Ecology of consumption. Food and drink: What does a typical traditional breakfast in Japan consist of? Well, of course, rice and fish. The richer, the more happy ...
- Where? Where are you going? What about breakfast? Everything is already on the table.
- Then I'll have breakfast.
- When later?
- In the evening!
She was right, my grandmother, blocking my way out of the kitchen, saying:
Breakfast is the foundation upon which you build your day. You know, after all: “Eat breakfast yourself, share lunch with a friend, give dinner to the enemy.
After bucking for the first ten years of my life, I began to live according to my grandmother's precepts.
True, with a small correction: do not give dinner to enemies. They get spoiled and don't quit.
In 2013, UNESCO awarded the Japanese cuisine Washoku the status of cultural heritage. It is surprising that this was not done before, because it is no coincidence that this nation holds the palm for longevity.
I just need to find out their secrets, because I have so much planned that even in seventy years I can’t keep up with it.
Let's start with the main one. From what we will build our day.
What does a typical traditional breakfast in Japan consist of? Yes, of course, rice and fish. The richer, the more happy. There is always rice in the Japanese family. Most often hot in Suihanki, a rice cooker that the Japanese invented in the forties of the last century, and now replicated around the world under the name Multicooker. Or in a ceramic saucepan with two Do-nabe lids. Brewed without oil and salt. Not very sticky, but not crumbly either. Served in a special rice bowl - Chawan.
Unlike Korea, where it is considered bad manners, it is customary in Japan to take a bowl of rice in hand, grabbing rice with chopsticks, sometimes sprinkled with Furikake - dried or salted seaweed, vegetables, sesame seeds, fry or krill. Therefore, the bowl of rice is always placed on the left.
I admire the harmonious system that combines the ergonomics of Japanese dishes, the rules for placing them on the table and the traditional manner of using them. There is a reason for everything and there is an explanation for everything.
The Japanese breakfast differs from the breakfasts of other national cuisines in that a balanced set of several dishes is served at one meal - Tei-shoku, each of which is not customary to use separately. They, like instruments in an orchestra, create harmony together.
The main rule: One to three - Ichi ji san sai. That is, three additional dishes should be served with one cup of rice. One main (usually protein source) and two vegetables.
The second pillar on which the traditional breakfast is based is Yaki-zakana - grilled fish.
All gas stoves produced in Japan are equipped with a grill, because Yaki-zakana, cooked without a drop of oil, occupies such an important place in the Japanese diet.
Seasonality is strictly observed. Each month brings its own variety of fish. Today it is saury. Unlike the one caught in the summer or spring, it is now simply filled with amber fish oil. The fins of the fish are traditionally rubbed with salt.
The aesthetics of serving food on the table has its own canons. One of them, keeping the fins, head and tail intact. This indicates the freshness of the fish (although everything we eat is usually caught within two or three days) and pleases the eye with natural beauty.
So that the skin does not crack, leaving an ugly ragged fracture, it is cut crosswise. First, the side is fried, which will be exposed when served, then the one that will be hidden from the eyes of the eater.
A whole fish always “floats” from right to left, that is, it is served with its nose to a bowl of rice, with its back from the eater. So it looks visually better, in addition, the rules of behavior at the table require eating fish with chopsticks, from left to right. It is more convenient to do this, starting from the head.
Most often, Japanese daikon radish, grated on a very fine grater, is served as an accompaniment to baked fish. The juice is carefully squeezed out, a neat slide is formed, which is located at the tail of the fish. The top of the radish slide is sprinkled with soy sauce.
The third invariable component of breakfast is Miso soup. It cooks faster than fast. Exactly as much as you need to boil water, because all the ingredients are cut very thinly and it takes no more than two minutes to cook them.
Very often, the lack of salt in rice is balanced by pickled, salted or pickled vegetables - Tsuke-mono, which are always in the refrigerator of a Japanese hostess. But their volume does not exceed the size of two thimbles.
A frequent guest on the table during breakfast are soy products. It could be tender Tofu soy cheese or fermented Natto beans, the quiet horror of any foreigner who learns that the table has been served with sticky rotten beans that cannot be brought to the mouth without getting dirty with sticky threads trailing behind chopsticks.
An approximate weekly menu from the repertoire of a working mother.
