Even for themselves, in the family circle, the Japanese always serve beautiful table. Eating remains a ritual even when the family usually gets together after work to have dinner. Several dishes on the table, careful serving, adherence to rules and traditions - this is essential attribute Japanese meal, which is observed not only in cafes and restaurants. Who better than Sushi WOK to know about the rules of presentation and serving of Japanese cuisine?
Initially, food was taken on an individual tray, and a little later - at an individual small table. IN modern culture When large tables for several people became fashionable, the Japanese did not abandon the idea of zoning and allocating personal space. On common table Either a small tray or a special napkin is responsible for this.
Traditionally, meals in Japan were taken at low tables, and all guests sat on the floor with their legs crossed. Today, special tables have been added to these tables. soft pillows, which are laid directly on the floor. Their variety, Zabuton, is a flat cushion equipped with a hard back, which looks like a classic chair without legs. In more Europeanized homes or restaurants, the meal may take place at a classic table, and guests will be offered ordinary chairs.
Tablecloth on a Japanese table
The Japanese almost never completely cover the table with a tablecloth or oilcloth. Instead of large canvases, they use individual napkins and coasters. They are used both to designate the personal space of each guest and to place the main dishes.
Japanese style serving is a lot free space and air. This manifests itself in literally everything - from the arrangement of dishes to the placement of dishes on these dishes. Harmony and simplicity are the main criteria that guide both housewives and chefs in expensive restaurants.
A tabletop made of natural wood, glass or stone, visible between bowls, trays and stands, is an essential element of serving. Napkins, which are selected for each feast, are often made from bamboo, thick textiles, papyrus, wicker, linen, with preference given to natural fabrics.
Dishes for Japanese meals
The Japanese do not use ready-made sets when serving. Ready kit dishes for several people, providing containers for all types of dishes, is a rarity here. The maximum that can be found are small tea sets, sake sets and sushi sets - a stand for chopsticks, a gravy boat and a bowl for mixing sauce.
Forming a composition on the table is a creative, complex and interesting process at the same time. Serving is done from a variety of dishes, which should be combined not only with each other, but also with the dishes served in it. Japanese compatibility is the matching of a container by color, shape, texture and volume to the contents and table.
- Color in serving means a lot; it is directly related to the taste of the dish. Just as colors complement each other, products, depending on the color, can set off or interrupt the taste;
- The color of the dish and the color of the food should match. Cannot be served White rice in a white bowl, it is better to use more contrasting dishes for this;
- Not a single dish is loaded to capacity. Food should look beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. Widely used are regular geometric shapes, a lot of free space and air in the design;
- Dishes on the table can be at the same time different forms, colors and materials. The main requirement is harmonious composition. Dishes are never displayed in a triangle; the style most often used is free slide, sugimorm, five dragons and vanmaurice.
All dishes of the meal are involved in the composition. In Japan there is no concept of changing dishes. Everything that is supposed to be eaten in one evening is put on the table. You can eat food in any order.
Rules for arranging dishes on the table
As in any cuisine, the Japanese have common dishes and personal ones, that is, portioned ones. If this dish is intended for only one person, it is customary to place it on a personal napkin, indicating the guest's space. If this is a shared dish, then it is placed in the center of the table.
The center, as in most cultures, is the main dish of the evening. It can be meat or fish, the most delicious and difficult to prepare. The table is oriented towards the head of the family, and in relation to him, soup is placed to the right of the central dish, and a cup of rice is placed to the left. The gaps are filled with all sorts of snacks, cold cuts and other dishes.
When serving a complex dish, on the right side of it it is necessary to place seasonings and sauces that are intended for use with it. When displaying a sauce boat, it is imperative to provide personal bowls where the sauce will be mixed to taste with wasabi.
Portioned soups are served in bowls with lids. Complex soups can be served in two- or three-tier dishes. In this case, the contents of the vessels must be mixed with each other in stages. First add from the upper vessel to the intermediate one. Stir, and then pour from the intermediate mixture into the soup container. Simple soups Ready to eat immediately, just open the lid.
The only cutlery served is hashi chopsticks. Everything that is on the table is eaten by them. It is acceptable to take some dishes with your hands. The broth from the soup is drunk over the edge, and the contents are eaten with chopsticks, the order does not matter.
Green tea is an invariable companion of Japanese meals. It is served in bowls, before, after and during meals, without restrictions. Normal practice is when there are 10-20 types of dishes at the table. In this case, it is better to try a little of everything than to eat a couple of dishes, but in large quantities. Dinner among the Japanese is more about tasting than satisfying hunger, although it is extremely difficult to leave the table hungry.
Sushi bars and Japanese restaurants have flooded European cities, and all kinds of Japanese dishes have appeared on the menus of many cafes and home delivery services. More and more people are becoming immersed in Eastern traditions and culture, but is the diversity of Japanese eating habits limited to eating sake, rice and seafood using hashi chopsticks? Of course not. Japanese traditions are vast, multifaceted and very complex; almost every action performed has its own rules, they determine what it should be like. dinner table, how and what to sit on, how to hold chopsticks, what to eat and in what order, what kind of dishes to serve this or that dish on, and what kind of dishes will suit this or that guest.
If you are passionate about Japan, then sooner or later you will decide to organize a Japanese-style evening. And while you may not have to prepare all kinds of sushi, rolls and sashimi yourself, you still have to prepare the room and set the table. Since the Japanese tradition of serving food and setting the table is very different from the European one, you need to deal with all kinds of cups, bowls, trays, plates and chopsticks, and once sorted out, visit all imaginable and inconceivable stores in search of the missing utensils. Of course, the culture of eating in Japan is very symbolic and imbued with centuries-old traditions; setting a table taking into account all the strictest requirements may not be necessary, but by drawing inspiration from Japanese rituals, everyone can bring beauty, orderliness and harmony to the organization of their feast.
