Japanese cuisine that brings out the taste of ingredients.Japanese unique evolution without spices.
2022-02-05
Category:Japanese culture
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Japan where spices were not available
Japanese food is said to be unique.Japanese food uses very little spice.The West colonized Asia for spices.In Western cuisine, pepper is a magic powder used to eliminate the smell of meat, and pepper is indispensable for preserved meat such as pancetta.It is said that Japan did not have access to spices because it was closed to the country at that time, but since the Meiji Restoration, there have been no dishes that use a lot of spices.South Korean food is rich in chili peppers, which came from Japan when Hideyoshi went to Korea.Soy sauce comes from China.The distinctive difference between Chinese and Japanese cuisine is that Chinese cuisine uses a lot of oil, but the Japanese don't like it.As a result, it led to the longevity of the Japanese.
Japanese Discovering Glutamic Acid
The basis of Japanese cuisine is soup stock.In Japan, umami ingredients derived from seafood are historically used.Glutamic acid, the ingredient of Ajinomoto, was discovered by a Japanese, Ikeda Kikunae, and is said to have made world cuisine delicious.Glutamic acid is one of the delicious ingredients, which is also derived from the exploration of the taste and ingredients contained in Japanese ingredients.
MEMO In 1907, Ikeda Kikunae succeeded in extracting sodium L-glutamate from kelp.
In the West, the concept of soup stock includes French cuisine using consomme soup.In Italy, fish and shellfish are boiled down or fried as toppings, so you can get soup stock as a result.Boil down the ingredients in soup and you'll get the soup stock.The world-famous soups are Borscht and Tom Yum Kung.
Japanese food that is particular about the taste of ingredients
Many foreigners say that Japanese sushi is delicious because it is fresh, but that's not the case.At high-end sushi restaurants, tuna is matured with the restaurant's technology for a reasonable period of time and sushi is made with ingredients that bring out sufficient flavor.Since there were no spices in Japan, it is the present state by pursuing technology and harmony that fully brings out the taste of the ingredients.This is one of the unique dishes in the world.
POINT Japanese food has developed into its own style because spices did not enter Japan during the long period of isolation.
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The only one in the world? Japan eats raw eggs. Why are raw eggs safe in Japan? Egg rice is a soul food in Japan.
Japan seems to be the only country in the world that eats raw eggs. Japan is known as a country where tap water is drinkable, but you might think it's a similar story, but it's not. In Japan, tap water is drinkable because it is soft and sanitary water is thoroughly controlled, and eggs are only born from chickens, so there is no difference in countries around the world.
Even if you explain it as a food culture, eggs are probably eaten all over the world, so why did Japan come to eat eggs raw? You might think it's a matter of Japanese tastes, but foreigners say that sukiyaki is delicious, and even simple rice with egg is delicious. Could it be that only Japanese people noticed the taste of raw eggs?
If you ask foreigners, they will tell you that raw eggs are dangerous. Then, I wondered why Japanese eggs were so safe, and when I looked into it, I found out that Salmonella bacteria is contained in the parent hens' feces and urine and seems to penetrate through the egg shells. Alternatively, if the parent chicken is infected with Salmonella, eggs infected with Salmonella will be born. Current Japanese poultry farms take thorough measures to prevent Salmonella, which is why they can even be eaten as raw eggs.
Then, when did Japan start eating raw eggs? When I researched it, I found that before the Edo period, food derived from animals was avoided due to the influence of Buddhism, and there seems to be a mention of raw eggs in the Edo period. Later, there was a mention of tamago kakigohan (egg-dried rice) in the Meiji period, and it is said that Ogai Mori also liked eating it.
When I researched Salmonella, I discovered that it was named after Daniel Salmon, a bacteriologist who discovered the type strain of the Salmonella genus, Hog cholera, in the United States in 1885. It became. In the Edo period, there would have been no recognition of Salmonella.
In summary, Japanese people did not have any biological knowledge about Salmonella, but they did know that if parent chickens were kept in an unsanitary environment, the baby eggs would have fatal problems if eaten by humans. On the other hand, they knew that if they thoroughly managed and cleaned the chickens, this problem would not occur.
Emperor Kanmu's mother was Takano Shinkasa, a descendant of the King of Baekje - Don't forget that the imperial family is inherited in the male line.
The mother of Emperor Kanmu during the Heian period was a person named Takano Shingasa, who was an immigrant from Baekje. The relationship between Japan and Baekje is often unknown, but it can be speculated that it goes back a long way. In ``Gishiwajinden,'' it is written that Wa (Japan) was in contact with Inuya Korea, which means that Japanese people lived in what is now the Japanese archipelago and the southern tip of the Korean peninsula.
