{"id":29724,"date":"2018-01-11T16:00:45","date_gmt":"2018-01-11T16:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/?p=29724"},"modified":"2023-05-31T00:55:39","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T00:55:39","slug":"washoku-traditional-japanese-cuisine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/washoku-traditional-japanese-cuisine\/","title":{"rendered":"Explore the world of Washoku, the traditional Japanese cuisine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Traditional Japanese cuisine<\/strong> is known as washoku<\/em> (\u548c\u98df)<\/span>. The kanji characters forming the word is comprised of <\/span>\u548c <\/span>(wa<\/span>), meaning Japanese, or harmony, and <\/span>\u98df <\/span>(shoku<\/span>), meaning food or to eat. <\/span><\/p>\n

Wa is one of the core traditional values in Japanese culture. The word washoku<\/strong> not only signifies Japanese food but symbolizes the harmonious nature of Japanese cuisine. The harmony of fresh ingredients combined with a few simple staple seasonings make up the majority of Japanese dishes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shoku can mean both food and the action of eating, but further, the culture of eating. The Japanese culture places great importance in the act of eating. Seasonality is well reflected in the Japanese cuisine, and the peak season of a particular ingredient is said to be in its shun (<\/span>\u65ec<\/span>), and is most enjoyed during the short period of time during the year. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that Japanese food is also<\/span> often called <\/span>nihonshoku <\/span><\/i>(<\/span>\u65e5\u672c\u98df<\/span>) or \u201cJapan-food,\u201d translated verbatim. <\/span>Nihonryori <\/span><\/i>(<\/span>\u65e5\u672c\u6599\u7406<\/span>) is another common term, meaning \u201cJapanese cuisine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ichijyu Sansai <\/b><\/h2>\n

Washoku is based on the notion of <\/span>ichijyu sansai <\/i><\/strong>(<\/span>\u4e00\u6c41\u4e09\u83dc<\/span>), which means \u201cone soup and three sides.\u201d A bowl of steamed plain white rice is considered the staple main dish to each meal. <\/span>Tsukemono <\/span><\/i>(<\/span>\u6f2c\u7269<\/span>), or Japanese pickles is also part of the base of the meal. As rice and pickles are always included, they are omitted from the ichijyu sansai term.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The typical washoku structure<\/strong>, all in separate small dishes: <\/span><\/p>\n