Tsukemono, together with methods of drying food, is produced by a means of processing food that is as old as the human race. In Japan, mainly vegetables are prepared as tsukemono either by mixing with salt or by dipping in rice bran. Rice bran is the powder produced of the outer coat of rice when refining it and is rich in vitamin B1. Cucumbers, Chinese cabbages or eggplants as pickled vegetables are necessary ingredients of Japanese food.
Wagashi is a general term for characteristically Japanese confectionery, which can be divided into two large categories, dry and unbaked confections. In particular, wagashi served on the occasion of the tea ceremony are made keeping in mind flavors that will bring out the taste of the tea, and the artistic aspects of color and shape are developed so that they can be appreciated visually as well. Wagashi are mostly made to be sweet, using rice cakes and sugar as ingredients, and also with close attention to their texture against the teeth and tongue.
These are the most popular Japanese confectionery. They are made from glutinous rice and wheat flour. The dough is stretched thinly into circles or squares of about seven to eight centimeters, or put into molds, then baked; taste is supplied by baking it with soy sauce applied or by mixing it with sesame and salt. Senbei were perfected in the Edo Period(1603-1867) and there are various kinds throughout Japan. Thinly-cut, dried rice cake called kakimochi is considered one kind of senbei.
Brewed with rice and water, this is a Japanese alcoholic beverage since ancient times. Because it can be drunk warmed up, intoxication comes on more quickly and in winter it warms the body. When drunk cold, good sake has a taste similar to fine quality wine. As a result, there are some kinds of sake that have won prizes when submitted for exhibition at European wine competitions. Some kinds of sake are mass-produced and sold throughout Japan, however, there are local sake breweries in every region across the country, which make their respective characteristic tastes based on the quality of rice and water and differences in brewing processes. This kind of sake is called "jizake"(locally brewed sake), and has played the main role in the recent sake boom. With the alcohol concentration of around 15%, it is comparatively easy to drink, resulting in increasing numbers of female fans.
In contrast to sake, which is brewed, shochu is distilled liquor. The technique of distilling was developed in Arabia in the eleventh century and brought to the East in the thirteenth century. The raw materials are mainly wheat, rice, corn and sweet potatoes, and the alcohol concentration is high at about 30 to 45%. It is not as popular as sake, but in Western Japan each region has its own shochu, the most famous being "awamori" from Okinawa. The law allows the use of shochu to make plum or apple liquor for home consumption.
White, concentrated sake is called shirozake. The manufacturing process is different from regular sake; it is made by blending a sweet kind of sake and low-class distilled spirits with steamed glutinous rice and rice malt. It is not a regular alcoholic beverage; with its sweetness, it is mostly drunk by women and girls on special days like the Doll's Festival. Meanwhile, amazake also has a sweet taste and is served mainly at Shinto shrines for New Year's and other festivals, and is also drunk in homes in the cold winter. This sake is brewed by blending malted rice with rice gruel.
Cha was originally produced in the temperate, tropical regions of Southeast Asia. The Japanese word cha has the same derivation as, for example, the English word "tea" and the French word "thé. In the same way as the British people make black tea part of their daily lives, in Japan too cha is indispensable in people's lives. A long-standing Japanese custom is to have "refreshment time" at three in the afternoon to partake of sweets and cha. Meanwhile, however, the tea ceremony, for which the tea is quite different from the cha used daily and which improves one's character by taking in the spirit of Zen, was developed in the Azuchi-Momoyama Period(1573-1603) and is widely practiced still today. As made evident by that Buddhist priests originally used Japanese cha for medicinal purposes, it is known to include a lot of vitamins and is considered to be very good for the health.
Soy sauce is a unique Japanese condiment made from soy beans. The English word "soy" derives from the Japanese word shoyu. This outstanding condiment, a brown liquid with a peculiar smell, is essential for most Japanese cooking. Accordingly, one can say that it constitutes the basis of the Japanese people's sense of taste. Without soy sauce, the Japanese can't eat sukiyaki, sushi, or sashimi or even season any of their cooking. Soy sauce recently has sold well in the U.S. and other Western countries, and has been used as seasoning for steak and other foods. "Teriyaki steak" is grilled with a sauce based on soy sauce.
Like soy sauce, miso is made from soy beans. It is a paste-like condiment mostly in a brown color. Many Japanese have miso soup for breakfast. The hot soup is made by adding several ingredients to broth, for example, tofu, seaweeds, or vegetables, then stirring in the soy bean paste. In addition to soup, it is used as seasoning for ramen(a Chinese brand of noodle), rice balls, and all kinds of cookpot dishes. Fish or meat pickled in this miso keep for a long time and, yet with enhanced taste. Soy bean paste is also an important condiment that is indispensable to the Japanese people. Recently, miso soup in particular has been valued as a health food that contributes to a balanced diet.
These are restaurants specializing in Japanese cuisine. High-class ryotei are buildings constructed with traditional Japanese architecture and furnished with a Japanese garden, the rooms are mostly private and the cuisine is mainly prix fixe. Geisha can be called in. Great importance is attached to tradition and status; without an introduction and reservations by familiar customers, one cannot get in. They are very exclusive and expensive restaurants, so individuals rarely use them. They are mainly used by companies with expense accounts and by politicians and other groups for meetings.