It took no more than 15 minutes to prepare each of the presented breakfasts.
Option number 1
- Rice with Ume-boshi - pickled green apricot,
- Miso soup with mushrooms
- saury,
- Tofu with ginger and soy sauce.
Option number 2
- Rice sprinkled with dried fry and shrimp,
- Miso soup with Asari shells and green onions,
- Tofu made from sesame seeds and powder from the roots of the Kuchu plant,
- Fermented Natto Beans,
- Barley tea.
Option number 3
- Rice with Hijiki seaweed,
- Pickled daikon radish
- Miso soup with wakame seaweed and tofu,
- Grilled mackerel,
- A piece of Japanese Tamago-Yaki omelet.
Option number 4
- Rice from this year's harvest, boiled with the "gifts of the season": carrots, bamboo, mushrooms, lotus roots, amorphophalus tuber product, spinach and chestnuts,
- Miso soup with seaweed, green onions and dried gluten,
- Keta baked with green peppers and Negi onions,
- Cucumbers marinated in Perilla juice, with ginger and pepper,
- Hanpen is a blend of shark pulp, mountain potatoes and egg whites with daikon radish sprouts.
Option number 5
Ocha-zuke is a quick breakfast option when there is not even five minutes to prepare.
Rice topped with a mixture of dried vegetables, fish flakes, green tea, dried seaweed and Kamaboko fish paste.
It is usually served in the evening, after a hearty meal and serious alcoholic libations, to mitigate the consequences that are devastating to the body.
But the main art of Japanese breakfast is to have time to run away to work, leaving washing dishes, all these "one plus three" plates, multiplied by the number of eaters, to these same eaters. published
Everyone knows that the Japanese are the healthiest and longest-lived nation in the world. This is a great merit of traditional cuisine, which prefers natural products with a minimum of processing. So what do the Japanese eat in everyday life?
Many mistakenly believe that the Japanese eat only sushi and rolls. In fact, their diet is quite diverse:
- Fish: tuna, salmon, mackerel, sea bass, eel, sea bream, pufferfish and many more.
- Seafood: octopus, mussels, shrimp, scallop, sea urchin, squid, crabs.
- Rice. The Japanese call it "gohan".
- Soy and its products: miso, tofu, natto, soy sauce.
- Noodles: Udon (wheat flour, no eggs), ramen (egg and wheat flour), soba (buckwheat flour), rice noodles (rice flour), glass noodles (bean starch).
- Beans.
- Seaweed.
- Meat: beef and pork
- Vegetables: cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, sweet potato, daikon, ginger, asparagus, bamboo shoots.
The Japanese, unlike other Asian peoples, prefer to emphasize the natural taste of food in their cuisine. Therefore, they use few seasonings, practically do not fry, many foods are eaten raw.
A very important place in Japanese cuisine is occupied by table setting and the culture of eating. The Japanese eat with chopsticks, all dishes are served in small portions in a certain order. There are rules on how to eat this or that dish.
Europeans often wonder why the Japanese don't eat with forks. This is due to the fact that chopsticks (called "hashi" in Japan) appeared in Asia much earlier than other cutlery. Initially, chopsticks were used only for cooking and were eaten with the hands. The Japanese have been using hashi for food for thousands of years. In addition, the sticks are made from natural materials. Since they can capture a small amount of food, this contributes to better digestion.
In Japan, it is believed that there should be three meals and each of them must have rice.
What do Japanese people eat for breakfast?
Modern Japanese often eat European cuisine, including for breakfast. But a traditional Japanese breakfast is:
- Boiled rice and natto. Natto is soybeans that are seasoned with sauce and placed on top of rice. Since natto is very rich in vegetable protein and satisfies hunger for a long time, this dish is popular for breakfast.
- Tamago-yaki is an omelet rolled into a roll. It differs from the usual tamago-yaki omelette in that a little soy sauce with added sugar is poured into it.
- Misoshiru is a soup made from miso bean paste. Tofu, wakame seaweed and other ingredients are used for its preparation. The composition of the soup largely depends on the season and region of residence of the Japanese.
- Tsukemono - pickled vegetables. Each type of vegetable has its own pickling method. Since vegetables are not subjected to heat treatment, they retain all the beneficial substances. Now, much less salt is added to tsukemono than before.
