Page 126 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Tokyo

124  TR A VELERS ’ NEEDS

The Japanese Meal

Along with the indispensable rice and miso soup (made from
fermented soy bean paste), a Japanese meal usually consists of a
variety of smaller dishes that are designed to complement each
other. Plain ingredients are often given strong flavors, such as a
bowl of rice topped off with an umeboshi (sour plum) or pickled
ginger, or tofu that has been marinated in a strong, vinegary
sauce. Two liquid ingredients central to most Japanese dishes
are dashi, a light stock made from giant kelp (konbu) and dried
skipjack tuna shavings, and Japanese soy sauce (shoyu). Firm tofu

It is polite for the rice to be common is a portion of grilled
placed to the left and the soup fish, often salted salmon or
to the right of the sitter. Not mackerel. Other dishes may
only is it common for there include dried seaweed, omelet,
to be variations in miso soup and a small portion of pickles.
from region to region, indivi- Natto is a dish made out of
dual families tend to have their fermented soy beans and it is
own idiosyncratic method of a much-loved breakfast dish
producing this most Japanese among health-conscious
of soups. Japanese. Usually eaten with
The basic rice and soup are rice, it is famous not only for
accompanied by a range of being extremely healthy, but
side dishes, of which the most also for its obnoxious smell.
Miso soup Nori (seaweed) Grilled salmon
Japanese family enjoying Pickled Tofu
breakfast together Pickled eggplant Umeboshi Rice daikon
(aubergine) (pickled plums) radish
The Japanese Breakfast
One of the many attractions
of staying in the home of a
Japanese family, or in a
traditional Japanese hotel,
is sampling the Japanese
breakfast. Like most other
Japanese meals, it consists
of different dishes served
separately. At its heart is a bowl
of rice and some miso soup. Some of the ingredients for a typical Japanese breakfast
Preparation and Portions
A fastidiousness about detail characterizes both the preparation
and presentation of Japanese food. Good presentation is vital
to a Japanese restaurant’s success, but it is not only the highly
expensive, multi-course kaiseki meals that display this quality;
even the cheapest food has a touch of the meticulous about it.
This attention to culinary aesthetics naturally favors portions that
are small and served individually to maximize the impact that they
have on both taste and sight. Vegetables are cooked to remain
crisp and retain their colors and, even when fried, food is not
allowed to become greasy – the oil is heated high enough to
seal the food instantly. The serving of small portions also has
health benefits, and it should come as no surprise that obesity
is much less of a problem here than in Western developed
countries. Nowhere else in the world is healthy eating so Small portions of a number
attractive, varied, or delicious. of complementary dishes

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