Traditional Japanese breakfast usually follows the style of a Japanese set meal, with the staple being rice and miso soup and ohitashi (boiled vegetables) served as side dishes. Natto (fermented soybeans), pickles, and grilled fish are often also served on the side to help complement the rice.
Protein for Sustained Energy
Poultry proteins also play a central part in traditional Japanese breakfast. One popular dish is the tamagoyaki, which is an expertly prepared, rolled and presented egg omelette.
Of the 95% of Japanese that eat three meals a day, most people consider dinner to be the most important.
1. Sushi. Sushi is the most famous Japanese dish and the first thing people think of when they think of Japanese cuisine.
For both religious and practical reasons, the Japanese mostly avoided eating meat for more than 12 centuries. Beef was especially taboo, with certain shrines demanding more than 100 days of fasting as penance for consuming it.
Having a balanced diet
They eat nutritious foods in each meal that includes carbohydrate, animal protein, vegetable protein, healthy fat, vitamins, and minerals. Thus, they enjoy eating rice, fish, soy, vegetables, fruit, and green tea without sugar.
Per person, Japan consumes the most eggs every year. The average person in Japan eats about 320 eggs per year. That is almost one egg per day. It should come as no surprise that your pan also has a very strong egg industry.
Japan is generally regarded as being a rice-based food culture. However, bread — or pan in Japanese, derived from the Portuguese word pão — is eaten almost as widely.
Rice (Gohan) ご飯
The most essential component of a Japanese breakfast is rice. Traditionally, steamed rice would be served plain.
For over 2000 years, rice has been the most important food in Japanese cuisine. Despite changes in eating patterns and gradually decreasing rice consumption over the past decades, rice remains one of the most important ingredients in Japan today.
Various rice bowls and noodle dishes are popular for lunch. For example, ramen, soba, udon, and gyudon beef bowls are popular. Many people take bento lunch boxes to school or work. Dinner is usually the main meal of the day and can range from sushi to tori katsu, which is like a chicken cutlet.
As their diet is traditionally high in soy and fish this may also play a significant role in reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. The Japanese also have the lowest rates of obesity among men and women as well as long life expectancy.
It was brought to Japan from Jagatara (Java) in 1601 by Dutch ships, and came to be called “jaga-imo (potato)”. Today, it is an essential ingredient for Japanese meals such as curry and simmered meat and potatoes.
Natto. Believe it or not, most Japanese don't even like natto (fermented soy beans). As a warm-up for my junior high school students, I would often query them on both their favorite and most-hated foods. Nine out of 10 of my students hated natto.
Blowing your nose at the table, burping and audible munching are considered bad manners in Japan. On the other hand, it is considered good style to empty your dishes to the last grain of rice.
One of the most popular snacks in Japan, Jagariko are brittle potato sticks in a cup with a peel-off lid. Among the wide array of flavors, you're sure to find a favorite!
A typical Japanese dinner includes rice, soup, pickles, salad, and protein and vegetable dishes. Beverages, such as tea, beer, and sake, are served alongside, and the meal may be followed by dessert. The dishes include classic Japanese foods, and other Asian and Western cuisines influence many modern recipes.
Mochi is one of the most popular snacks in Japan.
With its chewy texture and variety of fillings, it's a snack that anyone can enjoy. Mochi is humble in flavor and truly gives its fillings center stage with red bean, matcha paste, plum flavors to name a few.