Food & Drink Flashcards
Washoku
UNESCO: registered Washoku as an intangible cultural heritage
- Dec. 4, 2013
Four features of Washoku
1. diversity & freshness of ingredients, & respect for their inherent flavours
2. exceptionally well-balanced & healthy diet
3. expression of natural beauty & the changing seasons
4. close links with annual events
+ Ichiju Sansai = one soup & three side dishes
+ Unami = 5th basic taste along with sweet, salty, & bitter
Koji
What is Koji?
Fermented food made by growing koji mold (a type of fungus) on grains
+ rice, barley, & soybean koji
+ used in the production of miso, soy sauce, mirin, & vinegar
Koji Mold: produces enzymes, breaks down starches into sugars & proteins into amino acids
+ enzyme breakdown creates foods w/ rich flavours and unami
+ thrives in humid regions (East & Southeast Asia, including Japan)
+ koji mold often referred to as Japan’s “national mold”
Miso
Three types of miso:
1. rice miso (rice, soybeans, & salt)
2. barley miso (barley, soybeans, & salt)
3. soybean miso (soybeans & salt)
all miso is made from soybeans
History:
+ Heian: luxery item, consumed as spread or food, used as payment for the elite
+ Azuchi momoyama: used as military food, valuable source of protein, samurai promoted production of miso
Making process (p15)
+ Koji is prpared by adding koji mold to steamed grains
+ Koji breaks down soybeans protein & promotes fermentation (3 months - 2 years)
Soy Sauce
Koikuchi: (common)
+ deep unami, rounded sweetness, refreshing acidity & bitterness & saltiness
Usukuchi: (light colour)
+ originated in Kansai region
+ colour & fragrance reduced to bring out original flavours of ingredients
+ used in cooking dishes that preserve colour & taste of ingredients - has more salt
**Tamari: **
+ characterized by thickness, dense unami, & unique fragrance
+ commonly used for sushi & sashimi
Ingredients (p18):
+ soybeans
+ wheat
+ salt
+ water
+ koji mold
Sake
History of sake:
+* Yayoi: Kuchikamizake; mouth-chewed sake (chew cooked rice, then spit it into container - enzymes in saliva promotes fermentation
+ Nara: use of early koji prototypes began. Sake production started in imperial court. Used for special events & as seasoning in cooking
+ Kamakura-Muromachi: became popular among common people # of smaller breweries grew
+Edo:* brewing methods (nearly identical as today) established. Large-scale breweries emerged. Used in various dishes
+ Meiji-Showa: brewing became mechanized during Meiji period. WWII, production slowed die to rice shortages - junmai & ginjo-shu later gained popularity
Ingredients of sake: rice, koji, yeast, & water
Differences between the brewing process of sake and those of beer and wine? (video & p22)
+ Sake uses rice
+ Wine uses grapes
+ Beer uses malt
+ Yeast = Fermentation
+ Koji = Saccharification
Sake for cooking:
+ removed unwanted odors from food
+ preserves orignal flavour & aroma
+ enhances unami - presence of amino acids
+ make ingredients tender
Mirin, Sweet Seasoning
Why use mirin instead of (in addition to) sugar or sake?
+ flavour balance - harmonizes overall flavour
+ creates a glaze
+ penetrates flavour
+ reduces odor
+ adjusts sweetness (less overpowering than sugar)
+ sake: sweeter & has lower alcohol content than sake & other cooking wines
Examples: Teriyaki, Simmered dishes, sauce & glaze, Japanese omelette, salad dressing
History (Edo period)
+ gained popularity as sweet alcoholic beverage - enjoyed by women & those who typically don’t like alcohol
+ started as a seasoning, in sauces for eel & soba (buckwheat noodles)
Dashi, Broth
Dashi and Umami, Four Japanese ingredients for making dashi:
+ Konbu, kelp
+ Dried bonito flakes
+ Shitake mushrooms
+ Dried sardines
Dashi and Kyoryori (the parts of the video we watched)
Two Kaiseki and Shojin ryori
Kaiseki Ryori (1):
+ originated from tea ceremony
+ simple meal, based on 1 soup and 3 dishes concept
+ use seasonal ingredients
+ served before guests have matcha tea - enjoy the matcha tea more; light taste
Kaiseki Ryori (2):
+ more extensive multi-course meal, served at banquets & celebrations
+ to enjoy with sake
+ visually stunning - more dishes
+ use seasonal ingredients
Shojin Ryori:
+ based on Buddhist principles, it avoids meat & fish - focus more on vegetables, beans & grains
+ meal for purifying mind & body - careful attention paid to cookng methods & preserve natural flavours
+ often consumed by Buddhist monks & during religious ceremonies - e.g. funerals
Sushi
History of Sushi:
+ Origin: traced back to Southeast Asia (2nd Century AD)
Nara: became delicacy for nobility - rice not consumed but used as fermentation medium (Nara-zushi)
Muromachi: became popular among common people
+ expansion of rice paddies=increase in rice production - rice=vital staple
Edo: started using vinegar & salt on rice (Haya-zushi)
+ common style: pressed sushi - rice placed in box, topped with ingredients
+ Maki Sushi: rolled sushi created. An unreasonable request from a drunk customer - bored of same type of sushi
+ Later, Nigiri sushi emerged - invented as a fast food ( nigiri=to mold; shape)
+ Yatai food stalls started serving sushi, soba, tempura, etc.
