Wasabi Powder is, in theory, a hot-tasting powder made from the dried, ground roots of Wasabi plants. In practice, however, the pure powders made from actual Wasabi roots are quite expensive, so almost all brands are “fake” Wasabi Powder, actually containing powdered horseradish rather than real wasabi roots, with pale green colouring to imitate the…
Japanese Food
Wasanbon
Wasanbon is a very fine-grained sugar made in Japan, where it is called “wasanbon toh.” It is expensive. It is a light golden colour, with granules slightly larger than icing sugar. It has a unique aroma and flavour, with butter and honey overtones. It is used in making sweets and yokan, as a coffee and…
White Day
The 14th of March is an unofficial Japanese holiday: White Day. It is a day when men give to women white presents, which can be gifts of food or other items.
Yakimono
Yakimono is a Japanese term referring to a range of dishes having in them meats that are either cooked by direct exposure to fire or heat, such as by grilling or broiling, or, fried in a pan.A Yakimono dish is often cooked as small pieces of meat on bamboo skewers. Yakitori is one of the…
Yam Cake
Yam Cake is not cake in the English sense of the word. It is a firm, small block of a jelly-like substance made from Devil’s Tongue Yam powder, water and calcium-hydroxide (the chemical called “Lime.”) It is used in Japan as a cooking ingredient, more for its texture than flavour. Yam Cake can be chopped…
Yamaimo
Yamaimo is a variety of yam cultivated in Japan. It has rough skin, but is white inside. Above ground, it is like a climbing vine. It can propagate via its tubers, or by seed. Plants are either male or female. Yamaimo is used as a binder in dishes because when you peel and grate it,…
Yatai
Yatai are roofed street stalls in Japan that sell food. They have chairs in front of them; you sit, place your order, and your food is ready to eat within a few minutes. They sell ramen noodles, yakitori, oden (hot pot), etc. Beer and sake are also sold. Generally, they are open for business from…
Yatsuhashi
Yatsuhashi are Japanese pastries made of mashed red beans wrapped up in rice flour skins. They are made in the form of very thin, flat triangles. You can see the filling in the centre through the pastry. The pastry part is made from rice flour (a mixture of regular rice flour and the sticky rice…
Yokohama Squash
Yokohama Squash is flattened, with moderate ribbing. It is close to a small pumpkin in size. The rind is lumpy, and can be either very dark green or tan. Inside, it has dry, finely-textured, sweet-tasting flesh. History Notes Yokohama Squash was introduced into America by a James Hogg, of Yorkville, New York around 1860. He…
Yomogi
Yomogi is a Japanese herb that grows in the wild almost everywhere in Japan. A member of chrysanthemum family, it has jagged-edge leaves with a white fuzzy underside on them. It spreads via underground runners (“stolons”). Yomogi can also be grown from seed. It grows up to 4 feet (1.2 metres) tall, and blooms with…
Yosenabe
Yosenabe is a one-pot Japanese dish. It is made in a pot such as a “donabe.” Though you can cook in on the stove, it is frequently cooked at the table on a grill, and shared out with others, in the same manner as a fondue is. There are many variations, though among the most…
Yuba Maki
Yuba Maki are Japanese spring rolls made using yuba as the wrapping. The filling inside can be made from anything; the rolls can be fried, steamed or served as is.
Yubari Melons
Yubari are very expensive Japanese melons. They are used for summer gift giving, and usually come in or with a wood box for gift packaging. They fetch prices of 10,000 to 15,000 yen (2005 prices, $82 to $125 US), with the absolute top ones costing 20,000 yen ($165 US.) To be in the top grade,…
Yuuki
Yuuki means “traditional farming methods” in Japanese. Japan still has a very large number of small farmers. These can’t afford to carry the costs of a large, official organic certification scheme, as can be done in Europe where there are large farms. And with their being small farms, they are easily influenced “environmentally” by all…
Yuzu Shichimi
Yuzu Shichimi is a Japanese Shichimi spice mixture in which yuzu peel is used instead of other orange peel. The peel is mixed in with “Shichimi Togarashi”, which itself is a spice mixture. See Shichimi Togarashi for more information.
Zenzai
Zenzai is a Japanese bean dish made of small red adzuki beans, boiled, and sweetened with white or brown sugar. It is sometimes described in English as red-bean porridge. The ingredients are simple, but it takes time to make. It can be served warm or cold, Shiruko, aka oshiruko style, or Zenzai style. The beans…