16 - Food culture

Summary

The conventional meal of Japan comprises four types of food: rice, the staple diet; okazu, secondary components like fish or vegetables; soup called shiru; and tsukemono, vegetables pickled in salt or rice bran. The traditional practice in Japan is for all food to be served on individual plates and bowls at individual, low tables. Unlike typical meals in the West today, where dishes are served chronologically, in Japan it has been common for all dishes to be placed together on a serving tray at the beginning of the meal. This chapter first deals with rice as a significant part of Japanese cultural life and fish as the most important okazu, the two key components of Japan's food culture for both pre-modern and modern Japan. Changing patterns of food culture in and after the Meiji period are then examined, with the concomitant transformation of the dining table. Finally, the chapter presents a model that shows the way in which the Japanese today mix different styles of food, and concludes by discussing issues faced by contemporary Japanese food culture.