You need to start preparing by choosing dishes. Of course, you can limit yourself to wooden trays, a sauce container and several sets of wooden chopsticks, but the Japanese have a special approach to this issue. The abundance of dishes is associated with the desire for comfort and convenience, which is worth the fact that completely different sets are used for men, women and children! This division is due to the difference in the size and shape of each person’s hand, so a man will be offered food in a bowl with a diameter of 12 centimeters, and a woman - 11. The Japanese generally pay attention to the symbolism of numbers Special attention and believe that it is best to use an odd number of dishes, dishes and portions.
Following the logic of odd numbers, in Japan there are rules for selecting food, according to which five colors can be combined on one plate, most often these are black - the color of nori seaweed, brown, green, yellow and red - the colors of fish, vegetables and sauces. The rule about combining five colors is followed not simply because it is so accepted, but because it is believed that the taste qualities of different products are combined with each other in the same way as their colors. There are other rules that are important for setting the table. Thus, it is customary to serve all dishes at once, with the main dish placed in the center, rice on the left, and soup on the right. Various sauces and seasonings intended for a specific dish are placed to the right of it, and marinades a little behind.
As in any other cuisine, in Japanese cuisine different utensils are intended for different dishes. On wooden trays Present your guests with a fried dish and serve sashimi on porcelain dishes. The Japanese define bowls for salads, soups and rice are served in bowls covered with lids, sake is served in tokkuri - small porcelain or clay jugs, as well as small cups. On every table there must be a small bottle or jug of soy sauce, as well as a container for mixing it with wasabi. Particular attention is paid to hashi chopsticks, which should have their thin end facing to the left. It is also necessary to ensure that the chopsticks do not touch the table and are on special stands.
Perhaps such a setting seemed prim to you. However, despite this attention to detail, Japan values the beauty of contrasts. For example, dishes of various sizes and sizes can coexist on tables. geometric shapes. Despite the apparent asymmetry of serving, square dishes go well with round ones, deep ones with flat ones, and tall ones with short ones. There should be harmony and balance in everything, so the dishes and food on them should be placed in a certain way, for example, square plates are placed in a diamond shape, and round bowls complement them. Following the same logic, round-shaped treats are served on square plates or rectangular trays.
Nothing is more appreciated in Japanese table setting than the beauty of empty space. Despite the fact that, in accordance with the ancient tradition, all dishes are placed on the table at the same time, it does not look cluttered; on the contrary, there is a lot of free space and air on it. The Japanese adhere to the same principle when preparing serving or portioned dishes, which are never filled to the brim, and treats are laid out freely on them. The color of the dishes also plays a role in table setting. It is believed that the color of the plates should set off the color of the dish served in them, for example, rice is served in glossy dark bowls. In general, when decorating a table in Japanese style, it is important to pay attention to details and the beauty, naturalness and grace characteristic of Eastern culture.
The amount of food served on the table also plays an important role in serving. Since during a meal it is necessary to try each dish, and their number usually varies from 10 to 20, eating is more like a tasting, especially since there is an abundance of dishes of different tastes on the table. At the same time, portions are measured in such a way that each guest is full, but not overeated. Portion sizes vary depending on age and gender, so men should be offered the most food and older people the least. Despite the variety of products and methods of preparing them, the dishes offered on the Japanese table can be eaten in any order, but it is customary to start with a small lump of rice.
Another feature of Japanese-style table decoration is the correspondence of the dish to the situation and time of year. The Japanese believe that food should always be fresh, hence the strict division of food into seasons. Japanese cuisine tries to use all its products exactly in the season and time of year when they are most delicious, therefore, you will not see preparations for the winter on their tables. Among the spring and summer options For table decorations and dishes, the use of root vegetables - radishes, radishes and carrots - is common; lettuce and lemon are also used. In winter, the decor also includes inedible elements, such as paper umbrellas, which are considered a symbol of protection from bad weather. Depending on the season, the supply of a wet oshibori towel, intended for wiping the face and hands before starting a meal, also varies. In winter, spring and autumn, this towel must be heated, and in summer you can serve it cold.
Both in table setting and in the design of dishes, comfort is valued above all. Before placing dishes on plates, following strict rules and traditions, they must be prepared in such a way that any piece can be easily picked up using chopsticks. You need to remove bones from seafood, divide everything into small portions, and cut vegetables and fish into strips or slices 3 centimeters long and 2 centimeters wide. The finished dish should be laid out on a plate from left to right, and the opposite edge of the dish should be loaded with a little more food. Speaking about Japanese-style table setting, one cannot fail to mention the peculiarities of eating. Traditionally, Japanese meals are held in rooms with wooden floors covered with tatami, on which there are very low tables, and instead of chairs, a zabuton is used - a flat cushion for sitting on the floor, which is sometimes equipped with a wooden back for comfort.
This is probably what makes Japanese cuisine so attractive and popular. centuries-old traditions, rituals and serving features. Therefore, hide away the usual spoons, knives and forks, arm yourself with hashi chopsticks and learn to enjoy exotic oriental cuisine.
Alena Karamzina
Japanese food - National cuisine Japanese. It is distinguished by its preference for natural, minimally processed products, the widespread use of seafood, seasonality, characteristic dishes, specific rules for the presentation of dishes, serving, and table etiquette. Japanese cuisine tends to be a key attraction for tourists from other countries.
There are many opinions about what defines Japanese cuisine, since the daily food of the Japanese has changed greatly over the past centuries, many dishes (for example, ramen, which has become almost the national Japanese dish) appeared in Japan in late XIX- the beginning of the 20th century or even later. In Japan, the term "Japanese cuisine" (Japanese: 日本料理, 和食 "nihon ryōri" or "washoku") refers to traditional Japanese foods similar to those that existed before the end of the national retreat in 1868.
The most characteristic features of Japanese cuisine:
Using mainly fresh products, always of high quality. Practically no shelf-stable products are used, with the exception of rice and sauces.
A huge range of seafood used for cooking.
Seasonality of food.
Lack of meat.
Small portions. The amount of food is gained through a greater variety of dishes, rather than portion sizes.