- Tea. Most people in Japan drink green tea. No meal is complete without tea.
Despite the variety of dishes, they are served in a very small volume. It is noteworthy that the Japanese practically do not eat bread and butter, even for breakfast. Soy products are very nutritious and provide energy for a long time.
What do Japanese people eat for lunch?
The Japanese prefer light meals. Its basis, of course, is rice. It is served with fish, which can be raw, grilled or marinated. Lunch can be supplemented with boiled vegetables or salads. Rice vinegar or soy sauce are used as dressings in salads. Mayonnaise is almost never used in traditional cuisine. Tea is drunk at the end of the dinner.
Now in Japan, more and more western influences are felt. Therefore, you can often meet young Japanese eating fast food.
What do Japanese people eat for dinner?
The Japanese dine quite tightly. Standard dinner includes:
- Rice or noodles.
- Soup. The Japanese are very fond of soups. The most common are misoshira and suimono (clear soups). They can be fish, meat, vegetable. For most soups, all ingredients and broth are boiled separately from each other and combined just before serving. It is noteworthy that the Japanese eat soups with chopsticks, first catching pieces of vegetables and meat. Then drink the broth straight from the cup.
- Meat or fish in any form.
- Vegetables that can be steamed.
- Pickled snacks - tsukemono.
- Dessert, which is eaten as traditional Japanese sweets - wagashi. There are many varieties of wagashi. For their preparation, rice or legumes, sweet potatoes, gelatin, chestnuts, herbs and fruits are used. They have a specific taste and are absolutely not similar to European sweets.
- Green tea.
Of course, the menu of the Japanese depends on personal preferences and customs of the family.
The article talks about what the Japanese usually eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, what dishes are most popular and what products are used to prepare them. Some traditions associated with eating are also described.
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Residents of the Land of the Rising Sun remain slender and fit until old age! This is because their daily food is low in calories and rich in iodine (it increases the level of metabolism), the portions are small, and instead of spoons and forks - sticks that you can’t grab much.
You can go on any diet and still eat everything after it ends, but the Japanese Diet can become a lifestyle. And then you will no longer want to return to eating junk food!
The main secret of the harmony of the Japanese diet is to pay more attention not to the quantity of what you cook, but to its quality, the design of dishes, the dining table.
A few nuances:
In Japan, great importance is given to the design of the dish! What is beautifully laid out seems to taste better, even if it's spinach, which you can't stand. After all, a person who is on a diet often does not eat what he likes, but what contributes to weight loss. And these dishes are not always tasty!
To be slim and healthy, you need not only to cook food correctly - without oil, sugar, from low-calorie foods - but also with mood. So, the mood for the hostess is the main thing. The dish actively absorbs the energy of the one who prepares it. After all, it happens to everyone: everything seems to have been done according to the recipe, but in a hurry. And when you try it, do you understand that the food is some kind of plastic? Yes, because you didn’t put your soul into it! Therefore, if you cook in an irritated state, it is better to throw away the food right away: it will be poorly digested, deposited on the waist and hips with extra pounds and, which is good, will plant the seeds of disease in the body. Everything must be done with the soul, experiencing the pleasure of what you are doing, then the result will be wonderful.
It is also important that the dishes match what is in it. We place the main portion in the middle, and along the edge we create a drawing, an edible frame: we get a real picture on a plate that conveys the natural aesthetics of Japanese cuisine. Eat a work of culinary art with your eyes and, before sending a crumb to your mouth, you understand: it will melt on your tongue, giving you pleasure!
An important part of Japanese cooking is also the art of curly cutting of food before serving (food is no longer cut on the table and the knife is not included in the cutlery), as well as the art of serving. Dishes are often served in such a way that before eaters, especially if they are foreigners who first came to Japan, the question arises - which parts of the dish are edible and which are decoration.
In the "Japanese diet" large plates are avoided - all food is served on small plates and bowls. Dinner in the "Japanese diet" is the smallest portion of food per day. Studies show that a person tends to eat the entire serving of food, no matter how big it is, and no matter how hungry we are - so make portions smaller.
The difference between the portions that Russians and Japanese are used to eating is as obvious as the benefits of food restrictions for the figure. When you look at the mass of tiny cups, bottles, saucers, teapots, these microscopic dishes, as if intended for midgets, it seems that the Japanese eat more for fun and entertainment than to satisfy hunger.
