REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

Commission on Higher Education

Region V (Bicol)
Province of Albay
LIBON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Libon, Albay
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
A/Y 2020-2021
1st Semester
INTERNATIONAL CUISINE
MODULE 15

INTRODUCTION

Kon'nichiwa! Here is the 15th edition of modular discussion in international cuisine. Now let’s dig
deeper, comprehend, and appreciate the stunning activities in the country of JAPAN.

LESSON OVERVIEW

Historically influenced by Chinese cuisine, Japanese cuisine has opened up to influence from Western cuisines in the
modern era. Dishes inspired by foreign food—in particular Chinese food—like ramen and gyōza, as well as foods
like spaghetti, curry, and hamburgers, have become adopted with variants for Japanese tastes and ingredients.
Traditionally, the Japanese shunned meat because of Buddhism, but with the modernization of Japan in the 1880s,
meat-based dishes such as tonkatsu and yakiniku have become common. Japanese cuisine, particularly sushi, has
become popular throughout the world.

Here are the learning objectives that will help you to explore, relate, and perform the task easily;

OBJECTIVES:
1. Identify Japanese cuisine.
2. Distinguish Japanese cooking terminology.
3. Discuss Japanese methods of cooking, preparation and technique.
4. Demonstrate understanding on Japanese traditional and modern cooking.
5. Prepare a variety of Japanese cuisine.
PRE- TEST
ACTIVITY 1: Discuss the following
1. Japanese Cuisine background.
2. Japanese cooking terminology.
3. Japanese methods of cooking.
4. Japanese dishes.
PRE-QUESTIONS:
1. What is the background of Japanese cuisine?
2. How the Japanese cooking terminology play a major role in the Japanese cuisine?
3. What are the methods and technique in Japanese cooking preparation?
LESSON CONTENT
JAPAN
 Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have
developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of
Japan, washoku (和食), lit. "Japanese eating" (or kappō (ja:割烹)), is based on rice with miso soup and
other dishes; there is an emphasis on seasonal ingredients.

Side dishes often consist of fish, pickled vegetables, and vegetables cooked in broth. Seafood is
common, often grilled, but also served raw as sashimi or in sushi. Seafood and vegetables are also deep-
fried in a light batter, as tempura. Apart from rice, staples include noodles, such as soba and udon. Japan
also has many simmered dishes such as fish products in broth called oden, or beef
in sukiyaki and nikujaga.

The word washoku ( 和 食 ) is now the common word for traditional Japanese cooking. The
term kappō (ja: 割 烹 , lit. "cutting and boiling (meats)") is synonymous with "cooking" but became a
reference to mostly Japanese cooking, or restaurants, and was much used in the Meiji and Taishō eras. It
has come to connote a certain standard, perhaps even of the highest caliber, a restaurant with the most
highly trained chefs. 

But kappo is generally seen as an eating establishment which is slightly more casual or informal
compared to the kaiseki ( 割 烹 , extra) The kaiseki ( 懐 石 , lit. "warming stone") is tied with the
Japanese tea ceremony. The kaiseki is considered a (simplified) form of honzen-ryōri ( 本 膳 料 理 , lit.
"main tray cooking"), which was formal banquet dining where several trays of food was served.

There is also the homophone kaiseki ryōri ( 会 席 料 理 , lit. "gathering+seating").

The kaiseki referred to a gathering of composers of haiku or renga, and the simplified version of
the honzen dishes served at the poem parties became kaiseki ryōri.[9] However, the meaning of kaiseki
ryōri degenerated to become just another term for a sumptuous carousing banquet, or shuen (酒宴.

TRADITIONAL CUISINE

Japanese cuisine is based on combining the staple food, which is steamed white

rice or gohan (御飯), with one or more okazu or main dishes and side dishes. This may be accompanied
by a clear or miso soup and tsukemono (pickles). The phrase ichijū-sansai (一汁三菜, "one soup, three
sides") refers to the makeup of a typical meal served but has roots in
classic kaiseki, honzen, and yūshoku cuisine. The term is also used to describe the first course served in
standard kaiseki cuisine nowadays.