Specific cutlery - most dishes should be eaten with chopsticks, some can be eaten with your hands, spoons are used extremely rarely, forks and knives are not used at all. For this reason, most dishes are served in small pieces that are easy to pick up with chopsticks and do not need to be divided.
The principles of food presentation and serving are sharply different from European ones. Greater emphasis is placed on the aesthetic appearance of dishes and the table as a whole than in European cuisine.
Specific table etiquette.
INGREDIENTS
Rice
It is the main ingredient of Japanese cuisine and the basis of nutrition in Japan. In Japanese, the word “gohan” (cooked rice), like the Russian “bread,” means not only a specific food product, but also food in general.
For Japanese cuisine, rice varieties that are characterized by increased stickiness when cooked are preferred - when prepared from such rice, the dish has the structure of small lumps that are convenient to eat with chopsticks. Rice is prepared as a separate dish and is used as a component in the preparation of many “combination” dishes.
Seafood
Fish, shellfish, and sea animals in Japanese cuisine are the second most important component after rice. As a rule, during cooking they undergo only minor heat treatment (frying, steaming), and in some dishes (sashimi) they are simply included raw.
Seaweed is also used in Japanese cuisine.
Soybeans
Soy was brought to Japan from China and is used in Japanese cuisine in various forms:
-Tofu (bean curd or soy cheese) is a nutritious base for many dishes.
-Soy sauce is a seasoning that is extremely widely used.
-Soy miso paste soup.
-Fermented natto beans.
Beans
Widely used in soups and as a filling.
Other plants
Almost all cultivated and many wild edible plants are used in Japanese cuisine. In particular, carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, and lettuce are widely used. Specific plants - wasabi, white daikon radish, bamboo, lotus, sweet potato - are used for side dishes and making sauces.
Noodles
Noodles used in Japanese cuisine:
-tyukasoba (ramen) - made from wheat flour with the addition of eggs;
-udon - made from wheat flour without eggs;
- soba - made from buckwheat flour (usually with the addition of wheat).
Noodles are used in various dishes: soups, salads, as a side dish for fish and meat dishes. One of the popular dishes, both at home and in public catering, is ramen - noodles in meat or vegetable broth.
Meat
Meat (beef and pork) came to Japanese cuisine quite late from European and Chinese cuisine. Meat is included in many dishes, usually borrowed, for example, ramen is often served with a piece of pork.
DISHES
Cooking food
Japanese dishes are prepared in special frying pans, donabe and agemono nabe pots. Deep-fried dishes are served on a tray called abura kiri. European and more exotic utensils (in particular, tagine) are also used for cooking.
Serving
Utensils for Japanese cuisine are very diverse; their common feature is the desire for elegance and aesthetic appearance. For plates, bowls, gravy boats special meaning the convenience of holding the dishes in one hand, since, due to Japanese table etiquette, it is customary to hold these dishes in your hands when eating. The shape and color of Japanese dishes can be very diverse. Plates and gravy boats can be round, oval, rectangular, rhombic, or more complex shapes that imitate various objects, for example, in the shape of a boat or a leaf of wood.
For Japanese tableware there is no concept of a “dinner service”, that is, a specially selected complete set of the same type of tableware for a certain number of people; Dishes can be very different in shape, size and color; its diversity is one of the elements that forms the characteristic appearance of a Japanese table. However, sets of tableware are produced, for example, sushi sets, consisting of a plate and a gravy boat, made in the same style, or a set of bowls with or without a teapot. You can also find “Japanese tableware” on sale, but this is already a mixture of Japanese dishes with European traditions, which is uncharacteristic for Japan itself.
The following types of utensils and accessories are mainly used in Japanese cuisine:
–Soup bowls
For dishes with a large amount of liquid, mainly for soups, deep round bowls are used, reminiscent of large bowls or European salad bowls, with a lid made of the same material as the bowl itself. The traditional European deep soup bowl with “borders” is completely uncharacteristic for Japan.
–Bowls
Deep, round, lidless bowls, usually below a soup bowl, can be used for rice, noodles, or salads. One of the types of Japanese bowls - tonsui - is a deep round bowl of a very characteristic shape: its edge in one place forms a protrusion, as if continuing the surface of the bowl upward. This protrusion of the tonsui is convenient to hold. Rice bowls are usually round, often shaped like an inverted cone.
–Dishes
Plates can be of a wide variety of shapes. They are made either slightly curved, but without a clearly defined edge at the edges, or have a low, but almost vertical edge. Plates with internal partitions(for example, a small square or triangle in the corner may be “highlighted” on a rectangular plate, or the plate is made “in one piece” with a gravy boat) - they can be convenient for serving a dish consisting of several unmixed ingredients or for simultaneously serving a dish along with sauce and/or spices intended for it, which are used “to taste”.
–Wooden coasters
Sushi, rolls, sashimi and some other dishes are often served on wooden stands. Sometimes the stand is simply a flat piece of wood, but stands are also used complex shape, for example, a small “bridge” or “ship” made of wood. Woven wooden meshes are also used.
–Food sticks
Basic cutlery. Chopsticks are extremely versatile and are used as a universal device for eating any food.
–Spoons
The only type of spoon used in traditional Japanese cuisine is a deep spoon, usually ceramic (although some are made of other materials, but not metal), with which soup or broth from soup is eaten. The spoon is quite massive; it is often served on a ceramic stand.
–Gravy boats
Small rectangular or round bowls 2-3 cm high, with flat edges. Designed for pouring and mixing sauces and then dipping pieces of food into them, for example, sushi, the shape is subordinated to this particular purpose.
–Teaware
Japanese teapots usually have a spherical, flattened shape, or the shape of a flattened sphere with a cut bottom. The handle of a traditional kettle is located on top and is attached to the kettle by two ears located on opposite sides of the lid (like European kettles for boiling water); there are also kettles with a straight handle made of the same material as the entire kettle, protruding to the side ( not opposite the spout, but approximately 90-120° from it, when viewed from above).
