Introduction
If I say "Japanese food", sushi is no doubt the first thing that springs to mind. However, there is a lot more to their cuisine than that, and of course with the increasing influence of western culture, their diet is becoming more and more like ours; indeed recently the amount of vegetables per person consumed by Americans overtook that of Japanese, indicating that it should be the Japanese imitating the west, not the other way round as we no doubt often here. To perhaps understand Japanese food better, let's take a look at some highlights from What Japan Thinks, that ever-dependable source of information on Japanese food.
Rice
Let's start with the Japanese staple, rice. Indeed it is the staple, with over 80% eating at least one bowl a day, although with the vast majority of people choosing white rice, the full health benefits of such a diet is not being fully realized. To feed their rice habit, over nine in ten households have a rice cooker.
Tuna
When making sushi, we need to put tuna on the top. Tuna is extremely popular, with over four in five expressing a preference. However, recent events have left many Japanese worrying, with almost everyone concerned about quota cuts, in particular about the effects on price.
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Whale
Yes, some people eat whale over there, and many towns and cities do have a restaurant or two that specializes in whale. Indeed, the percentage of Japanese that have actually eaten the mammal is a massive five in six!
Tofu
Hardened soy bean curd is another basic Japanese food, with fans numbering around nine in ten, and about 6% eating some every day. The favorite serving suggestion is just simply chilled.
Pizza
Let's move away from eastern foods and approach the west and pizza, Japan's favourite delivery food, with fans numbering around three in four. The favourite toppings on these pizzas are the rather un-Italian options of bacon, seafood and onion!
Ice Cream
Moving on to another high-fat food, we see that ice cream also has a considerable fan base, with at least 38% tucking in at least once a week. If it's Haagen Dazs, in Japan the top flavors are Vanilla, Cookies and Cream, and Strawberry.
Chocolate
Finally we end up with chocolate. There's so much that could be said about chocolate in its many forms in Japan, and with Japanese consumer loving variety, each week in the supermarket there is always a new brand or a new flavor to discover. However, let's just look at the one brand that is perhaps best-known in the west, especially amongst the anime fan set, Pocky! Pocky is a biscuit stick covered in its basic form with chocolate, but there are many, many varieties available on this theme. The top three favorite flavors are Chocolate, Strawberry Bits, and Strawberry (no bits)
Conclusion
I hope this article has whetted your appetite for Japanese food (except perhaps for the whale...) and if there's an Asian supermarket in your area, pay them a visit and see what you can pick up. I'm just off now to open a bag of chips; will it be herb and lemon or will it be carbonara flavor tonight?
by KenYN
Hi I'm Ken, and I'm a long-time resident of Japan and rather expert in the ways of Nihon! (more)
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