At present, there are more and more Japanese food stores near supermarkets in China, and many friends who have been to Japanese food stores must be familiar with tempura. The tempura we are familiar with is fried with all kinds of seafood or vegetables wrapped in batter, which tastes crispy and delicious. Tempura has now become an indispensable part of Japanese cuisine.
Maybe many friends will ask why Japanese people like tempura, because they like a light diet. What does the strange name tempura mean? Why is Japanese food healthy? Today, we learn about this kind of Japanese cuisine and tempura, a rare fried food in Japanese cuisine, from the interesting Japanese history.
Let's start with Japanese food 1. Characteristics of Japanese cuisine
When talking about Japanese food, what comes to mind first? Sashimi, sushi, octopus balls, eel rice, or miso soup? There may be more, and some friends will ask, what is Japanese food?
Explain this concept first. Japanese food (にほんりょぅり) generally refers to all kinds of dishes with Japanese characteristics eaten in restaurants. Japanese cuisine is characterized by natural color, delicious taste, various forms and excellent utensils, and emphasizes seasonality in materials and cooking methods. The production of Japanese cuisine requires fresh materials, exquisite cutting and artistic display, emphasizing the harmony of "color, fragrance, taste and utensils". Dishes not only attach importance to taste, but also attach great importance to visual enjoyment (reticular dishes).
The home cooking that Japanese eat at home is generally called "Heshi", which also emphasizes that the ingredients are natural and the taste is light. The traditional breakfast in Japan is usually miso soup, rice and pickles, and the westernization of eating habits did not change slightly until after Meiji. The most common dishes in lunch and dinner are called "three meals" and "three dishes in one juice" in Japanese.
In ancient Japan, the economy was not as developed as it is now, and it was a small country with few people. Due to the lack of resources and food, ordinary people can only eat two meals a day. It was not until Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Edo shogunate that the living conditions of the Japanese people were improved. However, it was not until the middle of the Edo period that Japanese talents really reached the level of three meals a day.
The ingredients have also become rich. Although the Japanese often talk about the "closed door" in the Edo era, the upper class in Japan still knows the changes in the world. Western technology and culture often spread to all parts of Japan through Nagasaki Port. Tempura is also a dish that originated near Nagasaki. The types and cooking methods of Japanese cuisine didn't become perfect until the end of Meiji.
2. Why is Japanese food healthy?
Japanese cuisine is recognized as the most meticulous food in the cooking process, which has created a refined and healthy diet concept of Japanese cuisine. Natural flavor is the main spirit of Japanese cuisine, and its cooking methods are delicate and exquisite. Use sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, miso, firewood fish, kelp, etc. As the main seasoning, it pays attention to the artistic conception of emphasizing taste, touch, sight and smell, as well as the collocation of utensils and dining environment. Japanese cuisine can be divided into three categories, namely, local cuisine, Shi Huai cuisine and banquet cuisine.
Japanese cuisine is biased towards the original flavor of ingredients, and all practices are centered on ingredients, and the best ingredients are selected in order to accurately present the best flavor of ingredients. The main raw material of Japanese cuisine is vegetarian, but fish is not the key. Traditional Japanese cuisine mainly uses root vegetables and green vegetables such as white radish and taro. Eat more vegetables in spring and summer, eat more delicacies such as mushrooms in autumn and winter. In addition, beans and seaweed are common ingredients.
These ingredients are low in calories, and will produce probiotics, which will be combined with dietary fiber in plants to help digestion and improve human immunity. Eating less meat will prevent overweight and reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Therefore, Japanese cuisine is regarded as the benchmark of healthy eating, and Japan has become an enviable "longevity country".
Second, Japanese cuisine is different-tempura 1. The origin of tempura
There is no tradition of frying food in Japan. In ancient times, frying was introduced to Japan from China, but tempura did not originate in China. It is said that tempura was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese during the Muromachi shogunate era. At that time, westerners and western technologies kept coming to Japan. The most important technology at that time was the introduction of western firearms, and the Japanese gradually mastered the western musket technology. With the arrival of westerners, western cooking methods were also introduced to Japan, and the Japanese called it "Nanman cuisine".