In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we eat on the run - 5-10 minutes and the plates are empty. The Japanese eat slowly, picking up food with chopsticks. Do not be lazy, buy Japanese chopsticks and learn how to eat them. Even if you do not fully comply with the Japanese diet, you will still have a wonderful skill that you will remember more than once in your life - in a Japanese restaurant or on a trip.
And finally, the most important principle of the Japanese diet is a minimum of cooking. The more you cook, stew, fry, the longer you salt and marinate, the less valuable substances remain in the product.
Basic table manners:
- Every Japanese, before eating, utters words of gratitude (itadakimasu) to the gods or the owner of the house for food, then, using a damp hot oshibori towel, cleans his hands, and, if necessary, his face. According to tradition, Japanese food can be taken with your hands, which is why it is important that they are perfectly clean. Then they start eating.
- In some cases, all dishes are served in a separate dish for each, sometimes a small snack is laid out on one common dish, from which everyone can transfer their favorite food to their plate with the help of chopsticks.
- It is important to remember that according to etiquette, picking up a “common” plate is not decent. If dishes with a lid were used during the meal, then the bowl must be covered after the dish has been eaten from it. The meal can be considered complete only if all the rice has been eaten to the last grain, and words of gratitude for the food (desita) have also been said.
Food sticks:
Traditional Japanese cuisine involves the use of chopsticks. And it is important to note that all dishes are prepared in such a way that they are convenient to eat with chopsticks. In most cases, chopsticks are made from wood (bamboo, pine, cypress, plum, maple, sandalwood, etc.), but metal, ivory, or even plastic can also serve as a material for them.
According to legend, honorary citizens in the imperial palace in China used chopsticks made of silver to eat, but it was later found out that this was dangerous. Meanwhile, the use of chopsticks is a whole science with a lot of subtleties.
So, for example, using sticks is unacceptable:
- move plates, bowls or bowls;
- point to other participants in the meal or objects;
- ask for an extra portion of rice;
- pass food.
- In addition, according to the culture of Japanese cuisine, it is considered indecent to take any objects in one hand along with chopsticks, as well as pinch them in a fist or put them across the bowl. In many ways, these rules are related to Japanese customs, both related and non-cuisine.
An interesting fact is that chopsticks originally appeared not in Japan, but in China and were made from bamboo in those days. The bamboo trunk was divided into two parts, resulting in a kind of tongs, with which it was convenient to take food. Even in those days, only aristocrats could use chopsticks, while ordinary people and peasants ate food with their hands.
To date, the vast majority of adherents of Japanese cuisine use chopsticks, and consider them indispensable. From an early age, children are taught to eat with chopsticks, because they not only develop fine motor skills of the hands, but also help improve mental abilities. With chopsticks, you can easily take small portions of food, such as sushi.
The main food of "Japanese cuisine":
Rice- the basis of the menu of the Japanese diet. The Japanese diet includes a large amount of rice on the menu - on this diet, you need to eat rice 7 times more often than usual. A small handful of rice is served with every meal, even for breakfast. Rice is low in fat, but it is rich in carbohydrates - in the end, you will saturate the body, and it will not require cookies and other harmful carbohydrates. For faster weight loss on the Japanese diet, it is better to eat rice in the form in which the Japanese eat it - without vegetable or butter. Rice is cooked in Japan without adding salt, fat and other ingredients, preferring to sprinkle it with flavoring seasonings later - during meals. Usually at the table, it is served with spicy-salty or spicy-sweet seasonings. During cooking, do not stir the rice and wait until all the water has boiled away. Ready-made rice, which, by the way, is called "gohan" in Japanese, should be dry in appearance - it should not be liquid or mushy and drip off a spoon if you scoop it from a pot. Rice should be soft and free to separate from each other, but not crumble. Therefore, not any variety of rice is suitable for cooking Japanese rice. Such rice, when cooked, has a weak stickiness and sticks together in lumps, which are convenient to take with chopsticks (“hashi”).
Rice is also used to prepare amazingly delicious sweet desserts, which are enjoyed with pleasure not only by adults, but also by children.