Before that, it was a Japanese-style tumulus. Keyhole-shaped tombs have been discovered in the Baekje region of the Korean Peninsula. If we trace the spread of polished stone tools excavated from the Iwajuku Ruins in Japan, we can see evidence of their spread to the Korean Peninsula in chronological order. Baekje was destroyed in the Battle of Baekchonggang in 663 and retreated from the Korean Peninsula. At that time, many Baekje people fled to Japan.
The family was founded by Zenko, the son of King Uija, the last king of Baekje, and was given the surname of Baekje King as a Japanese clan. It is said that her descendant was the mother of Emperor Kanmu. My memory is that a woman from the imperial family married the King of Baekje when Baekje was on the Korean peninsula, but I tried looking for it but couldn't find it. The custom of taking a commoner as a wife dates back to the post-war period, and if until then you could not become the empress of the emperor without some sort of blood relation, then it means that you had a relative relationship before then.
There have been various debates about this theory, but it is not incorrect as it is mentioned on the birthday of His Majesty the current Retired Emperor that Emperor Kanmu's birth mother was a descendant of King Muryeong of Baekje. right. I actually heard these birthday messages, but I honestly remember being surprised at what His Majesty the Emeritus said.
Based on this, many people in Korea say that the Emperor is a descendant of Koreans, but this is only because the Emperor was a descendant of the King of Baekje during that generation, and the imperial family is inherited through the male line in the first place. , I can't trace my genealogy back to my mother. Moreover, since Baekje was destroyed on the Korean Peninsula, Japan was in a position to protect it. And since they chose to assimilate with the Japanese, they are not Koreans.
The legendary drama 'Oshin' is very popular overseas and was broadcast in 68 countries and regions | viewership rating in Egypt was 80%, and in Iran it was 90%.
Legendary drama broadcast in 68 countries and regions around the world
Singapore and Egypt record 80% viewership
90% viewer rating in Iran, chosen as the ideal woman
Also broadcast in China, but in Korea...
Oshin achieved great achievements in Cool Japan
"Oshin" was a hit not only in Japan but also in many countries overseas, and it is surprising how many countries and regions it was aired in. It was broadcast in 68 countries and regions.
"Oshin" is a hit NHK drama that aired for one year from 1983. This is the story of a young girl who leaves her home as a servant and goes through various hardships to live and succeed in the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras, and is a vivid depiction of life in Japan's poor rural villages at the time. Oshin was written by Sugako Hashida, and became her most famous work.
In Japan, it has recorded an astonishing average viewership rating of 52.6% and a maximum viewership rating of 62.9%, which is the highest viewership rating ever for a TV drama. Sugako Hashida has worked on countless works including "Wataru Sekai wa Oni Dake", NHK TV drama series, and taiga dramas.
The first overseas broadcast recorded an audience rating of 80% in Singapore and 80% audience rating in Egypt. When the drama begins, everyone goes home. A power outage occurred during the broadcast and the broadcast was interrupted. Angry Egyptians who cannot watch the drama storm the broadcasting station and riots ensue. In addition, large quantities of food have been sent to broadcast stations to feed poor people.
In Iran, 90% audience rating was recorded. When asked on a radio broadcast who the ideal woman is, Oshin is chosen over Supreme Leader Khomeini's daughter. This became a major problem and led to the dismissal of four people in charge of the radio station. In addition, when asked who the ideal next leader of the country would be, Oshin, who is not a Muslim, was ranked 4th .
Oshin is famous in China as Asin, and the audience rating in Beijing at the time of the broadcast was 75.9%. China was an enemy country in the past, with whom she fought a war, but when she saw Oshin, tears covered her eyes. Many say that the image of Japan has changed. It was rebroadcast in China in 2007.
As you can imagine, is unfortunately not broadcast in Korea. The 1998 Japan-Korea Joint Declaration lifted the ban on Japanese dramas and culture in South Korea, but for some reason Oshin is not being broadcast. This may be the drama that most people don't want to see because it changes the image of Japan.
Currently, various Japanese contents such as anime are exported overseas under the framework of Cool Japan, but in the 1980s, a full-length TV novel with 297 episodes was broadcast in 68 countries and regions around the world. Even today, this can be considered a great achievement.
After the end of the war, the image of Japan was hardly known overseas, and people were only aware of it as samurai, geisha, and ninja, but Japanese culture, the Japanese way of thinking, and the way of life in Oshin's time were introduced to the world. It happened.
Will the issue of separate surnames for married couples change the concept of family in Japan?The issue is not gender equality but the concept of ``home'' that is unique to Japan.
