Japan & Korea

Chapter Objectives

• Explain how the cuisines of Japan and Korea differ from each other and other Asian cuisines
• Describe the differences in sauces and flavorings used in Japan and Korea
• Understand how the geography and topography of these countries have influenced their cuisines
• Discuss the Japanese idea of aesthetics surrounding the food, presentation of food, the meal, and table setting
• Prepare a variety of Japanese and Korean dishes

Review Questions

1. Explain similarities and differences between the Japanese cuisine and that of other Asian cuisines?
2. Describe the Japanese philosophy on food and dining, including the goals of chefs cooking this cuisine?
3. Discuss the seasonings commonly used in the cookery of Japan and those used in the cookery of Korea.
4. Discuss food ingredients that are prevalent in both Japan and Korea because of the topography and geography of these two countries.
5. Which foods appear at all Japanese and Korean meals?
6. Describe the differences in service and presentation between a Korean and a Japanese meal.
7. What is kimchi and what is its role in the Korean diet?

Topics for Discussion

1. Discuss how Japan’s cuisine is different from other Asian countries.
2. Discuss the role of pickled foods in Japan and Korea. Why are these foods so important?
3. Discuss the amount of water around Japan and Korea and how that affected the cuisines.

Additional Projects

1. Prepare many types of rice including long grain, medium grain, short grain, sushi rice, black rice, basmati, Arborio, etc. if available. Taste the different rice and discuss their similarities and differences. Discuss differences and preferences in the preferred rice of various Asian countries.
2. Assign each student to prepare a dish from a country not in Asia. Present each dish in the Japanese style of presentation.
3. Prepare a variety of batters including tempura, beer batter, cornmeal batter, etc. Coat food items with each batter and deep-fry. Discuss differences.

Rice is Japan’s most important crop and has been cultivated by the Japanese for over 2000 years. Japanese rice is short grain rice that becomes sticky when cooked.

• Most rice is sold as hakumai (“white rice”), with the outer portion of the grains (nuka ) polished away.
• Unpolished rice (gemmai ) is considered less desirable.
• A second major rice variety used in Japan is mochi rice.
  • Cooked mochi rice is more sticky than conventional Japanese rice, and it is commonly used for sekihan (cooked mochi rice with red beans) or pounded into rice cakes.
  • The rice cakes are traditionally eaten on New Year’s day and are usually grilled and then served in a soup or wrapped in nori seaweed.
• Rice flour is used in various Japanese sweets (wagashi) and rice crackers (sembei).
  • Daifuku is sweetened red bean paste wrapped in rice flour dough, and kushi-dango are rice flour dumplings on skewers.
  • Rice is also used to produce vinegar.

Preserving fish also became popular and sushi originated as a means of preserving fish by fermenting it in boiled rice. Salted fish was placed in rice and preserved by lactic acid fermentation, which prevents growth of the bacteria that bring about putrefaction. This older type of sushi is still produced in the areas surrounding Lake Biwa in western Japan, and similar types are also known in Korea, southwestern China, and Southeast Asia. A unique fifteenth century development shortened the fermentation period of sushi to one or two weeks and made both the fish and the rice edible.

In the thirteenth century, Zen monks from China popularized a form of vegetarian cuisine known in Japan as shojin ryori. The practice of preparing meals with seasonal vegetables and wild plants from the mountains, served with seaweed, fresh soybean curd (or dehydrated forms), and seeds (such as walnuts, pine nuts and peanuts) is a tradition that is still alive at Zen temples today.

Stemming from the Buddhist precept that it is wrong to kill animals, including fish, shojin ryori is completely vegetarian. Buddhism prescribes partaking of a simple diet everyday and abstaining from drinking alcohol or eating meat. Such a lifestyle, it is thought, together with physical training, clears the mind of confusion and leads to understanding.

In the sixteenth century the Portuguese traders, followed by the Dutch, began to introduce foods such as sugar and corn that were adopted by the Japanese. The use of fried foods such as tempura might seem to be unusual since a scarcity of meat and dairy products in the Japanese diet meant that oil was not commonly used for cooking. However, tempura was enjoyed by many people and is now used for a wide variety of seafood, meats, and vegetables.

Kobe beef is a legendary delicacy of Japan that comes from the capital city of Kobe in the Hyogo prefecture (province) of Japan. Cattle were first introduced into Japan around the second century, brought in from the Asian mainland via the Korean Peninsula. The cattle provided a much-needed source of agricultural power, power to pull the plows for the cultivation of rice, power for the growth of a nation. The Shikoku region received the first imports, but because of rugged terrain and difficult traveling in the region, further migration of the cattle was slow. The cattle were in isolated areas, each essentially a closed population. These herds were developed with an emphasis on quality.

Very protective of the breed, Japan went so far as to have the Wagyu classified as a national treasure. Wagyu produce consistently marbled, low-cholesterol carcasses, recognized as the world’s finest, unmatched for flavor, tenderness, and overall eating quality.

• Wagyu is the Japanese breed of cattle used to produce Kobe, Matzukya, and Hokkido beef and is similar to the Hereford, Holstein, and Angus breeds.
• In order to earn the designation “Kobe beef,” the Wagyu beef must come from the Hyogo province and meet strict production standards imposed by the industry.

In Japan, Kobe beef is occasionally eaten as sushi, but is more frequently eaten as sukiyaki or steak. To cook a Kobe steak properly one should use high heat to sear the steak for a short amount of time.

Since the fat is what gives Kobe beef its exquisite flavor, it is important to cook the steak only to medium rare (at most), since anything more would cause all of the fat to melt away. Most recipes recommend cooking a Kobe steak on the grill or a cast-iron pan, and seasoning only with salt and pepper.

The climate of the Korean peninsula resembles the north central region of the United States: cold winters, warm summers, and long, pleasant autumns.

Because the land is made up mostly of mountains and extends from the North Asian landmass into warmer seas in the south, Korea has many micro environments.

• In the mountainous northeastern part of the country the most famous dishes have wild ferns, mushrooms, and native roots in them. Namul (raw or cooked vegetable or wild green dishes) is one of the most basic side dishes in the Korean diet.
• In the rice-growing valleys of the south, in the region of Chonju city, the best known dish, pibimpap (bibimpap ), is a large bowl of rice covered in a variety of finely sliced vegetables, meats, and a fiery red pepper sauce.

The basic flavors of Korean food include garlic, ginger, black pepper, spring onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, and toasted sesame seed.

The chile, a native to Central and South America, was spread across the world by Portuguese and Spanish merchants. Chiles and chile paste has become an important part of all Korean tables and many food preparations.