Besides traditional materials, Japanese teapots can be made from such an uncharacteristic material for teaware as cast iron (traditionally they were used only for boiling water when brewing tea in bowls, but now tea is sometimes brewed directly in a cast iron teapot).
Japanese bowls have either almost the same height and diameter, or the height larger diameter. Sometimes tea is drunk from very small bowls that hold no more than 50 ml, but this is not a general rule.
The cups are cylindrical or barrel-shaped, without handles (that is, such a cup is simply a tall bowl with vertical walls, or, if you like, a European mug without a handle).
–Sake glassware
A typical sake jug is shaped like a vase, tapering at the top and then having a short, cone-shaped flare at the top. Ceramic or porcelain shot glasses, no more than 30 ml in volume. They are divided into two main types: edema and guinomi. The first have the shape of an opening bud and can be very wide, almost flat; they are used in special occasions. The second - an ordinary small cup with vertical walls - is considered more everyday.
–Stands
Stands for oshibori, as well as hasioki - stands for chopsticks.
Traditional materials for tableware are porcelain, ceramics, and wood (often coated with a highly resistant varnish that protects against drying out and cracking). In recent decades, plastic tableware has also become widely used, especially for bento containers.
CHARACTERISTIC DISHES
Rice dishes
Boiled rice (gohan)
The rice is washed clean, then poured cold water, stand, then bring to a boil and cook over low heat in a wide saucepan with a thick bottom, under a tightly closed lid. During cooking, only as much water is used as the rice should absorb, usually 1.25-1.5 volumes of dry rice. Unlike European cuisine, rice is cooked in unsalted water, without any seasonings, oil or fat. After cooking, the rice is carefully mixed with a special spoon or spatula, so as to turn the solid mass into separate lumps, but not to crush the grains. In Japan, rice is eaten every day, so automatic rice cookers are common, which provide the correct cooking mode for different types of rice and allow you to keep the cooked rice warm throughout the day.
As a separate dish, gohan is usually served in a deep cone-shaped bowl; it is often sprinkled with sesame seeds or a mixture of sesame seeds and salt right in the bowl. They eat rice with chopsticks, holding the bowl at chest level in their left hand.
Rice with curry
Boiled rice with Japanese variety curry sauce, vegetables and meat.
Boiled rice with egg
Frequent everyday meals. Boiled rice mixed with raw egg, to which soy sauce can be added.
Tiahan (Chaofan)
A dish similar to pilaf. Boiled rice is fried in oil with pieces of minced pork, chicken meat, eggs, vegetables or seafood. A clarification is added to the name of the dish in public catering, indicating the main (besides rice) ingredient: ebi chahan - with shrimp, tori chahan - with chicken, sifudo chahan - with seafood.
Daifuku or Daifukumoti
A Japanese sweet, a small rice cake with a filling, most often with anko, a paste made from adzuki beans. There are many varieties of daifuku, the most common types being white, light green and pale pink daifuku with anko filling.
Daifuku are usually made either palm-sized or small, about 3 cm in diameter. Often daifuku are coated with corn or potato starch to prevent them from sticking together.
The traditional way to prepare mochi (and daifuku in particular) is called mochitsuke, and they can also be cooked in the microwave.
RAW FISH DISHES
Seafood for such dishes is either not subjected to heat treatment at all, or such processing is kept to a minimum so as not to affect the natural taste of the ingredients.
Sushi
They are prepared from specially cooked rice and raw seafood. The form of sushi is very diverse; almost any seafood is used in preparation. There are two main types of sushi.
The first is sushi itself (nigiri, tataki and some others), which is a small, elongated lump of rice, on top of which is laid a piece of fish or shrimp; Some types of such sushi are wrapped in a strip of seaweed, which together with the rice forms a container filled with finely chopped seafood, caviar or vegetables on top.
The second type is the so-called rolls, which differ in a fundamentally different method of preparation: rice and seafood are laid out in layers on a sheet of seaweed, rolled into a thin roll, which is then cut crosswise into small pieces sharp knife. There are other forms.
Sushi is served on a flat plate or wooden stand, with wasabi, soy sauce and pickled gari ginger.
Sashimi
Thinly cut slices of raw seafood, usually fish, octopus, squid, are served on a flat plate with fresh vegetables, such as thinly sliced daikon radishes and shiso leaves. Like sushi, served with wasabi and soy sauce.
SALADS
The Japanese make salads from a variety of products: vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, rice, noodles, fish, seafood, poultry and meat. Moreover, they try to either avoid heat treatment altogether, or keep it minimal, which preserves the ingredients: their natural composition, smells, nutritional properties. Rice vinegar, soy sauce or sake are usually used as a dressing. Also, various spices are added to Japanese salads: dried seaweed, ground or pickled ginger, ground black or allspice and grated nutmeg.
Soups
Misoshiru soup is considered traditional in Japanese cuisine.
Its main ingredients are dark and light miso paste (made from fermented soybeans) and concentrated Hondashi fish broth. The remaining ingredients can vary according to taste; these can be shiitake mushrooms, wakame seaweed, tofu bean curd, and various types of meat and fish.
In addition, Japanese cuisine includes the following soups:
-butajiru/tonjiru (Japanese: 豚汁) - misoshiru with pork;
-dangojiru (Japanese) Russian. (Japanese 団子汁) - soup with dango, seaweed, tofu, lotus root, and other vegetables;
-imoni (English) Russian (Japanese 芋煮) - stewed taro root, a popular autumn dish in the northern regions of the country;
-zoni (Japanese: 雑煮 zōni) - mochi soup with vegetables and sometimes meat, most often eaten on New Year's Eve;
-oden (Japanese 御田) - winter soup of boiled eggs, daikon, konnyaku, stewed in a clear dashi broth with soy sauce;
-shiruko (Japanese: 汁粉) - adzuki soup with mochi added, served on New Year's Eve;
-suimono (Japanese: 吸い物) - a clear soup with a base of dashi with the addition of soy sauce and salt.