Rice is served in its own small bowl (chawan), and each main course item is placed on its own
small plate (sara) or bowl (hachi) for each individual portion. This is done even in Japanese homes. It
contrasts with the Western-style dinners at home, where each individual takes helpings from the large
serving dishes of food presented in the middle of the dining table.

Japanese style traditionally abhors different flavored dishes touching each other on a single plate,
so different dishes are given their own individual plates as mentioned or are partitioned using, for
example, leaves. Placing main dishes on top of rice and "soiling" is also frowned upon by old-fashioned
etiquette.
 A Japanese meal including tempura, sashimi, and miso soup

TERMINOLOGY

The word washoku ( 和 食 ) is now the common word for traditional Japanese cooking.
The term kappō (ja: 割 烹 , lit. "cutting and boiling (meats)") is synonymous with "cooking" but
became a reference to mostly Japanese cooking, or restaurants, and was much used in
the Meiji and Taishō eras. It has come to connote a certain standard, perhaps even of the
highest caliber, a restaurant with the most highly trained chefs. [4] But kappo is generally seen
as an eating establishment which is slightly more casual or informal compared to
the kaiseki (割烹, extra).

The kaiseki ( 懐 石 , lit. "warming stone") is tied with the Japanese tea

ceremony. The kaiseki is considered a (simplified) form of honzen-ryōri ( 本 膳 料 理 , lit. "main
tray cooking"), which was formal banquet dining where several trays of food were served.

There is also the homophone kaiseki ryōri ( 会 席 料 理 , lit. "gathering+seating").

The kaiseki referred to a gathering of composers of haiku or renga, and the simplified version
of the honzen dishes served at the poem parties became kaiseki ryōri. However, the meaning
of kaiseki ryōri degenerated to become just another term for a sumptuous carousing banquet,
or shuen (酒宴).

Breakfast at a ryokan (Japanese inn), featuring grilled mackerel, Kansai style dashimaki egg, tofu in kaminabe (paper pot)

Though this tradition originated from classical Chinese dining formalities, especially after the adoption of Buddhism with
its tea ceremony, it became most popular and common during and after the Kamakura period, such as the kaiseki.
Japanese cuisine keeps such tradition still, whereas in modern times such practice is in contrast to present-day
Chinese cuisine, where placing food on rice is standard. However, an exception is the popular donburi.
 The small rice bowl or chawan (lit. "tea bowl") doubles as a word for the large tea bowls in tea
ceremonies. Thus in common speech, the drinking cup is referred to as yunomi-jawan or yunomi for the
purpose of distinction.

Among the nobility, each course of a full-course Japanese meal would be brought on serving
napkins called zen ( 膳 ), which were originally platformed trays or small dining tables. In the modern
age, faldstool trays or stackup-type legged trays may still be seen used in zashiki, i.e. tatami-mat rooms,
for large banquets or at a ryokan type inn.

Some restaurants might use the suffix -zen (膳) as a more sophisticated though dated synonym to

the more familiar teishoku ( 定 食 ), since the latter basically is a term for a combo meal served at
a taishū-shokudō, akin to a diner.

Teishoku means a meal of fixed menu (for example, grilled fish with rice and soup), a dinner à
prix fixe  served at shokudō (食堂, "dining hall") or ryōriten (料理店, "restaurant"), which is somewhat
vague (shokudō can mean a diner-type restaurant or a corporate lunch hall); writer on Japanese popular
culture Ishikawa Hiroyosh idefines it as fare served at teishoku dining hall ( 定 食 食 堂 , teishoku-
shokudō), and comparable diner-like establishments.

HISTORY OF JAPANESE CUISINE

Rice is a staple in Japanese cuisine. Wheat and soybeans were introduced shortly after rice. All
three act as staple foods in Japanese cuisine today. During the Kofun period, Buddhism became the
official religion of the country. Therefore, eating meat and fish was prohibited.

In 675 AD, Emperor Tenmu prohibited the eating of horses, dogs, monkeys, and chickens. In the
8th and 9th centuries, many emperors continued to prohibit killing many types of animals.

