This page includes further information about the Obon Food such. as where it originates from and why it's part of the Obon Festival menu. For more information about the food including Vegetarian and Vegan Options, please go to the "List of Vegetarian and Vegan Items" at the bottom of the page.
The name for this in Japan is "Gyukushiyaki" (Literally, Cooked Beef Skewers). Thin slices of beef sirloin is hand skewered, marinated in our secret teriyaki sauce overnight and cooked over coals. It is a perfect complement for a cold drink. This recipe hearkens back to the 70s where we realized that we had to serve something different from the beef teriyaki that the restaurants were serving.
Quarter chickens are trimmed, marinated in our secret teriyaki sauce for several days and barbecued over a low charcoal heat to create our famous Teriyaki Chicken. A version of this recipe has been the cornerstone for many fundraisers at Buddhist temples including the Morgan Hill Buddhist Church. But we think this version is the best Obon chicken in Northen California. (Actually every Obon says that.) Interestingly, this style of BBQ chicken is relatively uncommon in Japan and often only seen in the countryside or at festivals
Many people ask "Why do you have corn at a Japanese Festival?"
Two reasons:
In Japan, "tomorokoshi" (corn) is actually a summer festival staple.
Corn was another early crop by the Japanese American farmers in the Santa Clara Valley.
Our corn is from the Sacramento Valley area and is picked fresh and delivered on the day of the Obon Festival.
Kewpie Corn is an invention of Marty who runs the Corn Booth with the corn slathered in butter and Kewpie mayonnaise and coated with nori furikake.
Dan Gordon who founded Gordon-Biersch Brewing lived in the San Jose Japantown when he was young. So when he wanted to establish his own brewery, Japantown was the natural location. He remembered coming to Obon when he was young, so it was natural to offer his beer at the San Jose Obon Festival. Dan's been a fantastic friend of the Festival over many years.
Japanese pan-fried dumpling are also known as potstickers and are descended from the Chinese jiaozi which tend to have thicker skin. It is first pan fried in oil, then steamed to cook the rest of the way. This results in crispy skin at parts while other parts are tender. Our version is technically called Yokohama style with a combination of cabbage, pork and onion.
Ingredients:
Filling: Cabbage, Pork, Onion, Soy Sauce, Sesame Seed Oil, Salt, Garlic, Sugar, MSG, Spices
Wrapper: Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour, Water, Food Starch, Salt, Soybean Oil
Inari is the fox "kami" in Japanese mythology and is a protector of the rice fields as it hunts the field mice. The main Inari shrine is in Fushimi near Kyoto and is famous for its many red torii gates. Inari Zushi are thought to look like fox ears.
Ingredients:
Age (Fried Tofu made from soy beans), Rice, White Sesame Seeds, Su (Water, Sugar, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Rice Starch, Caramel Color, Salt, Kelp Extract)
Red bean paste ("an") is coarsely grated and cooked with sugar. Then after it is cooled, the an is wrapped in a flour dough and steamed. Typically during Obon the white mushi manju is served. Manju are common gifts in Japan to bring back home especially when you visit a temple.
Ingredients:
Flour, Bisquick (Flour, Shortening, Salt, Sugar, Baking Powder), Baking Powder, Salt, Simple Syrup (Sugar, Water, Food Coloring)
There are four main noodles in Japanese cuisine: udon, soba, somen and ramen. Ramen is considered the newest with it arriving in Japan in the early 20th century. The word comes from the Chinese word "lamian" meaning "pulled noodles" and the dish originated in Yokohama especially after World War II. Today, there are many varieties arising from many different parts of Japan. Some of the more well known are: Yokohama with its salt flavored konbu broth (shio), Tokyo with its soy sauce flavored broth (shoyu), Hokkaido with its miso and Hakata's pork bone broth (tonkotsu).
Ingredients:
Tonkotsu Broth: Water, Pork Paitan (Concentrated Pork Stock, Pork Fat, Salt), Salt, Sugar, Soy Sauce, Pork Fat, Concentrated Pork Stock, MSG, Garlic Puree, Concentrated Chicken Stock, Xanthan Gum, Distilled Vinegar, Disodium5'-inosinate Disodium 5'-Guanylate, Spice. Contains: Wheat, Soybeans.
Konbu Shoyu Broth: Soy Sauce, Water, Sigar, Salt Soybean Oil, MSG Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Kelp (Konbu) Extract, Organic Tamari Soy Sauce Powder, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavors, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Caramel Color, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Disodium Succinate. Contains: Wheat, Soybean
Many people ask why we sell Strawberry Shortcake. They are correct that it's not necessarily Japanese. However, it is quintessentially Japanese-American here in Santa Clara Valley. At the turn of the century, the Driscoll Company and other large strawberry growers started to hire Japanese workers for working in their strawberry farms especially in the North Valley areas. This was the start of Japanese immigrants coming into this area. This would repeat itself after World War II when these companies moved their operations to Watsonville and Salinas and and brought over workers from Japan to work in their farms.
Our strawberries are freshly picked and trucked over from a grower in Watsonville who has provided the strawberries for over twenty years.
Although the earliest record of Sushi is from 300 BCE, what eventually came to be called "Nigiri Sushi" was invented in 1824 in Tokyo where seafood is placed on hand-pressed vinegared rice. It was considered fast food by the middle class of the time since it could be eaten with one hand while standing. and was a natural extension of the the "Ongiri" (rice ball)
Makizushi (rolls) are older than Nigiri Sushi, but California Rolls which are surimi (imitation crab) and avocado wrapped in a rice and nori were invented sometimes in the late 70s, (By its name, in California, but there are claims for being its birthplace from Los Angeles and Vancouver, BC. ) Spicy Tuna Rolls are even a more recent invention with the mixing of spice mixes (originally, it was ichimi peppers) with chopped tuna.
Oshizushi is where vinegared rice is layered with different items and pressed in a form and later cut into portions.
Chirashi or Barazushi are mixed forms of sushi where items are either mixed in or simply laid on top of flavored rice. Being labor intensive, we don't sell either at the Obon Festival. (The BWA does a Chirashi Zushi fundraiser during the year - usually in the Spring)
Tempura is said to have originated by the batter fried fish that the Portuguese traders made in Nagasaki. Its name comes from the Latin word "tempora" which is a reference to the Catholic Lent which the Portuguese observed. The Portuguese often ate "pexinhos da horta" which was fish that was heavily battered and fried during these times. Its popularity skyrocketed when it was introduced to Tokyo in the 17th century. Typically fish and vegetables are lightly battered in a flour, egg. and cold water mixture and quickly fried so that the coating is still fluffy but the exterior crispy.
Vegan
Buddhist Temple Salad (Order the no-chicken version)
Corn (Order w/o butter or toppings)
Inari Zushi (Our version does not use katsuo dashi (bonito stock))
Mushi/Yaki Manju
White Rice
Vegetarian
Corn with butter
Strawberry Shortcake
Vegetarian including Egg
Imagawayaki
Kewpie Corn (Order w/o furikake)
Tempura - All Veggie