The word "gohan" ("boiled rice") in Japanese also means "food". Similarly, in Russian the word “bread” from ancient times meant not only “baked dough product”, but also food in general, “Our daily bread ...” In medieval Japan, rice not only symbolized food as a general concept, but also prosperity in the house and was the equivalent of money.
In traditional Japan, "koku" - the amount of rice one adult needs to live for a year (about 180 liters) was the main measure of wealth. The "salary" of service samurai was also determined in koku and was given out in rice.
Sushi, rolls and sassimis:
The main delight of Japanese cuisine is raw fish dishes, the most popular of which (not only for the Japanese, but also for residents of European countries) is sushi. To prepare sushi, the fish is not subjected to heat treatment, this is necessary to preserve its natural taste.
Cooking sushi is a whole science, because for this dish it is necessary not only to cook rice in a special way, but also to be able to properly decorate the dish. In Japanese cuisine, this dish is divided into two main subspecies: sushi and rolls. The difference lies in their cooking method. Sushi is a small oval-shaped lump of rice on which seafood is placed. In some cases, they can be secured with a thin strip of algae.
In turn, when preparing rolls, it is necessary to lay out seafood and rice in layers on a sheet of seaweed, then roll into a thin dense roll and cut across into slices.
Currently, the range of dishes is constantly expanding and many sashimi lovers have appeared, i.e. thinly sliced raw seafood served on a flat plate with chopped vegetables. Fish, octopus, squid, etc. can serve as seafood for this dish, and the “cushion” of vegetables traditionally consists of cucumbers, white radishes, etc.
Seaweed, warm and cold salads:
Salads of Japanese cuisine deserve no less respect; they can be conditionally divided into three main varieties.
The first is warm salads, which combine vegetables and seafood, slightly warmed over a fire. Usually these salads are seasoned with special sauces.
The second type of salads are cold, most often they consist exclusively of vegetables, such as cabbage, ginger, radishes or cucumbers, seasoned with soy sauce.
The third variety of salads is various variations with sea kale, using its various varieties. When preparing seaweed salads, either one or several varieties can be used at the same time.
Invariably, these salads are complemented by spicy sauces prepared using ginger, wasabi and nuts.
Vegetables- Another important component of the recipes of the Japanese diet. Almost all types of Japanese wild and garden plants are eaten - carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, lettuce, Japanese horseradish ("wasabi"), large Japanese white radish ("daikon"), bamboo in the form of young shoots, lotus, sweet potato and many others - usually they are commonly used in sauces and condiments. Vegetables are most often stewed in a seasoned spicy broth, quickly fried with constant stirring in a small amount of oil, this cooking method retains the maximum amount of nutrients. The menu of the Japanese diet may include beans, zucchini, peppers, onions, tomatoes, eggplant, burdock, lettuce, carrots, spinach, bamboo root, beets, lotus root, daikon (similar to white radish), turnips, shiitake mushrooms (shiitake ), sweet potatoes, seaweed (norii, kombu, wakame). Not a single meal is complete without 4-5 vegetable dishes, and no one seems strange to have vegetable soup or salad for breakfast.
Fish… The menu of the "Japanese diet" contains fish, of course, especially oily fish, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines and herring beloved by the Japanese - an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids that improve heart function and uplifting mood.
Despite the fact that only 2% of the world's population lives in Japan, the Japanese eat more than 10% of the world's fish catch. This fish obsession has another benefit: the Japanese eat less lamb and beef, which contains saturated fats that clog pores and can lead to obesity and heart disease. It is not customary to fry fish and other seafood in our understanding of the word - that is, to subject it to deep heat treatment, as in European or even neighboring Chinese cuisine. Usually they are only lightly fried, stewed, steamed or served almost raw ("sashimi"). Therefore, they are easily digestible and retain most of their taste. A popular method of non-thermal cooking of fish is soaking in vinegar (marinade).
Soya. The menu of the Japanese diet includes fiber-rich products made from natural soy. Tofu and green edamame beans are great alternatives to meat, as they are virtually free of saturated fat - as long as you don't overdo it, of course. For the breakfast of the Japanese diet, as well as for lunch and dinner, one must-eat one soy dish, such as miso soup (miso - fermented soybeans) and pieces of tofu.
