Japanese cuisine (washoku) was included in the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List in 2013. Characterizedseasonality,minimalismandumami(fifth taste, discovered in Japan in 1908 by Kikunae Ikeda). Under 15 mandatory dishes.
Sushi and sashimi
1. Sushi (寿司)
Rice with vinegar + raw fish. Forms:nigiri(a bite of rice with fish),poppies(rolls),chirashi(split on rice). Classic pieces:maguro(Tunicorn),chitoro(average fat tuna),otoro(very fat — dearest),uni(the sea urchin).
Where:Sukiabashi Jiro(Tokio, film "Jiro Dreams of Sushi", 40,000 JPY, 3 months reservation). Budget:kaiten-zushi(band sushi) 130-500 JPY/plate.
2. Sashimi (刺身)
Raw fish without rice, with soy sauce and wasabi. Typical:hamachi(yellow),sake( Salmon),Yes(eighty),hotate(sprays).
Ramen and pasta
3. Ramen (ラーメン)
Pasta soup, 4 main schools:
- Shōyu(soy): Tokyo, clear
- Miso: Sapporo, dark, fat
- Shio(salt): Hakodate, delicate
- Tonkotsu: Fukuoka, cloudy from pig bones 12 hours cooked
Price 800-1500 JPY. Legendary:Ichiran(network),Nakiryu(Michelin star in Tokyo).
4. Udon (うどん)
Thick white wheat noodles.Sanuki udonwith Kagawa Prefecture — the most famous. Versions:kake(bullion),Vertigo(cold with sauce),kitsune(with fried tofu),bukkake(fat sauce).
5. Soba (蕎麦)
Thin buckwheat noodles. The symbol of the new year (toshikoshi soba — eaten 31.12 before midnight, length = longevity).Tempura soba- With shrimp tempura.
Grilled and fried
6. Tempura (天ぷら)
Flour of flour, water, and ice (light!) — always on sesame oil. Shrimps, vegetables, fish. Classic:ebi tempura(bloods),Maitake(maitakes). Special restaurants: 4000-15,000 JPY.
7. Yakitori (焼き鳥)
Grilled chicken shishes:Momo(dude),tsukune(mold chicken),coffee(skin),hatsu(heart),gyu-tan(bovine language). Price 120-350 JPY/patych. Traditionally with beer in Izakaya.
8. Tonkatsu (とんかつ)
Panky pork chop. Served with cabbage and tonkatsu sauce (sweet and sour). Legend:Butagumiin Tokyo (2500 JPY, 12 types of pork).
9. Wagyu and Kobe beef
The most expensive beef in the world.A5is the highest grade (100 kč/g in Poland). In Japan, it makes sense:yakinik(a standalone barbecue) — from 5,000 JPY per person. Tokyo:Nikuzō(Ginza), Kobe:Steak Aoyama.
Single-wall (nabe)
10. Sukiyaki
Thin slices of beef + vegetables + tofu in sweet-salt sauce (soja+sugar+sake), cooked at the table. Served with a raw dipping egg. Price 4000-15,000 JPY.
11. Shabu-shabu
It's similar to a bitch, but in a water bottle of kombu. ‘Sha-bu’ = onomatopeia of mixing in water. Sauces: ponzu and sesame.
Street food
12. Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き)
“Japanese pie” — a cake with cabbage, egg, meat/fruits of the sea, sprinkled with okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise piles, katsuobushi (bonito flakes “dance” from hot). Osaka and Hiroshima stylistically different. 800-1400 JPY.
13. Takoyaki (たこ焼き)
Osaka. Cake balls with a piece of octopus (such as), baked in a special pan with round pits. Splashed with sauce and mayonnaise. 500-800 JPY/8 pieces.
Dessers
14. Match (抹茶)
Green tea powder (not leaves). Ceremonieschanoyu: 4000-8000 JPY (Kyoto). Matcha latte, matcha ice cream, matcha wawashi — everywhere in Japan.
15. Mochi and Wagshi
Mochi— pastries made of boiled glue rice, stretching.Daifuku— mochi with bean paste.Ichigo daifuku— with strawberry.Wagashi— traditional sweets served with a match.
Table label
- DO NOT put chopsticks vertically into rice (it's a funeral gesture)
- DO NOT STOP eating from chopsticks (also funeral chopsticks)
- Loud slurping of pasta = COMPLEMENT for the cook
- Don’t tip — insults in Japan
- ‘Itadakimas’ before food, ‘gochisōsama’ after