At this time, the Portuguese were the main force of "Nanman cuisine". They believe in Catholicism and must "fast" and not eat meat for a certain period of time. At the same time, some Christians do not eat meat themselves. These fried foods wrapped in vegetable batter become delicious. This cooking method gradually spread in Nagasaki, Japan, so it was called "Nagasaki Tempura". At this time, Japanese vegetable oil is quite expensive, and a lot of oil is needed to make tempura, so tempura has become a "luxury" in food, which ordinary people simply can't afford.
Tempura is a transliteration of Portuguese "temporas" or "temperer", which means cooking, and some people say it is "fasting day". Japanese artificial words are transliterated, and "tempura" or "tempura" are written in Chinese characters. This transliteration of Chinese characters has no ideographic function, so people in China generally can't understand the meaning when reading Chinese characters. After entering modern times, the Japanese gradually weakened the use of Chinese characters, so Tempura used the pseudonym "てんぷら" to write on some books and signboards.
2. Development of Tempura in Japan
1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu unified Japan, various forces gradually surrendered, the society settled down, and the economic situation improved greatly. In agriculture, crop cultivation techniques and fertilization levels have been continuously improved, crop yield has increased, and crop species have also shown diversity, which has brought about the innovation of non-staple food technology and the improvement of condiments such as soy sauce, sugar and cooking wine. Therefore, Japanese dishes are more diverse in style and taste better.
In addition, the increase in crop output has promoted the increase in edible oil production, and ordinary people can occasionally afford tempura. Moreover, the "sphere of influence" of Tempura extended to kanto region, and kanto region called Tempura "Edo Tempura" at this time.
However, at this time, few people at home make tempura, mainly eating tempura from mobile stalls outside, and tempura will be eaten in a string. Because it tastes good and is often patronized, tempura has gradually developed into a snack alongside sushi, soba noodles and eel rice, which is somewhat similar to the current fast food. In the literature, tempura was first recorded in cooking esophagus in 1669, but the record that the cooking method really reached a similar level to the present is Ge Xianqun in 1748.
3. The characteristics of tempura
Tempura gives diners a crispy feeling by frying. The crispness of vegetables or seafood is the focus of frying, and the taste must be consistent every time. Therefore, Tempura requires chefs to be skilled in knife work, and vegetables must be cut evenly.
This can ensure that vegetables are cooked evenly during frying, not overcooked or undercooked. At this time, the outer coating should also be uniform in thickness, and it should not be too thick to affect the taste. Changes in size and thickness may hinder the production of perfect tempura. It is precisely because of strict requirements and good reputation that tempura has become an indispensable food in Japanese life.
The most common tempura in Japanese restaurants is fried shrimp tempura, and there are other seafood tempura, such as fish and squid, which are called "seafood tempura". There are many varieties of vegetable tempura, including cauliflower, potato, carrot and mushroom. Tempura can be used as an independent dish, and it can also be used in Lamian Noodles, rice and other dishes to make the finishing touch.
Japanese cuisine emphasizes the nature and health of ingredients, and some dishes are not delicious, such as natto, which Japanese people often eat. The stench from opening the natto box is unbearable, but Japanese people often add some natto to rice. The purpose is to be healthy. Among these dishes with bright surface and simple taste, the sudden appearance of tempura, a crispy dish, will definitely make people shine.
The Japanese are good at localizing foreign things, such as Chinese characters and Hanfu in China, and the Japanese have become pseudonyms and kimonos; They invented karaoke by using microphones and audio equipment invented in the west. These improvements, combined with the unique craftsmanship of the Japanese, make these things more brilliant. This also reflects the Japanese introverted personality's pursuit of change. When they see a good thing, they will immediately study how to make it easier to operate and use, and usually change some products from large to small.
Japanese cameras, watches, mobile phones, etc. in the last century. This is routine. Small and exquisite is the main feature of Japanese products. Similarly, although tempura did not originate in Japan, it has become an indispensable dish in Japanese cuisine after improvement. We should also get some inspiration from Japanese people's good study and personality change.