Honzen-ryōri facts for kids

Honzen-ryōri (Honzen-ryōri (本膳料理)) is a very old and special way of serving Japanese cuisine. It's like a fancy, formal dinner where food is carefully placed on special trays with legs. This style of meal was once very important in Japan.

Even though Honzen-ryōri is not common today, it greatly influenced another famous Japanese meal style called kaiseki.

A Look Back in Time

Honzen-ryōri started a long time ago, during the Muromachi period (which was from the 14th to the 16th century). It became popular among the families of powerful warriors, like the samurai. This was different from an older style of cooking called yūsoku-ryōri ((有職料理)), which was used by the rich nobles.

How the Meal Was Served

During the Muromachi period, a leader named Ashikaga Yoshimitsu helped create a very detailed way of serving these meals. This formal system became known as Honzen-ryōri.

The meal would often begin with a special ceremony called shiki-sankon (shiki-sankon (式三献)). This means "triple round of drinks." You can still see a small part of this tradition today in Japanese weddings, where the bride and groom share drinks in a ceremony called san san kudo (san san kudo (三三九度)).

A common way to serve the dishes was called shichigosan (shichigosan (七五三)), which means "7-5-3." This might mean that the meal had three trays, with 7, 5, and 3 dishes on each. However, there are different ideas about what "7-5-3" truly meant. Some think it referred to rounds of drinks and then trays of food.

The food for guests was served on special trays called sanpō (sanpō (三方)). These trays (which were technically called oshiki (oshiki (折敷))) had a box-like stand underneath with three large holes cut into the sides. Only the Imperial family, who were the highest rulers, would use trays with four holes.

Honzen-ryōri Today

After World War II, Honzen-ryōri mostly stopped being practiced. It's very rare to find restaurants that still serve it today. However, its traditions and ideas live on in other forms of Japanese dining.

See also

In Spanish: Honzen-ryōri para niños