The number of regulated meats increased significantly, leading to the banning of all mammals
except whale, which were categorized as fish. During this period, chopsticks were introduced to Japan.
Initially, they were only used by the nobility. The general population used their hands, as utensils were
quite expensive.

Due to the lack of meat products Japanese people minimized spice utilization. Spices were rare
to find at the time. Spices like pepper and garlic were only used in a minimalist amount. In the absence
of meat, fish was served as the main protein, as Japan is an island nation. Fish has influenced many
iconic Japanese dishes today.

In the 9th century, grilled fish and sliced raw fish were widely popular. Japanese people who
could afford it would eat fish at every meal; others would have to make do without animal protein for
many of their meals. In traditional Japanese cuisine, oil and fat are usually avoided within the cooking
process, because Japanese people were trying to keep a healthy lifestyle.

Preserving fish became a sensation; sushi was originated as a means of preserving fish by

fermenting it in boiled rice. Fish that are salted and then placed in rice are preserved by lactic acid
fermentation, which helps prevent the proliferation of the bacteria that bring about putrefaction.

During the 15th century, advancement and development helped shorten the fermentation of
sushi to about one to two weeks. Sushi thus became a popular snack food and main entrée, combining
fish with rice. During the Edo period (mid-15th century), sushi without fermentation was introduced.
Sushi was still being consumed without fermentation till the end of the 18th century when the hand-
rolled and nigri-type sushi was invented.

In 1854, Japan started to gain new trade deals with Western countries when a new Japanese
ruling order took over (known as the Meiji Restoration). Emperor Meiji, the new ruler, staged a New
Years' feast designed to embrace the Western world and countries in 1872.

The feast contained food that had a lot of European emphases. For the first time in a thousand
years, people were allowed to consume meat in public. After this New Year’s feast, the general
population from Japan started to consume meat again.
METHODS OF COOKING

Different cooking techniques are applied to each of the three okazu; they may be raw
(sashimi), grilled, simmered (sometimes called boiled), steamed, deep-fried, vinegared, or dressed.

TRADITIONAL INGREDIENTS

A characteristic of traditional Japanese food is the sparing use of red meat, oils and fats, and
dairy products. Use of ingredients such as soy sauce, miso, and umeboshi tends to result in dishes with
high salt content, though there are low-sodium versions of these available.

YAKINIKU

As Japan is an island nation surrounded by an ocean, its people have always taken advantage of
the abundant seafood supply. It is the opinion of some food scholars that the Japanese diet always relied
mainly on "grains with vegetables or seaweeds as main, with poultry secondary, and red meat in slight
amounts" even before the advent of Buddhism which placed an even stronger taboo.

 The eating of "four-legged creatures" ( 四 足 , yotsuashi) was spoken of as taboo, unclean or

something to be avoided by personal choice through the Edo period. The consumption
of whale and terrapin meat were not forbidden under this definition. Despite this, the consumption of red
meat did not completely disappear in Japan. Eating wild game—as opposed to domesticated livestock—
was tolerated; in particular, trapped hare was counted using the measure word wa (羽), a term normally
reserved for birds.

In 1872 of the Meiji restoration, as part of the opening up of Japan to Western

influence, Emperor Meiji lifted the ban on the consumption of red meat. The removal of the ban
encountered resistance and in one notable response, ten monks attempted to break into the Imperial
Palace. The monks asserted that due to foreign influence, large numbers of Japanese had begun eating
meat and that this was "destroying the soul of the Japanese people." Several of the monks were killed
during the break-in attempt, and the remainder were arrested.

 On the other hand, the consumption of meat was accepted by the common people. Gyūnabe
(beef hot pot), the prototype of Sukiyaki, became the rage of the time. Western restaurants moved in,
and some of them changed their form to Yōshoku.