SAUCES
Gomadare (Japanese: 雑煮) - sesame sauce made from grated sesame seeds, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, dashi, sake and sugar. Does not contain nuts;
-ponzu (Japanese: 雑煮) - sauce made from citrus juice (lemon, yuzu, bitter orange), mirin and dashi.
SWEETS
Wagashi are traditional Japanese sweets. In the understanding of Europeans and Americans, they are not sweets, since they do not use either sugar or cocoa. The ingredients of such sweets are rice, red adzuki beans, and agar-agar seaweed.
OTHER DISHES
Tempura
Pieces of food in batter, fried in vegetable oil. The batter is made from eggs, flour and ice water. The base ingredients are fish, squid, shrimp, poultry, and vegetables; accordingly, the name of the dish usually consists of the name of the main ingredient and the word “tempura”, for example, “sake tempura” - salmon in batter. The method of cooking “in batter” was borrowed from the Portuguese, for a long time who were practically Japan's only trading partners outside of Asia.
Kushiyaki and Yakitori
Products skewered in small pieces on a wooden stick and grilled. Prepared from a variety of fish and seafood, shrimp, quail eggs, chicken meat, chicken entrails (hearts, liver, stomachs), beef, vegetables. There are quite a few varieties of kushiyaki, depending on the ingredients and preparation features. The word “yakitori” (translated as “fried poultry”) refers to skewers of chicken or chicken entrails with vegetables. There are specialized catering establishments that serve kushiyaki and yakitori, called “yakitoriya”. Outside Japan, the word “yakitori” is often used to refer to all types of kushiyaki, which, generally speaking, is incorrect.
Sukiyaki
Thinly sliced beef (sometimes also pork), green onions, mushrooms, udon, Chinese cabbage, boiled in a cauldron. The peculiarity of this dish is the method of preparation and consumption - it is prepared by the diners themselves. A pot is placed on the table on a hotplate that maintains the required temperature. Guests themselves put the food into the cauldron (loosely enough so that it is properly cooked), and after achieving the desired degree of doneness, they take pieces of food, dip them in the sauce and eat. Usually the process is repeated several times until all guests are satisfied.
Tonkatsu
Pork chop fried in breadcrumbs. The pork is dredged in flour, dipped in beaten egg, then rolled in breadcrumbs and fried well in a frying pan with plenty of oil on both sides. As a separate dish, tonkatsu is served cut into slices to make it easier to eat with chopsticks. Finely chopped cabbage, salad, vegetables, regular or special sauce are traditionally used as a side dish.
Katsudon
The prepared tonkatsu is cut into slices and stewed for a short time together with vegetables and beaten egg. Served on rice.
Nikudzyaga
Meat stewed with potatoes and onions.
SERVING
Proper table setting is a separate, very important section of Japanese cuisine. Also great importance has an order in which food is placed on dishes. The set table as a whole, like individual dishes, should be aesthetically pleasing and pleasing to the eye.
Composition, quantity and size of dishes
In Japanese cuisine, it is customary to serve food in relatively small portions so that the guest can be full without overeating. The size of the portions depends on the time of year (in winter there are larger portions than in summer) and on the age of the guests (young people have larger portions than older ones), and, of course, what exactly is served also influences.
Great importance is attached to variety: a richer table differs not in the size of the portions, but in the larger number of dishes. A full lunch includes rice, two types of soups and at least five types of different snacks (depending on the solemnity of the occasion and the capabilities of the organizer, their number can reach a dozen or even more).
A minimum dinner party requires rice, soup and at least three types of appetizers. There is no concept of a “main course” in a Japanese meal.
Green tea is always served as an obligatory part of lunch. Tea is drunk before, during and after meals.
On appropriate occasions, alcohol is served, the traditional type of which is sake.
Table
Traditionally in Japan, people eat at a low table, sitting in front of it on the tatami in the seiza position (sitting on their heels with their back straight).
For men in an informal setting, the agura pose (“Turkish style,” with legs crossed in front of you) is acceptable.
You cannot sit lounging on the tatami, and you should not stretch your legs under the table.
However, nowadays both at home and, especially, in establishments Catering, more often they dine at ordinary European-style tables, sitting on chairs or stools.
Serving order, arrangement of dishes on the table
Traditionally, all dishes are put on the table at once. In this case, rice is placed on the left, soup on the right, seafood and meat dishes are placed in the center of the table, with pickles and marinades around them.
Containers with sauces and seasonings are usually placed to the right of the dish for which they are intended. Small plates are placed on the right side, larger and deeper ones on the left.
Sake is served in jugs, with low-alcohol varieties heated, and strong ones at room temperature.
Most dishes are at room temperature - the exceptions are rice, soups and some meat dishes served hot.
When placing dishes on the table, try to ensure that they form beautiful composition. In particular, it is customary to alternate round dishes with rectangular ones, light ones with dark ones.
If the table is not pre-set, then dishes are served in the following sequence:
-Rice;
-Sashimi - served before any dishes with a strong taste, so as not to overwhelm the taste raw fish;
-Soup - usually served immediately after raw fish dishes, but it can be eaten at any stage of the meal;
-Not raw dishes all types, sushi, rolls;
-Dishes with a strong taste, with a lot of spices.
In some Japanese restaurants, ordered dishes are prepared by the chef from raw ingredients directly in the presence of the customer. For this purpose, directly at the food table there is a chef’s workplace, with a frying surface and everything necessary for preparing and decorating dishes.
ETIQUETTE OF A Feast
General meal order
Before starting the meal, itadakimasu is pronounced (Japanese: いただきます, “I accept with gratitude”) - an expression of gratitude to the owner of the house or the gods for the food, in use it corresponds to the Russian “bon appetit”.
Before eating, a damp, sometimes hot after sterilization, oshibori towel (Japanese: お絞り), rolled into a tube, is usually served. It is used to clean your hands before eating, but you can use it to wipe your face and hands both after and during meals, since some food can be eaten with your hands.
Traditionally, all dishes are served at the same time (in public catering, however, this tradition is usually violated), it is allowed (and considered decent) to try a little of all the dishes, and only then start eating “seriously”.
