not just borrowing China but homegrown culinary innovations are also extremely good; this is because Japan didn’t become a colonizer until the modern era, whereas England’s ancient status as the oldest-extant colonizer means their food culture has atrophied beyond all hope of recovery
Ramen is Chinese, the Japanese term comes from “la mien” in Chinese or pulled noodles. Alcoholic fermentation of rice spread to Japan from China, and sushi is likely of southeast Asian origin, with the first written record of sushi-like food from 4th century BCE in China, all of this according to Wikipedia. English Wikipedia does credit mochi being japanese, I’d be surprised if this is actually the case, I found a SCMP headline claiming mochi were introduced from China in 300BCE, pointing to Taiwan’s “moâ chi” and Hong Kong’s “log máih chih” type of rice snacks.
Most foods we attribute to Japanese culture are Chinese in origin.
yeah, indigenous people in taiwan have been making mochi since before the japanese occupation (but I don’t know if they were called moachi before that), maybe it spread to japan through the ryukus, or was invented independently. pounding rice and other starches in a big mortar with a big long stick is a thing all arouns southern and western china and southeast asia and africa
Those foods are to Japan as hamburgers and pizza are to america: foreign dishes adopted & altered to an extent that many people think of them as the cuisine of the adopter
food is not delivered metaphysically whole and unaltered then persists unchanged throughout time; all traditions are rooted elsewhere to some extent, and their adaptation to local conditions is what creates a genuine local identity
Unagi Don is delicious and also hilariously expensive. Eel is very good when prepared by being barbequed.
Katsudon and Oyakodon are both interesting as they’re also very tasty due to the inclusion of dashi when setting the eggs.
They’ve done some culinary crimes to spaghetti that I support.
Japanese Curry is actually kind of its own thing, being more of a stew with a finishing roux. It is basically taken straight from India though I think(?) its become its own thing now.
Did they invent natto? That’s not a good thing necessarily but they might’ve done it.
i thought japanese curry was one of those “white people foods” from the meiji era that japanese people thought was the reason white people were big and tall and successful. so because the brits looked at the rich and extremely varied culinary traditions of india and said “it’s all bits of veg in yellow gravy innit” and then made a dish called curry consisting of bits of veg in yellow gravy, the japanese saw the british sailors eat that and made their own version
Japan is lucky enough to be next to China, so by absorbing their culinary traditions they actually have edible food, unlike the Anglos
not just borrowing China but homegrown culinary innovations are also extremely good; this is because Japan didn’t become a colonizer until the modern era, whereas England’s ancient status as the oldest-extant colonizer means their food culture has atrophied beyond all hope of recovery
Genuinely: what are some homegrown culinary innovations?
Sushi! Ramen! Mochi! Sake!
Ramen is Chinese, the Japanese term comes from “la mien” in Chinese or pulled noodles. Alcoholic fermentation of rice spread to Japan from China, and sushi is likely of southeast Asian origin, with the first written record of sushi-like food from 4th century BCE in China, all of this according to Wikipedia. English Wikipedia does credit mochi being japanese, I’d be surprised if this is actually the case, I found a SCMP headline claiming mochi were introduced from China in 300BCE, pointing to Taiwan’s “moâ chi” and Hong Kong’s “log máih chih” type of rice snacks.
Most foods we attribute to Japanese culture are Chinese in origin.
at least English Water Pie is authentically anglosaxie!
is that even a grainy complement lol
yeah, indigenous people in taiwan have been making mochi since before the japanese occupation (but I don’t know if they were called moachi before that), maybe it spread to japan through the ryukus, or was invented independently. pounding rice and other starches in a big mortar with a big long stick is a thing all arouns southern and western china and southeast asia and africa
3/4 have their origins outside of Japan lmfao
That may be true but I don’t believe it
Those foods are to Japan as hamburgers and pizza are to america: foreign dishes adopted & altered to an extent that many people think of them as the cuisine of the adopter
that’s dialectics baby
food is not delivered metaphysically whole and unaltered then persists unchanged throughout time; all traditions are rooted elsewhere to some extent, and their adaptation to local conditions is what creates a genuine local identity
Well, imagine saying “no, actually pierogi are of German origin, and corn tortillas are of USAmerican origin too!”
is that true?
No, it is true of “Japanese” food though
Ramen is written in katakana because it is Chinese in origin and foreign to Japan.
MEAT mentions
Unagi Don is delicious and also hilariously expensive. Eel is very good when prepared by being barbequed.
Katsudon and Oyakodon are both interesting as they’re also very tasty due to the inclusion of dashi when setting the eggs.
They’ve done some culinary crimes to spaghetti that I support.
Japanese Curry is actually kind of its own thing, being more of a stew with a finishing roux. It is basically taken straight from India though I think(?) its become its own thing now.
Did they invent natto? That’s not a good thing necessarily but they might’ve done it.
i thought japanese curry was one of those “white people foods” from the meiji era that japanese people thought was the reason white people were big and tall and successful. so because the brits looked at the rich and extremely varied culinary traditions of india and said “it’s all bits of veg in yellow gravy innit” and then made a dish called curry consisting of bits of veg in yellow gravy, the japanese saw the british sailors eat that and made their own version
yea ur right I thought they got it from india for some reason