Food History

There are many Japanese restaurants in the United States. If asked to name a typical Japanese food, most people would say either "Sushi" or " Tempura." Yes, those are typical Japanese foods that can be found in most Japanese restaurants in America. However, there are many traditional Japanese foods beside sushi and tempura that can be traced back to just a few hundred years ago.

Because Japan is surrounded by the sea, there is always an abundance of fresh seafood available. In addition, 61% of the land area of Japan is mountainoua so edible wild plants and fish from rivers and lakes are also available. The availability of harvested food throughout the year varies with the season. Each season has some vegetables and seafood available that are not available at other times of the year. Therefore, the people of Japan cook those vegetables and fish that are in season. For example, the fall is the best time of the year for eggplant and some kinds of fish, so people put those ingredients into a variety of dishes. Japanese people still eat a huge amount of seafood. However, people are not always eating only fish. They also eat meat and large amounts of vegetables.

What did ancient Japanese people eat?

According to research, people ate buckwheat in about 7000 B.C. Also, seafood, nuts, animal meat, leaf buds, and plants were eaten. You may think "what about rice?" Rice was introduced to Japan about 400 B.C. during the Jomon Period. It became a staple food as it still is today. Moreover, soy beans, red beans, and wheat were introduced to Japan about 100 years later than the introduction of rice. It has been approximately 2300 years since Japanese people started to cultivate rice. Rice is an important staple food and the yield of rice affected feudal lords and small countries throughout Japanese history. After the introduction of rice farming, the Japanese began eating a main dish and a side dish.

The dishes of ancient periods are quite different when compared with dishes in more recent times since people ate food for survival during ancient times. Japanese history is older than 10,000 years; however, it has just been in the last 300 to 400 years that some of the more enjoyable dishes and delicacies were created.

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Links

• Yakata *This Home Page is Japanese language only*This is Japanese traditional restaurant home page. This HP has Japanese food history and knowledge of Japanese food.
• Eaternet Japan*This Home Page is Japanese language only*Eaternet Japan has much information about food. There is a Japanese food time table, too! There are also Japanese traditional pictures called "Ukiyoe". Since every title in this HP is English, you can find the "Ukiyoe" easier.