If a dish is served in a bowl covered with a lid, then after it is eaten, the bowl should be covered again.
At a home or formal dinner, some of the dishes (usually appetizers such as sushi, rolls, pieces of fish or meat, etc.) are laid out on common dishes, and each dinner participant is given a small plate on which he puts what he wants to try. Food from a common dish is transferred with chopsticks to a personal plate. It is not customary to pick up a common dish.
Neighbors at the table pour drinks for each other. It is not customary to pour yourself a drink.
Toasts are not accepted in a traditional Japanese feast; drinking alcohol can be preceded by the word kampai! (Japanese 乾杯, “to the bottom!”).
It is believed that the guest has not finished his meal while he still has rice in his bowl. Rice is eaten to the last grain. It is impolite to leave the table without finishing your rice.
While eating, you should not put your elbows on the table.
After finishing the meal, you should say gotiso: sama [desita] (Japanese: ご馳走様「でした」, “it was very tasty”) - this is an expression of gratitude for the treat (analogous to the traditional “thank you” in European etiquette).
Using chopsticks
Almost all Japanese dishes rely on the use of chopsticks. Some of the most important rules for handling chopsticks:
-Do not insert chopsticks vertically into food, especially rice.
-Do not pass food with chopsticks to another person, do not put it with your chopsticks on someone else’s plate. All these actions have an outward resemblance to the customs associated with the burial of the dead and wakes, therefore they are considered indecent during an ordinary meal.
-Do not take anything in one hand with chopsticks.
-Do not move the plates with chopsticks.
-Do not point with chopsticks.
-Do not clasp the chopsticks in your fist (this is considered an unfriendly sign, like a declaration of war).
-Do not place chopsticks across the bowl.
-Before asking for more rice, you should put down your chopsticks.
Rules for eating individual dishes
There is no specific order for eating dishes; you can eat in any convenient order.
Dishes served in bowls (soups, salads, rice, ramen) are eaten while holding the bowl in the hand at chest level. You should not eat from a bowl standing on the table while leaning over it; it is believed that a person who does this “eats like a dog.”
Rice is eaten with chopsticks, holding the bowl in the hand.
Solid pieces of food are taken out of the soup with chopsticks, and the broth is drunk over the edge of the bowl. A spoon can be served with the soup, then the broth is eaten with its help.
The noodles (ramen, soba or udon) are lifted from the bowl with chopsticks, placed in the mouth and sucked. The characteristic “squelching” sounds produced in this case are considered natural and quite decent, although in other cases making sounds while eating is considered ugly. Do not wrap the noodles around the chopsticks. The broth is drunk with a spoon or over the edge of the bowl.
Sushi and rolls are served on a wooden stand, on which wasabi and pickled gari are usually laid out. The sauce is poured into a plate specially designed for this purpose; the wasabi can be placed in it and stirred with chopsticks. They take the sushi, turn it on its side, dip it in the sauce, while holding the plate with the sauce suspended in the left hand, and eat it. Gari served with sushi is not considered a seasoning - it is usually eaten between different types sushi so as not to mix their taste.
Sushi, rolls, and other dishes served in pieces are eaten whole at one time. Taking a bite is considered rude. If it is inconvenient to eat a large piece entirely, you can use chopsticks to divide it on your plate into several smaller pieces and eat them separately.
Etiquette allows men to eat sushi with their hands; women are deprived of this right - they must use chopsticks.
Special traditions surround the consumption of fugu fish. When ordering it, it is not customary to order something else from the food.
RECIPES
SOBA with chicken and vegetables
Ingredients for the dish:
Buckwheat noodles (soba) - 1 package; Chicken breast fillet - 350 gr.; Bell pepper - 2 pcs. Onion - 1 pc.; Carrots – 2 small or 1 large; Soy sauce - 4-5 tbsp. l.; Vegetable oil
Cooking process:
Rinse the chicken breast fillet under water and cut into small pieces. Peel the carrots and onions and chop into small cubes. bell pepper cut in half, remove the core and seeds and cut into thin strips.
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan. Pour in enough oil to completely cover the bottom, but no more. Fry the chicken fillet over high heat for 12-15 minutes until browned. Place on a plate. Fry the onions and carrots in the same oil until golden brown – 10 minutes.
Boil Soba buckwheat noodles in salted water according to the instructions on the package. To make the noodles firm and elastic, add half a glass of salted water (1.5 teaspoons of salt per half pan of water). cold water, bring to a boil and turn off the heat. Place the finished soba in a colander and rinse under water.
Add pepper to the carrots and onions and simmer everything together (covered if possible) for another 10-15 minutes. Add boiled noodles to vegetables. Then fried chicken. Add soy sauce (about 4-5 tablespoons), mix gently and simmer everything together under a closed lid for another 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle the finished dish with sesame seeds.
KARE RAISU/カレーライス
Ingredients (for 4 servings):
Curry base:
50 g butter; 30 g flour; 2 tbsp. l. garam masala; fresh crushed black pepper; 2 tbsp. l. ketchup; 3 tbsp. l. tonkatsu sauce
Curry:
3 onions; 3 chicken breasts; 3 large potatoes; 2 large carrots; 1 handful green peas; 1 small sour apple; 1 tsp. garam masala; 1 l. water; salt and pepper; oil (for frying); rice
Cooking method:
1. Peel the onion and cut into very thin slices. Peel the carrots and potatoes and cut into small pieces. Cut the chicken breasts into small pieces.
2. Make the curry dressing. Melt butter in a saucepan and mix with flour. Cook the dressing, stirring constantly over medium heat, until it turns golden brown (about 10-15 minutes). Then add 2 tbsp. l. garam masala, stir. Turn off the heat, add ketchup and tonkatsu sauce and stir.
3. Fry the onion in a new pan with a little oil over medium heat until it turns golden brown. Then add the meat and fry on all sides until it is browned. Add carrots, potatoes, water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes. Then grate the apple and add it to the pan, season with 1 tsp. garam masala, salt and pepper. Cook for another 10 minutes.
