Japanese Traditional

Before the Meiji Restoration opened Japan to the world in 1868, the Japanese diet was built on rice, fish, and vegetables. Known in Japan as washoku, cooks learned to coax big flavor from few ingredients, refining techniques that still form the backbone of the cuisine. Fermentation gave us miso, sake, mirin, and soy sauce. Dashi stock became the base for soups and simmered dishes. Seaweed, tofu, seasonal vegetables, and seafood rounded out the pantry. Many of these foods remain central to Japanese cooking today, but if you want to see what lands on our dinner tables now, check out my Japanese Food category.