The issue of selective marital separation has recently become a hot topic in Japan. Japan is the only country in the world that has a family registration system that stipulates husband and wife status by law.
A growing number of people are arguing that this is gender discrimination and that it is acceptable for couples to have different surnames. The origin of the problem is that when a woman gets married, she usually takes the man's surname, so it is difficult to use her maiden name at work, or to change information in social procedures, banking, and various other contracts.
However, it is logically incorrect to view this as gender discrimination. This is because under the current law, equality is guaranteed because the surname must be chosen from either a man or a woman. The question becomes what it means for a husband and wife to use the same surname.
In Japan, the concept of family has been around since ancient times, and when you get married, you move into a family. A married woman moves into a man's house and becomes part of his family. There is a cultural background that makes her a member of the family, including her ancestors. The child born there will take the family name of that family. Uji means belonging to the same group, and dates back to the surname system in ancient times.
Japanese people are taught to respect the concept of home and to act in a way that lives up to the name of home. A family crest is a symbol of a family.
In the West, the idea seems to be a little different. Children seem to think that they belong to both the father's and mother's families. In this case, there are four grandfathers and grandmothers, and they belong to the four people. I wonder if the next idea will be to belong to eight people. If you go back in time, you will belong to 100 people.
In other words, the way of thinking about Japanese houses is completely different. In Japan, people search for their ancestors by tracing one family line. In this respect, the opinion that we should refer to Western countries seems to be a rather wild opinion.
Japan has the imperial family as a symbol of the family. The issue of separate family names for married couples and the issue of male lineage inheritance seem to be unrelated, but they are closely related.
The imperial family has stubbornly protected the traditional Japanese concept of home. Joining the imperial family means joining the imperial family. As a unique entity, the imperial family does not have a clan. When a male member of the imperial family marries, the woman he marries loses his family name.
This is stipulated in the Imperial House Law, but when a female member of the imperial family marries and becomes a commoner, like Her Imperial Highness Princess Mako, or a former female member of the imperial family says she does not want to take her husband's name, she is considered a commoner. If current laws are followed, will women remain members of the imperial family? Or will they live a normal life without having a surname?
The Liberal Democratic Party is reluctant to promote separate marriages. This is also because we see it as a problem not with gender equality, but with Japan's unique cultural background and the concept of the Japanese home, which is the foundation of society. Japan has an imperial family that has been connected uninterrupted since recorded history, unlike any other country in the world. Japan has a history of following this model of inheritance.
Japanese food culture favoring raw food - A unique food culture in the world is supported by soy sauce.
Japanese food culture of eating raw fish
Unique Japanese soy sauce
Relationship between soy sauce and raw dishes
Soy sauce creates Japanese food culture
The Japanese people are said to have a unique culture of eating raw fish, and their food culture, typified by sushi, is being introduced to the world. If you think about it carefully, even Japanese people do not eat sashimi as is. If you don't use soy sauce, the sashimi will just be fishy and dry and you won't be able to eat it, and conversely, you won't use anything other than soy sauce for sashimi. Japanese people might think that American sushi uses mayonnaise or chili sauce, which completely eliminates the flavor of the ingredients.
If you think about it that way, soy sauce exists in many Asian countries, but Japanese soy sauce is also uniquely Japanese. One of the basics of Japanese cuisine is ``sashisu seso,'' which means sugar, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, and miso. These are used as the base flavor of various Japanese dishes. Many people may have noticed the smell of soy sauce at the airport when they returned to Japan from overseas.
Soy sauce is an essential seasoning for Japanese cuisine. Japan seems to be a rare country where people eat raw eggs. What I realized is that even Japanese people do not eat raw eggs as is. You can eat it for the first time by putting it on rice and pouring soy sauce on it.
In Japan, there is a culture of eating raw vegetables. Even in the West, we eat fresh raw vegetables such as salads. On the other hand, in China there is no culture of eating raw vegetables. From a Chinese perspective, it's hard to eat raw vegetables. You may be thinking.
In any case, it can be said that the culture of eating raw fish and raw eggs was first established in Japan with soy sauce. Soy sauce is used in all Japanese cuisine to enhance the flavor of the ingredients without overpowering them. It can be said that foreigners visiting Japan are experiencing the natural flavor of fish brought out by Japanese soy sauce.
The fact that Japanese people prefer raw ingredients is actually deeply connected to the invisible seasoning called soy sauce. Conversely, Japanese soy sauce is almost always used when eating raw ingredients. On the other hand, I feel that no matter how many other seasonings you use in the world, you can't make raw fish or raw eggs delicious.