4. Boil the rice until cooked.
5. Add the dressing (step 2) to the curry pot (step 3) and stir gently. Add green peas.
6. Place the finished rice and curry on plates and serve hot.
KOROKKE/コロッケ
Ingredients (for 2-3 servings):
500 g potatoes; 60 g. onions; 200 g. ground beef; 1 tbsp. l. oils; 15 g butter; 1 tbsp. l. soy sauce; 1 tbsp. l. Sahara; 1 tbsp. l. sake; 3 tbsp. l. cream; salt and pepper; 1 egg; panko; oil (for frying); Tonkatsu sauce
Cooking method:
1. Peel, wash the potatoes, boil until soft. Drain the water and mash the potatoes with butter.
2. Peel the onion and cut into small cubes. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the beef and onions. Add soy sauce, sugar, sake, cream, salt and pepper, fry until the meat is cooked.
3. Mix the fried meat with onions (step 2) and potatoes (step 1) in a large bowl, mix well.
4. We form small balls from the mixture (step 3) - croquettes. Dip the croquettes in the beaten egg and roll in panko bread crumbs.
5. Heat the vegetable oil to a temperature of 170 °C, fry the croquettes until golden brown.
6. Place croquettes on paper towels to remove excess oil. Serve with Tonkatsu sauce.
RICE DUCK (鴨飯)
One of the dishes of Okinawa, the third most important region of Japan with the capital of the same name. The difference from the rice poultry found throughout Japan is that the rice is cooked with the addition of green tea.
Ingredients:
Rice 0.5 cups; Chicken breast - 1 pc; Soy sauce 2 tbsp; Sake 2 tbsp; Shiitake - 1 pc; Boiled egg - 1 pc; Pickled ginger; Pickled radish - 1 pc; Dried nori - 0. 5 pack; Pickled cucumbers – 1 pc; Green onions – 1-2
Cooking process:
Boil the rice in a 1:1 ratio (rice and water) until the water boils, then leave for 10 minutes. under the lid.
Sliced into pieces chicken breast marinated with soy sauce, sake and shiitake mushrooms.
Boil the chicken in a small amount of water.
When serving soup, cut into strips boiled egg, pickled ginger, shiitake mushroom with which the breast was marinated, pickled radishes, dried nori, pickles and green onions.
Add as many ingredients as you think necessary to the plate and fill with broth. Pickled radishes are served separately.
AGE TOFU
Ingredients 1 serving of Tofu (200 g):
Wheat flour: 40 g; Soy sauce: 35 ml; Vegetable oil: 70 ml; Lemon juice: 15 ml; Sesame oil: ¼ teaspoon; Sugar: 10 g; Cilantro (coriander): 2 g; Red onion: 7 g; Garlic: 2 g; Cherry tomatoes: 3 pieces
Cooking time 15 minutes
Cooking process:
Cut the tofu into 2 rectangular pieces.
Pat with a paper towel to remove excess moisture and roll in flour.
Fry a large amount of tofu in a heated frying pan. vegetable oil until a golden crust forms.
Place fried tofu on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Prepare the sauce. Mix together 35 g soy sauce, 35 g vegetable oil, 15 g lemon juice. Add a few drops of sesame oil for flavor. Add red onion, chopped into small cubes, 2 grams of chopped cilantro and 10 grams of sugar to the resulting mixture. Beat with a whisk.
Add 2 grams of grated fresh ginger root and 2 grams of grated garlic to the resulting sauce.
Cut 3 cherry tomatoes into halves and add to the prepared sauce.
SHU KURIMU – eclairs
Ingredients:
Butter: 90 grams; Milk: 50 grams; Water: 150 grams; Salt: 1 gram; Flour: 120 grams; Chicken eggs: 4 pieces; Custard: 500 grams; Cream 35%: 400 milliliters, (whipped); Powdered sugar: as needed
Cooking process:
1. Melt butter in a saucepan, add milk, water and salt.
2. Add flour to this mixture and mix quickly wooden spoon until it becomes a thick dough.
3. Add 4 eggs (one at a time) to the dough. After each egg, mix the dough with a mixer or spoon.
4. Using a syringe bag, squeeze the finished dough onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Leave enough space between eclairs (4-6 cm apart).
5. Bake the eclairs for 25 minutes at 180°C until golden brown. Let them cool completely.
6. Whip the cream until thick.
7. Cut it off top part chilled eclair, fill with custard and whipped cream. Close and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
PICKLED GINGER
Ingredients:
Fresh ginger (peeled) 100 g; Su (Japanese rice vinegar) 100 ml; Salt 1 teaspoon; Sugar 1.5 tbsp. spoons (or 2 without top); Water 4 tbsp. spoons
Some general tips:
Rice vinegar can be replaced with wine or apple cider vinegar.
If you want ginger to purchase pink color, when blanching, add a piece of beetroot to the water.
When pickling and storing ginger, do not use metal utensils.
The ginger is ready to eat when it turns light pink. Store in the refrigerator in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Pickled ginger can be stored for several months.
Before serving, remove the pickled ginger from the marinade and cut into thin slices if pickled whole.
Cooking process:
To make pickled ginger, you will need fresh ginger, rice vinegar, salt, sugar and water.
Rub the peeled ginger with salt and leave overnight.
Pour water over and dry paper towels. Then cut the ginger into thin strips.
Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, turn off the heat and add ginger to it. Blanch for about 2-3 minutes.
Place the ginger in a colander and let the water drain.
Meanwhile, prepare the marinade. Mix the soy sauce, sugar and 4 tablespoons of water in a bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Place the ginger in a clean glass jar.
Pour marinade over prepared ginger. Leave to cool (to room temperature).
Then close the jar tightly with a lid and put it in the refrigerator. After 3 days, the ginger is ready for use.