Also from China came to Japan noodles, which comes in three varieties: "udon" - flat or round noodles made from wheat flour, "soba" - noodles made from buckwheat flour and "ramen" - noodles cooked in meat or vegetable broth.
Dessert on the menu of the "Japanese diet":
A typical Japanese dessert is an assortment of peeled and chopped fruits arranged beautifully on an elegant plate. The Japanese drink green tea, which is served both at the dinner table and separately, as a drink that quenches thirst. It is not customary to add sugar to tea, most often sweets are served with tea, the recipes of which are countless in traditional Japanese confectionery!
Of the traditional alcoholic beverages, the most famous sake- weak rice vodka. Of course, modern Japanese people know almost all alcoholic drinks that are known to us - vodka, whiskey, wine and, of course, beer.
The influence of European cuisine and later the influence of Chinese cuisine brought beef and pork to Japanese cuisine, which were not previously eaten due to the prohibition of the Buddhist religion, as well as dairy products. But now those times are in the distant past, and in every Japanese grocery supermarket today you can find a huge selection of meat of various varieties, as well as a variety of dairy products.
Traditional Japanese cuisine varies by season and region. Each season has its own special food, and each prefecture in Japan has dishes that are not known elsewhere. Japanese traveling around the country often bring home small packages of exotic "culinary souvenirs" as gifts to their families.
There is even a special - originally Japanese travel "lunch for travelers" called "bento", when rice with other dishes per person is served inside a small rectangular or round box. The bento box is very convenient to use on the go, because it combines the functions of a food container and, when opened, a plate that is convenient to eat on the go.
The "Japanese Diet" is not a diet, it is a way of life and a healthy diet.
A few simple changes - and the "Japanese diet" will become even healthier. First of all, replace white rice with brown. A traditional original Japanese dish, brown rice is a great source of fiber and "healthy carbs". After that, reduce your intake of salt, which is very abundant in traditional Japanese dishes - this is due to the widespread use of soy and pickled vegetables.
Whenever possible, try to choose low-sodium miso soup, soy sauce, and teriyaki sauce - and even then, limit yourself to a small amount of soup or sauce. For example, for a sushi roll, two or three drops of sauce with low sodium.
A few rules:
- Breakfast for the Japanese is practically dinner, that is, a full meal - rice, fish, miso soup.
- Eat rice instead of bread.
- Eliminate all sauces, oils and dressings.
- Do not think that you are on a diet, try to eat well, but do not overeat.
- Eat more fish and seafood.
- The 7 basics of the Japanese diet menu - fish, vegetables, rice, soy, Japanese noodles, tea and fruits. Lots of tea and water!
Japanese Cooking Tips:
To make the dish less high-calorie, do not pour oil into the pan, but just coat pieces of meat / fish with it on both sides.
Even considering that a Japanese dinner, unlike a Russian one, never consists of three courses (there are more!), everything that is required is prepared in just half an hour. Imagine what a saving of time and effort, not to mention the benefits for the figure!
Order of eating:
Speaking about the order of eating dishes, it is worth noting that it is customary to eat rice, holding a bowl in your hand, and to lift noodles from a bowl with chopsticks, various sushi, rolls and other lumpy dishes are recommended to be eaten at a time, i.e. put in your mouth whole. When eating soup, first solid pieces of food, such as mushrooms or cheese, are taken out of it with the help of chopsticks, and the remaining broth is drunk over the edge or with a spoon.
It is important to note that according to the etiquette of Japanese cuisine, men can eat both with their hands and with the help of chopsticks, women are deprived of this opportunity - they have the right to use only chopsticks.
Japanese cuisine, like the Land of the Rising Sun itself, can rightfully be called one of the most amazing and unusual. Laws are based on close interaction with nature, submission to it, creating harmony in every moment of life. Introduction to the culture of Japanese cuisine and regular consumption of national dishes is the first step towards longevity and inner balance.
One of the secrets of Japanese longevity lies in their diet.. The traditional diet in most cases is a recipe for a long life. What types of food and what combinations of ingredients allow people to live longer?
Traditional Japanese table, part of the national culture since ancient times, is attracting more and more attention from abroad, especially from the West. beneficial to health, it provides people with many substances that prevent cell aging. Thanks to their diet, the Japanese slow down the aging process more than the rest of the people on the planet. Many of them, despite their age, look surprisingly young for their age. Try eat in Japanese At least for some time you will feel lightness in the body and positive changes in the state of health. If you don’t have the opportunity, time or desire to cook your own food, look through one to find the one closest to you Japanese restaurant and keep it up.
