Welcome back! This week I have decided to look into Japanese cuisine. Japanese cooking uses a principle known as “rules of five”. They use five colours (black, white, yellow, red, and green”, five cooking techniques (raw food, grilling, steaming, boiling, and frying), and lastly, five flavours (sweet, spicy, salty, sour, and bitter).

I will start with perhaps one of the most commonly known Japanese dishes in the world. As most people know, sushi is derived from Japan. Sushi started off as being a way to preserve fish in fermented rice. Now, sushi is made with vinegared rice as opposed to fermented rice and is prepared with fresh fish. Sushi is presented in a huge variety of ways with many different flavours and textures.

Sashimi is a very ancient dish in Japan. Sashimi was created before sushi. Sashimi is raw fish, but without the rice that sushi has. Sashimi can include thinly sliced raw beef, chick, and even horse. Although sashimi can include these types of meat, fish and seafood are the most popular.

Another common Japanese dish is Tempura. Tempura is battered and fried fish, seafood, or vegetables. The batter of tempura is kept very cold, as opposed to the oil being kept very hot. There are different takes on tempura. In the Kanto region, tempura is typically dipped in sauce, whereas in the Kansai region, tempura is typically dipped in flavoured salt.

To take a turn to a not so common Japanese dish, another traditional dish in Japan is Kaiseki. Kaiseki is eaten as a tasting course comprised of small, seasonally themed dishes. These dishes are made with an incredible amount of precision and attention to detail because they are considered to be ultimate in Japanese fine dining. Kaiseki was originally started as a small side dish added to the traditional tea ceremony. This small side dish has evolved into a multi-course traditional meal in Japan.

Udon is another Japanese dish that is well known in the world but is less popular than sushi, for example. Udon is a dense and chewy noodle that is made from wheat flour. It is extremely popular in Japan and can be eaten hot or cold. It is this popular because it has a delicious taste, is cheap, and can be eaten with any number of toppings. There are different varieties of Udon. There is sanuki udon is southwest Japan, kishimen in central Japan, ad inaniwa udon in northern Japan.

The last dish that I will be discussing is Miso soup. Miso soup is served with any traditional Japanese meal. This soup is made from dashi stock combined with miso bean paste. The dashi stock is either fish or kelp stock and the miso bean paste brings a savoury umami element to the dish. Additional ingredients can vary depending on the season. Ingredients such as tofu, sliced green onions, fish, clams, and pork are common seasonal ingredients.

Next week, I am going to be looking into the traditional foods of the country Russia.

(Kaiseki)                                                                                           (Tempura)

Attributions:

“Dîner kaiseki – Restaurant ‘Hakusuien'” by Annie Guilloret is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

“Tempura” by ☃ is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

Information:

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/the-10-best-traditional-japanese-dishes/

Photo by Colton Jones on Unsplash

Welcome back! This week I have decided to look at Indian food. Indian food uses lots of herbs and spices, as well as wheat and basmati rice.

The food throughout India can vary depending on where you get it.

A traditional South Indian food is Masala Dosa. The batter is made by soaking rice and lentils in water for approximately five to six hours. Then the batter gets cooked in a skillet. Once the batter is fully cooked you add a filling. A typical filling is potato and onion curry. The Masala Dosa finally gets dipped in Chutney to complete this very tasty and traditional dish.

In Northeast India, a staple dish is smoked pork. This surprised me because smoked pork seems like a more American dish as opposed to an Indian dish. Smoked pork can include a variety of things such as bamboo plants and raja mirchi. Raja mirchi is supposedly one of the hottest chilies in the world. Smoked pork is usually consumed on or with rice.

In Western India, there is a very popular street food dish called Vada Pav. This dish is a vegetarian option. It contains a potato patty, chili, and an abundance of other spices. These ingredients are then rolled into a bread roll called pav. This street dish originated in Maharashtra and has now spread throughout the country. Another common vegetarian snack option in Western India is Dhokla. Dhokla is made from rice and chickpeas. The rice is a  batter that is fermented and mixed with chickpeas before it is steamed. Mustard seeds and coriander are typically garnishes on top of the popular snack Dhokla.

In Kerala (Southwest India),  beef is very popular. A beef roast is one of the most common beef dishes cooked in the Southwestern region of India. This dish is also usually served with Parotta. Parotta is a type of bread that is native to Kerala.

Chaats are savoury snacks that can be found throughout India. They originated in North India but have spread throughout the country. These snacks are often on a base of puffed rice and filled with peas, vegetables, and spices.

Next week, I will delve into the foods of the wonderful country Japan.

(Masala Dosa)                                                                         (Dhokla)

Attributions:

“Masala Dosa” by Nadir Hashmi is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

“Dhokla” by Adhityo Wicaksono is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

Information:

https://www.livescience.com/28634-indian-culture.html

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/10-traditional-indian-dishes-you-need-to-try/

Featured Image:

Photo by Naveed Ahmed on Unsplash

Welcome!

For my first inquiry post I am going to be discussing what my inquiry is and why I chose it.

My inquiry is going to be about food. I am going to delve deep into various cultures/countries and learn about their traditional foods and the various ways food is used throughout that culture/country.

I chose this topic because I have always had an admiration for food and have loved trying the various traditional foods in places that I have travelled. I am also a very selective eater and would like to expand my horizons more and learn about new/different foods, and possibly even try cooking some. I will also look back on some of the traditional foods that I have tried throughout my travels and elaborate on how that experience went for me.

I hope you enjoy following me through this journey, and try out some of my discoveries for yourself as well!

Featured Image:

Photo by Gia Oris on Unsplash