Pickled ginger (gari) has a pungent, distinctive taste. As for the color, it depends on the root itself. If the ginger is from last year, then the color will not change after pickling, but if the root is young (from this year), then the finished pickled ginger will acquire a pale pink color. But do not confuse gari with beni-sega, which in turn has a rich red color.
Any hostess can pleasantly surprise all the guests gathered for a special event. It will be enough to decorate beautifully big table, where a variety of food will be located. In this article we will talk about proper serving and the most popular styles for creating a comfortable home environment when eating.
Variety of options
It is impossible not to note the variety of table decoration options that modern designers offer today. Thanks to beautiful serving it will be easier for you to find mutual language with others, declare your culinary abilities.
In this case, you can create a composition under different styles. This way you can emphasize general direction your home, organically fit the set table into the concept of the room. The mood of the overall table setting will be set by the tablecloth. This product plays an important role when eating. The tablecloth can be one color or be full of different colors.
Attention is also paid to napkins. In terms of tone, they should be in harmony with the dishes and tablecloth. As for the dishes, you can choose them according to your taste. These can be options in country style, 30s, 90s, Gatsby style. Marine, autumn, oriental, rustic, eco or Italian style will look great.
Among the many options, choose the one that you like and can evoke only positive emotions.
Most Popular
A modern, beautiful table can be created in a wide variety of styles. In this case, you should focus on your own preferences. Below are the most popular thematic performances:
- Loft. For this direction you will need to create as much free space as possible. You can combine new glossy elements with scuffs. For example, you can use an old wooden table with heavy metal coasters for hot dishes, as well as shiny glassware. It is good if the cutlery is polished to a shine.
Remember that this theme does not involve any draperies, so a tablecloth will not be needed here.
- Country. This style will be characterized by rustic simplicity. Rough materials, discreet colors, and modest details are used here. As for textiles, it is better to choose cotton or linen. The table itself should be wooden. Be sure to use hot mats, wicker napkins, and large candles. An excellent addition to the design would be a bouquet of simple flowers: chamomile, primrose, narcissus.
- Japanese. You won't confuse the Japanese-style design with any other. The most important thing is to stock up on all the necessary accessories. It's no secret that the Japanese take their food intake especially seriously. Particular attention is paid to the symbolism of numbers. The ratio of the number of flowers and plates should be 1: 5. The color scheme can be different: red, black, brown, yellow, green shades. All dishes are served immediately. Of course, rice occupies the main place.
- Provence. Setting a table in Provence style is not difficult. This direction will appeal to all lovers of France. Refinement and sophistication are stylistic features. The main thing is to select all the details. It’s good if some items are scuffed. As for the colors, these are lavender tones, olive, blue, yellow and gray shades.
- Scandinavian. This option assumes restraint, asceticism, simple forms and natural materials. There should be no random elements here, everything is carefully selected. The color palette is represented by natural shades. Mainly white and gray colors predominate. Accordingly, it is worth choosing textiles of similar colors.
- English. For English interiors characterized by sophistication, sophistication, and at the same time comfort. Basically, the style involves the use of furniture made of natural wood. As for color, you can choose any suitable range. Shades of yellow and red look great. Drapery is encouraged on the table. Maximum attention should be paid to napkins and tablecloths. It is better to use dishes with various plant ornaments. This style involves the use of crystal.
A porcelain set would also be useful here. Create an exquisite menu, surprise your guests with delicious culinary innovations and cozy table decorations.
- Russian. This style involves the use of Khokhloma objects, as well as ceramic pottery. You can place plates in Gzhel style. This way you can beautifully present your dishes to your guests.
- Rustic style- This is, first of all, a love of nature. Natural materials, simplicity, and soft colors are valued here.
Setting the table is not an easy task. However, if you put in some effort, you can create a real masterpiece and pleasantly surprise all your guests. The main thing is thematic focus.
Strictly follow the chosen style, correctly combine colors and textures. Then your friends and family will appreciate not only your culinary abilities.
The table can be decorated with elegant candlesticks. Pay special attention to detail. Candles in cups look very interesting.
Fresh flowers will also look good, giving even a modest table a luxurious look. With the help of additional accessories you can make the table original and sophisticated. For example, lay out silk ribbons in fancy patterns, arrange figurines and figurines.
If you want to create classic style, then we should not forget that in the center there should be a hot plate on which there is a snack plate. Forks are placed to the left of the dishes, and knives and a spoon are placed to the right.
Don't forget about these simple rules, and every meal will be accompanied by only positive emotions.
The focus is on 4 serving styles typical of remote islands. Three of them (Thai, Hawaiian and Caribbean) impress with an atmosphere of refined sybaritic pleasure, similar to what you would experience if you actually went to these islands.
The fourth (Japanese) style appeared here thanks to the island position of the country where it comes from and its “many faces.” And the table setting that you will see is just one of the options for a national approach to the topic, “exotic” in its own way.
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Japanese style table setting:
Let's start with Japan. Since our galleries already have examples of Japanese eco-serving and Zen style, here we offer an idea that often inspires those who like bright contrasts rather than minimalism. Red, black and white. Flowers, stones and candles. Unconventional, intimate and impressive.
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Thai style table setting:
A country in which sensual pleasure is recognized as the main idol transfers it not only to the area of bodily pleasure, but also aesthetic. An elegant romance in which the flexible feminine principle can work wonders.
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Hawaiian style table setting:
But not only the Eastern Hemisphere is rich in exotic things. In Hawaii, for example, there is not only an eternal summer, but also an eternal holiday. Exotic flowers and lush greenery, endless ocean and amazing local customs. This region is a Mecca not only for Americans (who come here to one of their states, just as we come to a neighboring province), but also for many inhabitants of the planet. Delightful orchids, amaryllis and other flowering indoor exotics, native to tropical countries, will become the basis of such a table setting.
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2 examples of Caribbean style table settings:
Another inspiration from the Western Hemisphere, in which bright flowers give way to a riot of greenery. When creating a table setting in the Caribbean style, art de la table professionals, as a rule, use 2 colors: green + some bright one (orange, mallow, turquoise, rose, coral).