Japanese diet, in our impression, is synonymous with health, less oil and lightness. However, some Japanese foods do not meet the characteristics of light and little oil, such as tempura. Tempura appeared as early as the Warring States period. Why is it greasy, which deviates from the tradition of light and little oil in Japanese cuisine?
First, Spanish missionaries brought tempura.
The reason why ancient Japanese food was light and short of oil was because there were no oil crops in Japan. Limited oil is mainly used for lighting, so naturally it is not allowed to appear too much on the table. Frying is extravagant, let alone frying. Therefore, in traditional Japanese cuisine, a considerable proportion of dishes are presented in the form of boiling, roasting and raw food.
In this way, the emergence of tempura is largely influenced by foreign countries. Yes, it was actually brought by the Spanish. During the Warring States Period in Japan, Spanish missionaries headed by Shapiro came to Japan and brought edible oil and fried food to Japan while preaching.
Don't draw on the beach.
According to legend, a Spanish missionary was making fried food on the streets of Nagasaki. The local people asked him what it was, and he replied in Spanish. Because of the language barrier, the Japanese transliterated? tenpura？ . Although this is only a legend, it is certain that Tempura did appear after Spanish missionaries arrived in Japan.
There is still a certain gap between the fried food brought by the Spanish at first and the tempura we see now. It may just be a fried food wrapped in flour. After mastering this cooking method, the Japanese boldly turned the ingredients into seafood and vegetables made in Japan, and actually gained a different taste. Although it draws lessons from western cooking techniques, tempura is still regarded as a traditional Japanese food, because it was made before western food and Chinese food were introduced to Japan in large quantities. Tempura is the product of the early communication between eastern and western civilizations, with both eastern and western characteristics.
Tempura
Second, it is popular in Japan in the form of street snacks.
Tempura appeared as early as the Warring States period, but it didn't really become popular in Japan until the Edo period. The increase in edible oil production during this period is undoubtedly the main reason why tempura generally appeared in the streets. At the same time, the emergence of street food stalls provides an excellent opportunity for the popularity of tempura and other snacks.
Portrait of Tokugawa Ieyasu
1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu was awarded the title of foreign general, and the Edo era centered on Edo City began. Drawing lessons from the Warring States Period, Tokugawa Ieyasu was determined to limit the power of local place names. In order to strengthen the control of local place names, Tokugawa Ieyasu asked them to transfer their wives and children to Edo City as hostages. As a result, Edo City was built on a large scale, the urban population increased greatly, and the citizen class also rose accordingly.
Edo city
In order to meet the daily needs of urban population, urban industry and commerce and catering industry have developed, and roadside food stalls are one of the manifestations. Many foods have gained unprecedented popularity based on this, including tempura. Set up a terrace on the street, put a pot of hot oil and prepare the ingredients. When guests order food, they can eat it with stir-fried dishes, which is convenient and delicious.
Tempura seems to be a popular food from the beginning. The raw materials are easily available, and innovation can be made according to the existing components. It is cheap and convenient to make. Although it is not elegant, it has won the love of the general public in a very close form. Nowadays, tempura can be seen in almost all grades of Japanese restaurants, but I don't know that it was originally just a kind? Humble? Street snacks.
Japanese street snacks
Third, the production of tempura
Tempura is mainly made of fresh fish and shrimp or burdock, mushrooms, carrots, eggplant, lotus root slices and other vegetables. For Japanese cuisine, fresh ingredients are the most important. Japanese people have high requirements for the freshness of raw materials. This is because the Japanese attach importance to the taste of food itself and do not advocate excessive seasoning. The freshness of ingredients directly determines the final taste of food.
Tempura's system is simple. Wrap the ingredients in batter and fry until golden brown, then take them out. After controlling the oil, put it into a bamboo woven container with white paper. Japanese people often regard tableware as an important part of their diet. Different foods have different containers and trays, and the colors and shapes of food trays and containers coordinate with each other to form a natural and harmonious landscape painting.
Exquisite Japanese materials are all typed.
Tempura has a special dipping sauce. The dipping sauce is mainly made of three seasonings, namely Lin Wei, soy sauce and fruit juice, in the same proportion. When eating, add radish sauce and mix well. Lin Wei is a unique sweet rice wine in Japan, and the juice is a soup made of seafood. Although the production method of tempura comes from the west, the raw materials and seasonings show distinct Japanese characteristics. It is not only the product of communication between Japan and the West, but also reflects the eclectic cultural characteristics of Japan.
Traditional Japanese cuisine does not advocate overcooked ingredients. The Japanese believe that over cooking and over seasoning will make the ingredients lose their own delicious taste. What about traditional Japanese cuisine? Knife work is better than fire work? . In the traditional Japanese kitchen, we often don't see the fierce scene of fighting. Only a few chefs are cutting ingredients with knives or quietly setting dishes with chopsticks. This is the culture of Japanese food.
Put the plates away quietly.
Fourth, Tempura goes to the world.
In the 1970s, Japan completed its social and economic transformation, and its GDP was second only to that of the United States, ranking second in the world. The number of Japanese overseas enterprises has greatly increased, and Japanese cuisine has also gone global with Japanese enterprises.
Japanese cuisine first landed in the United States, and because it promoted health and less oil, it occupied a place on the American table. Foods like tempura, Lamian Noodles, barbecue, etc. are popular with Americans, although they do not meet the characteristics of less oil.
With the expansion of Japanese economy in Asia, Japanese cuisine appeared in Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, China, Hongkong, China and Taiwan Province Province of China, and landed in Chinese mainland in 1990s.
Due to the requirement of fresh ingredients and high transportation cost, many ingredients only produced in Japan cannot reach Japanese restaurants all over the world, so chefs use local materials to make innovative tempura with local fish, shrimp and vegetables, forming a new genre of tempura cuisine. Even in Japan, there are a series of very creative tempura, such as batter and soy sauce? Black tempura? Fried with whitebait? Tempura cake? Wait a minute. Tempura was originally the product of cross-cultural communication, but now it has been further developed and innovated with wider cultural communication.