by Elizabeth Andoh | Jul 17, 2023 | Recipes
Originating in Mesoamerica about 7,000 years ago, tomatoes arrived in Japan early in the Edo period (1603-1868) having traveled the globe and being domesticated along the way. The first tomato plants in Japan were considered an ornamental — they were not...
by Elizabeth Andoh | Jun 13, 2023 | Recipes
KAKI-GŌRI: Japan's contribution to Icy Confections Long before refrigeration was invented, people around the world went to great lengths to keep food chilled. The world’s earliest written record of such efforts is an Iranian inscription dating back to 1700 BC that...
by Elizabeth Andoh | May 18, 2023 | Recipes
The Japanese use a wide variety of tools and vessels to prepare and serve food and beverage. This post is devoted to TEA POTS called KYŪSU 急須. They are typically small, used to brew just a few portions of tea (each about 100-120ml/scant 4 fluid ounces) at one time....
by Elizabeth Andoh | Apr 27, 2023 | Recipes
FUJI (Wisteria floribunda) A species of flowering plant in the pea family, fuji is native to Japan. In culinary matters, graceful wisteria vines inspire a seasonal motif for traditional wagashi confectionery. Fuji is often a symbol of longevity (plants have been...
by Elizabeth Andoh | Mar 30, 2023 | Recipes
Foods in a wide range of hues are considered to be “RED” in the Japanese kitchen. To name just a few, there are (orange) carrots, (ruby-red) slices of raw tuna, (maroon) adzuki beans, (purplish) shiba-zuké eggplant pickles, (crimson) beni shōga (red...
by Elizabeth Andoh | Feb 28, 2023 | Recipes
NAGA “long” NEGI “onions” (Japanese bunching onion; Allium fistulosum) have been enjoyed in Japan since the 8th century. They are indispensible in nabé (hot pot) cookery, as a condiment for noodles and tōfu, and in miso soup. Like other members of the allium family,...
