Ultimately, our body is made of what we eat. In the last 10-20 years, Japanese food became significantly popular in North American cities. Perhaps most of you have tried Sushi, Ramen, and maybe tempura in a Japanese restaurant. I too sometimes go to a Japanese restaurant and eat them. But do Japanese people eat those dishes as part of their daily diet? The answer is, NO.
Sushi is a special food for special occasions for Japanese natives. Like, to celebrate a graduation or promotion, or to have a special dinner out with an important guest, Japanese may go to a Sushi restaurant or order Sushi from a local Sushi restaurant. The type of Sushi known in North America is called Nigiri (meaning hand-held or shaped by hand ), which is served with a piece of war fish on top of vinegared rice, is usually prepared by professional sushi chefs only, as it takes many years of specialized training to prepare them “right”. Regular moms do not make Nigiri sushi at home.
Tempura, on the other hand, often is served on a dinner table at home. People make tempura with different types of vegetables as well as shrimps. It may take a bit of experience to fry it crisp outside and soft and fresh inside, but it is doable. However, Tempura is a deep-fried dish, and you do not want to eat it every day – it is just too greasy and high-calorie. Ramen too is usually very high in calories and salt – and all carbs!
Then, what do Japanese people actually eat in their every-day life? What makes their diet so healthy? I will show you some of the food items that are less known in North America, but eaten by Japanse on a regular, sometimes daily basis.
Tsukemono (pickled vegetable)
Tsukemono is Japanese-style pickles. There are different kinds – Nukazuke, Asazuke, narazuke, tamarizuke etc. Some of them are fermented by good bacteria in their production process. One of them is Nukazuke, a kind of Tsukemono that is most popular and easy-to-make at home. In the old days, almost every household had a special container in the kitchen called Nuka-doko to make Nukazuke. Nuka-doko means a bed of Nuka (rice bran), which contains grounded rice bran, water and salt. Some household may add a small amount of chilli pepper, salted/dried seaweed, or some other secret ingredients to create own unique flavour. Nukazuke is fermented by lactic acid bacterium that is attached to Nuka itself and also added from the hand of the person who mixes Nuka-doko daily (Lactic acid bacteria is one of the good bacteria that exist on our hands and in the air and everywhere else). Nukazuke is one of the traditional probiotic food that helped Japanese people’s digestive health by creating “flora” in the intestine.
Natto (fermented soybeans)
Okay. This is the real secret Japanese Food items so popular in Japan – but not in North America. It is likely because of its smell stickiness. I love this and so do my half-Japanese children but my African-Canadian husband would not touch it. I admit this is definitely an acquired taste. Again, like Nukazuke, this is one of the traditional probiotics which is high in protein and low fat. In Japan, 3 packs of natto would cost you less than $1 US dollar, but in North America, it perhaps cost about three times more. Some Japanese people in North America use Instant Pot to double or triple the amount of store-purchased Natto by adding steamed soybeans.
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