DIET: rice, one soup, three-ingredient dishes
Japanese diet based on what we call ichi ju san sai- three component dishes that are served with miso soup and the main dish, boiled rice. Three-component dishes consist of one main and two small dishes. This uniform was developed by the army during the Muromachi period (from the 14th to the 16th century) and has become the standard up to the present day.
The main part of the dish is non-vegetable protein, usually fish. The fish can be served raw, in the form of, or lightly boiled or fried according to one of the many recipes. One of the two small dishes, usually boiled and seasoned, may include taro potatoes, carrots, burdock root, or kombu seaweed. The second small dish may contain natto (fermented soybeans), tofu, boiled beans, boiled vegetables soaked in soy broth, or ingredients seasoned with sweet vinegar. The meal is always served with pickled vegetables - vegetables in bran rice paste or pickled Japanese umeboshi plums.
Ingredients usually depend on the season. The Japanese love to eat seasonal food., because fresh food tastes better, and also because it's easier to convey the taste of food without complicating the recipe. Fresh food does not need seasoning or long cooking time, and most of the vital vitamins and nutrients are retained. easy to prepare and full of natural nutrients.
A TREASURE OF NUTRITION FOR LONGEVITY AND ENERGY
The main food, rice, contains lecithin, a well-known brain activator, an oligosaccharide that restores the intestines, and camma-aminobutyric acid, which helps stabilize blood pressure. would not be what it is without soybeans and soy products: it is miso bean paste, tofu, abura-age(fried tofu), boiled soybeans nimame and fermented natto. Soybeans are 35% protein, about the same as meat, which is why they are called meat from the garden. They also contain certain types of polyphenols and isoflavones. This type of food receives the most attention in Japan because, similar to some female hormones, they not only prevent loss, but even increase bone mass. This is good news for middle-aged women who are concerned about osteoporosis. It is also believed that soybeans slow down the aging of human cells. And the sticky, gooey substance in fermented natto soybeans is helpful in preventing blood clots from forming in blood vessels.
miso soup It is made from miso, a paste made from fermented soybeans rich in amino acids. Essentially, it's an amino acid soup! It has been bringing longevity to the Japanese for centuries. Ingredients added to the soup include vegetables, tofu, and seaweed, excellent sources of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and dietary fiber. Fish contains DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which is important for improving memory and learning abilities. It also contains EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), well known as a blood circulation enhancer. There are many more healthy, nutritious ingredients in Japanese cuisine. Here are three of them: black sesame seeds, which stimulate brain activity, pickled Japanese umeboshi plums, which purify the blood, and green tea, which helps prevent cell aging. - a true treasure trove full of secrets of longevity and eternal youth.
Green tea
The Japanese, especially the older generations, drink green tea many times a day. Catechin, an astringent ingredient in green tea, helps prevent cell oxidation, cancer, and age-related diseases. Research has shown that cancer death rates in Shizuoka Prefecture, where it is grown in huge quantities, are 20% lower than the country as a whole.
Natto
Soybeans are boiled and then fermented with the natto fungus that grows in the beans. The result is a sticky, viscous substance containing the vital enzyme nattokinase, which prevents blood clots from forming in blood vessels. During the fermentation process, the bean protein is converted into an amino acid, which makes the protein easier to digest.
Sesame
Two of the many ways to eat sesame seeds are to sprinkle them on rice balls, or to grind them up and use them as a seasoning for vegetables. The shell of the black sesame seed contains a pigment called anthocyanin, which can slow down the aging process of cells.
sardines
Hearty and cheap sardines are popular on the Japanese table. The best way to provide the diet with calcium is to dry the sardines in the sun, roast them, and then eat them whole, head and all. They contain DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and a large amount of nucleic acid, all of which prevent memory loss and dementia.
Umeboshi (pickled Japanese plum)
Japanese ume plums marinated with salt, dried, mixed with liver leaves, and then marinated again. They are hidden inside rice balls (one for each ball) or eaten as a tea snack. Umeboshi are quite acidic, so when you chew them, salivation increases in your mouth. Human saliva contains large amounts of a hormone called parotin, which is thought to slow down the aging process.