+ after Great Kanto Earthquake (1923 - Taisho) & WWII in 1945 (Showa) - sushi chefs left Tokyo (Edo) & migrated to various regions
Showa: birth of floating sushi (1958) - conveyor belt to serve sushi
Late Meiji-Taisho: Japanese immigrants settled in North America, Hawaii, & South America - made sushi for local people
+ (first sushi restaurant in California open in 1906)
+ 1970s: gained popularity among intellectuals, affluent individuals, & food enthusiasts
+ 1980s: recognized by Americans as healthy, oil-free food
+ 1990s: floating sushi chains emerged in London (US, Europe, & Southeast Asia)
California roll
+ invented in the 1970s!
+ Los Angeles, US: Chef. Ichiro Mashita
+ Vancouver, CA: Chef. Tojo Hideaki (first to introduce the Omakase dinning style to the city)
+ used crabs & avocados
+ made inside out roll
Okonomiyaki
Savoury Pancake: batter (flour, egg & dashi broth), thinly sliced cabbage, & seafood or meat
Osaka Style:
+ mix of cabbage, flour, egg, & sliced pork - cooked on iron griddle
+ topped with Okonomiyaki sauce, mayonaise, & sprinkle of aonori (powdered dried seaweed)
Hiroshima Style:
+ layered rather than mixed & features noodles
1. cook flour & egg batter
2. layer cabbage & other toppings
3. flip onto Chinese-style noodles & cook until crispy
4. finish with okonomiyaki sauce, mayonaise & sprinkle of aonori, etc.
History of Okonomiyaki:
Pre-WWII (Showa): Worcestershire sauce began to be used to dondon-yaki
+ referred to as issen yoshoku (issen=one coin & yoshoku=western-style meal)
+ became popular among children as a snack (wheat, green onion & small amounts of meat, etc.)
Post-WWII (Showa):
+ food shortages & famine
+ rice shortage - US supplied wheat
Sake
Types of Sake:
types & grades of sake determined by two factors:
1. milling degree (amount of milling on raw rice kernels, known as seimai-buai)
2. whether or not distilled alcohol is added to sake
*The higher the seimai-buai (i.e. the more the rice is milled), the clearer & more pure the finished product
Ingredients: rice, water, koji
+ junmai daiginjo-shu
+ junmai ginjo-shu
+ junmai shu
Ingredients: rice, water, koji, brewers alcohol
+ daiginjo-shu
+ ginjo-shu
+ honjozo-shu
+ futsu-shu (ordinary sake)
Sake in Japan:
+ declining interest in sake - especially among younger generations
+prefer other alcoholic beverages - beer, wine, & highballs
Sake in the World:
+ sake export as increased - in 2021, exports reached 40.2 billion yen, setting new record for 12th consecutive year
+ growing appreciation for Japanese culture & cuisine
+ innovation of brewing recipes to be good match for western dishes
+ Brewery known for “Dassai”, Asahi Shuzo - built brewery in New York State in 2023 - produces Dassai Blue Junmai Daiginjo
+ Water from New York’s Hudson Valley & Japanese rice = called Yadama Nishiki
Green Tea
**History: **
Kamakura: Matcha introduced
+ Zen monk Eisai brought back protoype of matcha from China
+ consumed to stay awake during meditation
+ Tea cultivation spread, primarily around temples
+ only for monks & samurai
Edo: Sencha began being produced
+ dramatic changes & improvements in tea processing methods
+ still considered luxery item
+ Gyokuro invented (Yamamotoyama)
Matcha making process (from the video)
+ Matcha: shading, steaming, drying, grinding
+ Gyokuro: shading, steaming, kneading & drying, finishing
+ Sencha: steaming, kneading & drying, finishing
Sweets
Wagashi=Japanese Traditional Sweets
Features of Wagashi:
+ delicate flavours: subtle sweetness & natural flavours
+ beautiful presentation
+ use of natural ingredients: sweet rice, matcha, red beans, etc.
+ traditional techniques
+ seasonal themes: reflect seasons & various events
Yogashi, Maumkuchen=Western sweets:
+introduced from Europe especially after Meiji period
Shortcakes:
+ introduced from UK (Meiji)
+ after WWII, recipe adopted to suit Japanese taste
+ light sponge case, modest sweetness, generous toppings of fresh strawberries & cream
Baumkuchen (=’tree cake’ in German):
+ first baked in Japan by German confectioner, Karl Juchheim - came to Japan as prisoner of war during WWI
+ after war, he chose to remain in Japan & founded the Juchheim company in Yokohama in 1921
+ the cake quickly became popular & is now essential part of Japanese wedding celebrations
+ given as thank-you gift from a couple
+ tree ring-like layers symbolize prosperity & longevity,= symbol of good fortune