Vegetable consumption has dwindled while processed foods have become more prominent in
Japanese households due to the rising costs of general foodstuffs. Nonetheless, Kyoto vegetables,
or Kyoyasai, are rising in popularity and different varieties of Kyoto vegetables are being revived.
 In the aforementioned stock phrase ichijū-sansai (一汁三菜, "one soup, three sides"),
the word sai (菜) has the basic meaning of "vegetable", but secondarily means any
accompanying dish (whether it uses fish or meat), with the more familiar combined
form sōzai [ja] (惣菜), which is a term for any side dish, such as the vast selections sold at
Japanese supermarkets or depachikas [ja].
It figures in the Japanese word for appetizer, zensai ( 前 菜 ); main dish, shusai ( 主 菜 );
or sōzai (惣菜 ) (formal synonym for okazu, but the latter is considered somewhat of a ladies'
term or nyōbō kotoba

Japanese vegetable salads often add seafood

The o-hitashi or hitashi-mono ( お ひ た し ) is boiled green-leaf vegetables bunched and cut to

size, steeped in dashi broth, eaten with dashes of soy sauce. Another item is sunomono ( 酢 の 物 ,
"vinegar item"), which could be made with wakame seaweed, or be something like
a kōhaku  namasu ( 紅 白 な ま す , "red white namasu") made from thin toothpick slices of daikon and
carrot. The so-called vinegar that is blended with the ingredient here is often sanbaizu  (三杯酢, "three
cupful/spoonful vinegar")[39] which is a blend of vinegar, mirin, and soy sauce. A tosazu  ( 土 佐 酢 ,
"Tosa vinegar") adds katsuo dashi to this. Note sparing use of oil, compared with Western salads.

An aemono [ja] (和え物)[dead link]is another group of items, describable as a sort of "tossed salad" or

"dressed" (though aemono also includes thin strips of squid or fish sashimi (itozukuri) etc. similarly
prepared). One types are goma-ae ( 胡 麻 和 え )[41] where usually vegetables such as green beans are
tossed with white or black sesame seeds ground in a suribachi mortar bowl, flavored additionally with
sugar and soy sauce. Shira-ae (白和え ) adds tofu (bean curd) in the mix.[41] An aemono is tossed with
vinegar-white miso mix and uses wakegi[41] scallion and baka-gai ( バ カ ガ イ  / 馬 鹿 貝 , a trough
shell (Mactra  sinensis) as standard

JAPANESE DISHES

1. TEMPURA

Tempura battered and deep-fried seafood and vegetables

2. YAKITORI
 Yakitori grilled chicken

3. KAISEKI

Kaiseki, closely associated with tea ceremony (chanoyu), is a high form of hospitality through
cuisine. The style is minimalist, extolling the aesthetics of wabi-sabi. Like the tea ceremony,
appreciation of the diningware and vessels is part of the experience. In the modern standard form, the
first course consists of ichijū-sansai (one soup, three dishes), followed by the serving of sake
accompanied by dish(es) plated on a square wooden bordered tray of sorts called hassun ( 八 寸 ).
Sometimes another element called shiizakana (強肴) is served to complement the sake, for guests who
are heavier drinkers.

4. VEGETARIAN
 Nattō, Japanese soybean-based vegetarian food

Strictly vegetarian food is rare since even vegetable dishes are flavored with the ubiquitous dashi
stock, usually made with katsuobushi (dried skipjack tuna flakes), and are therefore pescetarian more
often than carnivorous. An exception is shōjin-ryōri ( 精 進 料 理 ), vegetarian dishes developed by
Buddhist monks.

5.

Gyūdon beef rice bowl (right) and niku shoyu ramen beef noodle (left).

Rice has been the staple food for the Japanese historically. Its fundamental importance is evident
from the fact that the word for cooked rice, gohan and meshi, also stands for a "meal". While rice has a
long history of cultivation in Japan, its use as a staple has not been universal. Notably, in northern areas
(northern Honshū and Hokkaidō), other grains such as wheat were more common into the 19th century.

In most of Japan, rice used to be consumed for almost every meal, and although a 2007 survey
showed that 70% of Japanese still eat it once or twice a day, its popularity is now declining. In the 20th
century there has been a shift in dietary habits, with an increasing number of people choosing wheat-
based products (such as bread and noodles) over rice.

