either ice cream, pastry fillings, such as a chocolate or strawberry cream, or they can be filled with the traditional red bean paste.

Link: http://education.asianart.org/explore-resources/background-information/new-years-japan-mochi-pounding