Japanese cuisine の Summer limitation

"The origin and season of ingredients are the concepts emphasized by Japanese cuisine. We can learn about the food concept and lifestyle of this place through the connection between food and land, and feel the real Mount Fuji on the tip of our tongue."

The most common words used to describe ingredients in Japanese are "fresh" and "ten-day", which is what we call seasonal. Few places pay more attention to seasons than Japan. Japanese people follow the ancient calendar of China and divide a year into 24 solar terms, and food culture is included in this understanding of seasons. In 213, Heshi, together with Japanese food culture, was recognized as the intangible cultural heritage of the world, and one of the most important comments was that "food shows the change of seasons and the beauty of nature".

When it comes to traditional seasonal food, it's hard to convince the public that the Japanese eat cold food to cool off the heat, because many of them are raw food. Therefore, SK- rabbits should choose a few representative ones to avoid being too big-eyed and too small.

Eel

The Japanese cuisine system we are familiar with now was mainly formed in the Edo period, and then until modern times. Eels can be eaten all year round in Japan, but it is most common to eat them on the "ugly day for local use" in summer. The reason is that eels are rich in omege3, vitamins and protein to prevent heatstroke and physical decline. Eel has been a very popular energy-supplementing food in summer since the Edo period, and fragrant eel can help your mood and health in summer.

The most popular way to cook eel is to cut open the sauce and barbecue it, that is, to cook it in Pu Shao. Generally, it is divided into two forms: eel rice and eel box lunch. Usually, eel rice is cheaper. The original eel, which is not covered with sauce and grilled directly, is the most enjoyable appetizer. This is a Japanese summer food that must not be missed!

Roasted fragrant fish

Summer is the best time to visit various local festivals and activities in Japan, and roasted fragrant fish is very popular in summer festivals. At the same time, it is a delicious freshwater fish with tender meat. When it is grilled, it looks like a fish going upstream. Just like carp, it is famous for its perseverance and courage in Japan.

plain noodles with flowing water

Plain noodles are thin noodles, which are usually soaked in soup and served with various ingredients and ice cubes. The most popular one is the famous plain noodles with flowing water. Vegetarian flour and cold wheat flour, which are eaten with tasty cold soy sauce dipped in soy sauce, are both fine flour made of wheat flour. The difference lies in the thickness of noodles, and vegetarian flour is thinner than cold wheat flour.

Because of its short preparation time, simple conditioning and easy swallowing, it is very suitable for hot and loss of appetite. You can choose to taste the delicious wheat itself directly, or you can add seasonings such as chopped green onion or mustard to eat it. Putting plain noodles in a half-cut long bamboo, and quickly picking up the noodles that flow in front of you to eat, this "flowing plain noodles" is one of the summer scenery poems.

buckwheat noodles with bamboo baskets

Plain noodles and cold wheat noodles are the most representative pasta in summer in Japan. Oolong noodles thicker than cold wheat noodles are made of wheat flour, while buckwheat noodles are noodles made of buckwheat flour. After the noodles are boiled, they are shrunk by ice water, and then they are served in bamboo baskets in order to drain the water, so they are called bamboo basket oolong noodles or bamboo basket buckwheat noodles. Both of them are eaten with tasty soy sauce, and if they are served with tempura, they are more balanced in nutrition.

In Japan, it is said that Kanto people like buckwheat noodles, while related people like udon noodles. However, Kyoto has a unique buckwheat noodle culture. The buckwheat noodle restaurant in Kanto has always been a fast food for ordinary people, developed from street paving, but in the Zen temple in Kyoto, buckwheat noodles are called snacks, which are snacks when they are hungry. This should belong to a category with our ultimate philosophical question "Is tofu brain sweet or salty?".

Chinese cold noodles

Chinese cold noodles can be said to be a salad with noodles. Chinese noodles are cooked and chilled, with many colorful ingredients, such as ham, eggs, cucumbers, barbecued pork, bean sprouts and so on. In order to prevent heat stroke, put a lot of vegetables and meat, and pour sauce or sesame sauce mixed with soy sauce and sesame oil to promote appetite.

xintai (bean jelly in the sun)

The so-called xintai is a food made by boiling seaweed named Tiancao and Gracilaria until it melts, and then solidifying the soup. Put a whole piece of heart into an instrument called tiantu, push it into noodles, and pour the sauce on it to eat. Sauces vary from region to region.

Guandong prefers snacks, with soy sauce, mustard and Qinghai moss. Kansai prefers dessert, which is eaten with molasses. Xintai's rich dietary fiber contributes to intestinal peristalsis, but its nutritional value is not high. However, because of its low calorie, many people eat it to lose weight. Cold and smooth taste, such as when you have no appetite in hot summer, you can easily eat it. It is highly recommended to everyone!

water sheep soup

water sheep soup is a kind of fruit made by freezing red bean paste in cold weather, which is characterized by high water content and instant melting in the mouth. It tastes smooth and easy to swallow, and it is very suitable for summer dessert after refrigeration. Summer is used as a gift, and the recipient will be very happy.

Time-honored shops with fruit, especially in Kyoto, will withdraw from the limited edition in summer and sell the mutton soup in bamboo tubes. The fresh and cool appearance is very popular. In addition, there are some in the market that are packaged in plastic cups or cans like jelly, which can be easily bought in convenience stores and supermarkets.

shaved ice

In summer, Japan is always inseparable from shaved ice. The starlight ice crystals contain the grace of nature and the pride of craftsmen. Shaved ice is a very traditional Japanese summer food. The Icehouse Shrine in Tianli City, Nara was built in the 5th century. In the ancient lunar calendar, ice was transported to the palace on June 1st, so an ice sacrifice was held, which shows its historical origin.

shaved ice, in which ice cubes are sliced into snowflakes and eaten with syrup, is very popular in Japan. In recent years, the trend of shaved ice in Japan has continued to have a fever, and there are many popular shops lined up in front of them. Self-made syrup and soybean powder are served with glutinous rice balls, tiramisu, etc., and the shaved ice carefully withdrawn by various stores can already be called a delicate dessert. Among them, the most recommended is shaved ice made of natural ice, which is the traditional method. During the winter, the ice formed by natural forces has high transparency, and the dense taste melts slowly in the mouth, which will not make people feel headache at all.

Matcha

The most representative summer food in Japan is the finale, which is Matcha. This kind of food, which originated in China but was carried forward by Japanese monks, has now become a "local product" of Japan. In my impression, when it comes to matcha, the first thing that comes to mind is "Uji Matcha". But in fact, it is only the area with the largest output of matcha in Japan, not the type of matcha.

Matcha belongs to green tea, but there are some differences. Ordinary green tea is usually picked around Qingming Festival, but the green tea used to make matcha is delayed by nearly two months compared with ordinary green tea. Because the growth cycle is prolonged, the tea polyphenols that make tea astringent can be effectively reduced. The raw tea for making matcha is ground tea, which needs more than ten steps, such as crushing, steam deactivating, cooling, drying, etc. Finally, it is ground into very fine powder with a special stone mill. Generally, the powder of green tea is thicker than that of matcha.

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No matter whether it's high-grade Huaishi cuisine or ordinary izakaya, the secrets of local people's lives are hidden. Experiencing your trip to Japan with your stomach can not only soothe your bumpy heart during the trip, but also find the best way to get close to this land.