Food & Drink

Question 1

What did UNESCO do?

Answer 1

UNESCO registered Washoku as an intangible cultural heritage.

Question 2

What are the Four Feature of Washoku?

Answer 2

1) Diversity and freshness of ingredients, and respect for their inherent flavours
2) An exceptionally well-balanced and healthy diet
3) An expression of natural beauty and the changing seasons
4) Close links with annual events

Question 3

What is Koji?

Answer 3

Fermented food made by growing koji mold (a type of fungus) on grains.

Question 4

What is Koji Mold?

Answer 4

• produces enzymes that break down starches into sugars and proteins into amino acids.
• creates rich flavors and umami
• Japans “national mold”

Question 5

What are the different types of Koji?

Answer 5

rice koji, barley koji, and soybean koji

Question 6

Koji plays a crucial role in …

Answer 6

Japanese fermentation culture.

Question 7

Whats the history of Miso in the Heian Period?

Answer 7

-Luxury item
-Consumed as spread or food
-Used as payment for the elite

Question 8

Three types of Miso

Answer 8

rice miso, barley miso, and soybean miso

Question 9

Whats the history of Miso in the Azuchi Momoyama Period?

Answer 9

-Used as a military food
-Valuable source of protein
-Samurai promoted the production of miso.

Question 10

Making process of Miso

Answer 10

soybeans + koji + salt

Question 11

What are the three types of soysauce?

Answer 11

Koikuchi (common)
Usukuchi (light colour)
Tamar (dark)

Question 12

What are the ingrediants for soysauce?

Answer 12

Soybeans, wheat, salt, water and koji-mold

Question 13

History of Sake

Answer 13

Rice cultivation was introduced in Yayoi Period
Served as an offering to the kami gods in yayoi period

Question 14

Ingredients for Sake?

Answer 14

Rice, koji, yeast, water

Question 15

What are the differences between the brewing process of sake and those of beer and wine

Answer 15

Sake requires a unique double process of saccharification with Koji, unlike beer (which relies on malt) and wine (which skips saccharification due to natural grape sugars)

Question 16

Benefits of using Sake for cooking

Answer 16

• Removes unwanted odors from the food (like fish)
• Preserve the original flavor and aroma.
• Enhances umami due to the presence of amino acids.
• Make the ingredients tender.

Question 17

Why use mirin instead of (in addition to) sugar or sake

Answer 17

• sweeter
• Flavour balance (harmonizes overall flavor of the food)
• Creates a glaze
• Reduce odor
• Penetrates flavor
• Adjust sweetness (less overpowering than sugar)

Question 18

Dashi and Umami, Four Japanese ingredients for making dashi

Answer 18

• Dried sardines
• Konbu, kelp
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Dried bonito flakes

Question 19

Brief Description of Tow Kaiseki

Answer 19

• originated from tea ceremony
• Used seasonal ingredients
• visually stunning

Question 20

Brief Description of Shojin ryori

Answer 20

• Based on Buddhist principles, it avoids meat and fish, focusing instead on vegetables, beans, and grains.
• Meal for purifying the mind and body
• Often consumed by Buddhist monks and during religious ceremonies

Question 21

History of Sushi

Answer 21

Origin of sushi: Traced back to Southeast Asia.
Nara：Became a delicacy for the nobility.
Muromach: Became popular among the common people.
Mid-Edo：Started to use vinegar and salt on rice. (Haya-zushi, zushi=sushi)
Late-Edo：The emergence of Nigiri sush！

Question 22

When was the California Roll Invented?

Answer 22

1970s
US: LA
Canada: Vancouver

Question 23

What is the Osaka style of Okonomiyaki?

Answer 23

A wheat flour batter
Mix of cabbage, flour, egg, and sliced pork → cooked on an iron griddle

Question 24

What is the Hiroshima style for Okonomiyaki?

Answer 24

Layered rather than mixed and features noodles

Question 25

Types of Sake

Answer 25

Determined by two basic factors:
- Milling degree
- Whether or not distilled alcohol is added to the sake.
- The higher the seimai-buai (i.e. the more the rice is milled), the clearer and more pure the finished product.

Question 26

Sake consumption is…

Answer 26

• declining in Japan
• Sake export has increased (in the world)

Question 27

History of Green Tea in Kamakura

Answer 27

Matcha was introduced.
- The Zen monk Eisai brought back the prototype of matcha from China.
-Consumed to stay awake during meditation.
-Tea cultivation spread, primarily around temples.
-Only for monks and samurai

Question 28

History of Green Tea in Edo

Answer 28

-dramatic changes and improvements in tea processing methods （Nagatanien)

-Still considered as a luxury item.

Question 29

Matcha making process

Answer 29

Shade-Growing: Tea plants are shaded from sunlight 3-4 weeks before harvest to increase chlorophyll and amino acids.

Harvesting: Only the youngest, tender leaves are picked for matcha.

Steaming: Leaves are steamed to preserve color and nutrients.

Drying: Steamed leaves are dried, forming tencha (unrefined matcha leaves).

De-Stemming and De-Veining: Stems and veins are removed, leaving only the leaf.

Grinding: Tencha leaves are ground into fine powder using stone mills, producing matcha.

Storage: Matcha is stored in a cool, dark place to preserve freshness and color.

Question 30

Features of Wagashi

Answer 30

Delicate flavors: subtle sweetness & natural flavors

Beautiful presentation

Use of natural ingredients: sweet rice, matcha, red beans, etc

Traditional techniques

Seasonal themes: reflect seasons and various events

Question 31

What is Yogashi?

Answer 31

• western sweet
• introduced from europe after meiji period
• shortcake
• Baumkuchen (literally ‘tree cake’ in German)
• Maumkuchen