6.

Udon noodles
 Soba noodles

Japanese noodles often substitute for a rice-based meal. Soba (thin, grayish-brown noodles

containing buckwheat flour) and udon (thick wheat noodles) are the main traditional noodles,
while ramen is a modern import and now very popular.

BEVERAGE

A. Green tea may be served with most Japanese dishes. It is produced in Japan and prepared in various
forms such as matcha, the tea used in the Japanese tea ceremony.
B. Beer production started in Japan in the 1860s. The most commonly consumed beers in Japan are
pale-colored light lagers, with an alcohol strength of around 5.0% ABV. Lager beers are the most
commonly produced beer style in Japan, but beer-like beverages, made with lower levels of malts
called Happoshu literally, "bubbly alcohol") or non-malt Happousei (literally "effervescence") have
captured a large part of the market as tax is substantially lower on these products. Beer and its
varieties have a market share of almost 2/3 of alcoholic beverages.
C. Sake is a brewed rice beverage that typically contains 15–17% alcohol and is made by
multiple fermentation of rice. At traditional formal meals, it is considered an equivalent to rice and is
not simultaneously taken with other rice-based dishes, although this notion is typically no longer
applied to modern, refined, premium ("ginjo") sake, which bear little resemblance to the sakes of
even 100 years ago. Side dishes for sake are particularly called sakana or otsumami.
D. Shōchū is a distilled spirit that is typically made from barley, sweet potato, buckwheat,
or rice. Shōchū is produced everywhere in Japan, but its production started in Kyushu
E. Japanese whisky began commercial production in the early 20th century, and is now extremely
popular, primarily consumed in highballs (haibōru). It is produced in the Scottish style, with malt
whisky produced since the 1980s, and has since won top international awards, since the 2000s.
F. A domestic wine production exists since the 1860s yet most wine is imported. The total market share
of wine on alcoholic beverages is about 3%.

REGIONAL CUISINE

Japanese cuisine offers a vast array of regional specialties known as kyōdo-ryōri ( 郷 土 料 理 ),

many of them originating from dishes prepared using traditional recipes with local ingredients. Foods
from the Kantō region taste very strong. For example, the dashi-based broth for serving udon noodles is
heavy on dark soy sauce, similar to soba broth. On the other hand, Kansai region foods are lightly
seasoned, with clear udon noodles. made with light soy sauce.

TRADITIONAL TABLE SETTING

Traditional Japanese table setting is to place a bowl of rice on the diner’s left and to place a bowl
of miso soup on the diner’s right side at the table. Behind these, each okazu is served on its own
individual plate. Based on the standard three okazu formula, behind the rice and soup are three flat plates
to hold the three okazu; one to far back left, one at far back right, and one in the center.
Pickled vegetables are often served on the side but are not counted as part of the
three okazu. Chopsticks are generally placed at the very front of the tray near the diner with pointed ends
facing left and supported by a chopstick rest, or hashioki.

ACTIVITY 2: CULMINATING ACTIVITY

Instruction:
1. Form three groups, each group has 8 members in presenting the activity later this month.
2. Choose oriental country (Asian) to present in cooking activity.
3. Kindly choose dishes that fit on your chosen country.

REFERENCES:

1. Demetriou, Danielle (October 19, 2011). "Japan relishes status as country with most three-starred Michelin
restaurants". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
2. ^ "Kappō かっ‐ぽう【割烹】", Kojien, 4th ed., 1991.
3. ^ Tada, Tetsunosuke (1994). "Kappo"  割 烹 か つ ぽ う . Nihon Dai-hyakka zensho. 5. Shogakukan.
p. 436. ISBN 9784095260013.
4. ^ Burum, Linda (1992). "Koryori-ya, Kappo, and Robata Restaurants: Little Dishes with More Style". A Guide to
Ethnic Food in Los Angeles. Harper Perennial. p. 43. ISBN 9780062730381.
5. ^ "What is Japanese Kappo cuisine?". Michelin. December 19, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2020.

Prepared by:

Benjamin S. Taduran Jr.

Instructor