Dear friends, colleagues and those who have expressed an interest in the FOOD & CULTURE of Japan:   With consistently cooler days and a few downright chilly nights, it finally feels as though autumn has arrived in Tokyo. After another long, brutal summer during which beat-the-heat survival menus featured icy cold tofu and well-chilled egg…

Before mechanical refrigeration was available, people throughout the world struggled with keeping fresh food from spoiling. A variety of ingenious techniques were developed including drying fresh food in well-ventilated shade. In Japan, the resulting foods are known collectively as kambutsu (literally, “dried things”) and are an important category of comestibles in both home and professional pantries.  Indeed the traditional…

Takénoko (bamboo) shoots that are left to grow become mature pole-like bamboo trees.The youngest, most tender, barely breaking-through-the-ground shoots, however, are edible after brief parboiling (instructions on how to do this in this month’s KITCHEN CULTURE Blog).  The flavor potential of takénoko can be awoken in many ways. Indeed, bamboo shoots easily become the focus of a menu, served…

The world’s oldest known cookbook, “The Art of Cooking,” attributed to Marcus Gavius Apicius (AD 14–37) contains a “recipe” for garum, a funky fish sauce made by layering fatty fish with salt and packing the mix in clay pots. When set in the hot sun for several months, the contents of the pots fermented. The fermented…

Like many foods the Japanese currently enjoy, its likely that miso originated in China and traveled by way of the Korean peninsula arriving in Japan in the 6th century,  In the Heian Period (794-1185 AD) miso was considered a precious medicine. By the 12th century, nutrient-dense miso became an important part of the samurai’s daily…

Kumquats are called kinkan 金柑 in Japanese, meaning “golden citrus.” The scientific name is Citrus japonica, though the fruit is native to south-east China where they have been cultivated for hundreds of years. There are dozens of varieties of kumquats. The round Marumi and Meiwa are the most popular in Japan while oval-shaped Nagami fruits are more…

The potato is native to the Americas; the Incas are believed to have been the first to cultivate wild tubers along the Andes Mountain range. The Incas boiled, roasted, and fermented potatoes; they also dehydrated them to extend storage. In the mid-16th century, gold-seeking Spanish Conquistadors brought the spud to Europe, and from there it…

How are the three objects pictured above — a broom, a bright pink bush and a package of greenish-black seeds — related to each other? The answer: all are TONBURI also known as hōki-gusa (literally “broom plant”). The scientific name is Kochia scoparia / Bassia scoparia. Considered an unwelcome weed in many parts of the world, in Japan the plant…

Farmers around the world deploy “scarecrows” to guard their crops from undesirable flying, crawling, and burrowing creatures. Japan’s kakashi scarecrows that stand guard over rice fields tend to be more whimsical than frightening figures. Above, rice fields in Kanagawa Prefecture, west of Yokohama, with their guardian kakashi taking a brief lunch break, enjoying onigiri rice balls. For nearly a decade I commuted regularly…

OBON, the summertime holiday season in Japan, is when the spirits of the departed are believed to return to this world for a short visit. Far from being considered morbid, it is a pleasant, respectful way for younger generations to stay connected to their ancestors. Its a time for fondly recalling the accomplishments and kindnesses…