Kombu Seaweed Tsukudani
Tsukudani is seaweed, fish and shellfish, seasoned with soy sauce and mirin boiled in sweet sake with sugar. Tsukudani keeps well. It has a distinct flavor, so it goes well with regular rice. When kombu seaweed is soaked in water, it releases a sticky substance. This substance contains not only fucoidan, which strengthens the immune system and lowers cholesterol levels, but also alginic acid, which removes toxic substances from the intestines.
Eat Fish and Live Longer: Research from SIGA University of Health Sciences
Health studies conducted from 1980 to 1999 showed that people who eat fish at least once every two days are 30% less likely to die from a disease such as heart disease or paralysis compared to people who eat fish less often. once a week.
"Fat Japanese" is a combination of incongruous. In Japan, in general, the percentage of obesity is low - 3.5%, women do not contribute to this number.
We know that genes influence fullness, but nutrition is the main thing. Therefore, men all over the world look with admiration at Japanese women, and women ask themselves the question: how to eat right in order to be slim like a Japanese woman.
What do Japanese women eat?
Rice is the traditional basis of many Japanese dishes and the main meal of the Japanese. The peculiarity of the national diet: rice is not salted, oil is not poured into it, usually it is soaked before boiling and boiled very little.
Fish and seafood is also a tradition. Japanese women may not eat meat, but fish is on the table every day. There is a huge advantage here - you are unlikely to get fat from fish, but the benefits are great: omega-3 fatty acids for youth and prevention of heart disease, iodine for the thyroid gland, phosphorus for the nervous system.
How to eat right so as not to get fat
Secret #1: Small Portions
The tradition of Japanese food is to eat many dishes, but in very small portions. The Japanese eat more often, taking food with you is the norm. Moreover, these are not our plastic dishes, but small boxes, those who eat at work often take several with them.
Even restaurants serve small portions, which seem ridiculous to a Russian.
Secret number 2: no fried
In everyday life, the Japanese do not eat fried foods. Most often, everything is steamed, boiled. Although as an element there can be, for example, tomatoes fried in a pan, peeled off - and ready-made dressing, which can hardly be called fried.
Secret #3: Soy
There are many soy-based dishes in Japanese cuisine: sauces, soy milk, tofu cheese. Like this: a lot of protein without animal food.
Secret #4: Lots of vegetables
The Japanese cannot imagine food without vegetables. Vegetables are eaten both stewed and fresh: radish, lettuce, cabbage, bamboo and lotus roots. And, most importantly, all this even without vegetable oil. If it's a salad, then soy or balsamic vinegar. Fresh vegetables do not need dressing.
Secret number 5: only fresh!
The Japanese do not even understand the purchase of food for several days, and even Russian borscht for three days or cutlets for a week will terrify them. Any Japanese would rather get up early and cook breakfast in the morning than warm up yesterday.
But the Japanese are easier, all their dishes do not require long cooking. By the way, men can cook both breakfast and lunch. This is not considered unusual.
Secret #6: Lots of Green Tea
Green tea is a traditional Japanese drink. The tea ceremony is the norm. It is for her that the time for breaks is allotted, and not for smoke breaks. Tea is drunk several times a day, more often - green.
Secret #7: Unsweetened Sweet
A Japanese dessert is unlikely to please a Russian. There are no biscuits and butter creams. In Japan, even the most popular type of ice cream is made from rice! Desserts are low calorie.
And how do they live? Believe me, habit is very important. Give up fat for a long time. Then fatty foods will seem tasteless to you. A Japanese child will not eat our cake, he will say that it is not tasty.
Secret number 8: a special relationship with food
Food is the basis of spiritual growth. Animal food does not allow development. The less we eat, the purer our thoughts. Familiar? It seems that Christianity preaches the same attitude to food. But we have lost our roots: our lazy mind doesn’t want to fast, but it’s a pleasure to eat delicious food.
Hence our problems.
So how to eat right to look like a Japanese? Limit yourself in food, eat in small portions, a lot of vegetables and less meat, often fish, rarely sweets.
Is there something here that we don't know? Hardly. It turns out that the problems are not on the table, but in the head ...
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