List of Japanese dishes facts for kids
Japanese food is super popular all over the world, and it's known for being delicious and healthy! In Japan, people eat a lot of rice, but noodles like soba and udon are also very common. You'll find many yummy simmered dishes, like oden (fish cakes in broth) or sukiyaki (beef stew). Japan has also taken foods from other countries, like ramen (noodles in soup from China) and curry from the West, and made them their own unique dishes.
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Rice Dishes: The Heart of Japanese Meals
Rice is a huge part of Japanese meals! The words for plain cooked rice, gohan or meshi, are even used to mean "meal" itself. For example, Asa gohan means breakfast. Raw rice is called kome, and cooked rice is gohan. People often eat nori (seaweed) and furikake (a seasoning mix) with their breakfast rice.
Here are some popular rice dishes:
- Curry rice (karē raisu カレーライス): This dish came from the UK but is now super popular in Japan. It's usually milder than Indian curry.
- Fried rice (Chāhan 炒飯 or yakimeshi): This is a Japanese version of Chinese fried rice, but it's often lighter in taste.
- Brown rice (Genmai gohan 玄米御飯): A healthier option with unpolished rice.
- Hayashi rice (ハヤシライス): A thick beef stew served over rice.
- Kamameshi (釜飯): Rice cooked in a small pot with vegetables, chicken, or seafood.
- Mochi (餅): Chewy cakes made from sticky rice.
- Ochazuke (御茶漬け): Cooked rice with hot green tea or dashi (broth) poured over it, often with tasty toppings like pickled plums.
- Omurice (Omu-raisu オムライス): An omelet filled with fried rice, said to have started in Tokyo.
- Onigiri (おにぎり): These are like Japanese sandwiches! They're rice balls with a filling inside, often wrapped in seaweed.
- Red rice (Sekihan 赤飯): White rice cooked with red azuki beans, giving it a pretty red color.
- Takikomi gohan (炊き込み御飯): A Japanese-style rice dish cooked with different ingredients and seasoned with soy sauce and dashi.
- Tamago kake gohan (卵掛け御飯): Simple rice with a raw egg mixed in.
- Tenmusu: A rice ball wrapped in seaweed, filled with deep-fried tempura shrimp.
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Chāhan (Fried rice)
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Chazuke (Rice with tea)
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Sekihan (Red rice)
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Omurice (Omelet rice)
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Okowa (Sticky rice)
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Tenmusu (Shrimp tempura rice ball)
Rice Porridge: Comfort Food
- Okayu (お粥): A soft rice porridge, often given to babies or people who are sick.
- Zosui (Zōsui 雑炊): A soup with rice stewed in broth, often with egg, meat, or vegetables. It's similar to okayu but uses cooked rice.
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Nanakusa-gayu (Seven-herb rice porridge)
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Zosui (Rice soup)
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Rice Bowls: Quick and Tasty Meals
These are one-bowl meals with hot steamed rice topped with different savory ingredients. The bowl itself is called a donburi.
- Gyūdon (牛丼): A beef bowl topped with seasoned beef and onions.
- Katsudon (カツ丼): A bowl topped with a deep-fried breaded pork cutlet (tonkatsu).
- Oyakodon (親子丼): A "Parent and Child" bowl, usually topped with chicken and egg, or sometimes salmon and salmon roe.
- Tendon (天丼): A bowl topped with tempura (battered shrimp and vegetables).
- Unadon (うな丼): A bowl topped with grilled eel.
Sushi: A Japanese Classic
Sushi (寿司) is famous worldwide! It's made with vinegared rice and topped or mixed with fresh ingredients, usually seafood or vegetables.
- Nigirizushi (握り寿司): This is sushi with ingredients placed on top of a block of rice.
- Makizushi (巻き寿司): Also called "roll sushi." Seasoned rice and other ingredients are rolled up in seaweed (nori) and then sliced into small pieces.
- Temaki (手巻き): Similar to makizushi, but the seaweed is rolled into a cone shape, and you hold it in your hand.
- Chirashizushi (ちらし寿司): Means "scattered sushi." Fresh seafood, vegetables, or other ingredients are placed on top of sushi rice in a bowl.
- Inarizushi (稲荷寿司): Fried tofu pockets that are sweet and savory, stuffed with sushi rice.
Other Main Foods
Noodles (men-rui): Slurp-tastic!
Noodles (麺類) are often eaten instead of rice. Japanese people love noodles so much that some restaurants even serve noodle-and-rice combo meals!
- Soba (蕎麦): Thin, brown buckwheat noodles. They can be served cold with a dipping sauce (like Zaru soba) or in a hot broth.
- Udon (うどん): Thick, white wheat noodles, usually served in a hot soy-dashi broth with different toppings.
- Sōmen (素麺): Very thin, white wheat noodles, usually served cold with a dipping sauce.
- Ramen (ラーメン): Thin, yellow noodles served in a hot chicken or pork broth with many toppings. It came from China and is super popular in Japan.
- Yaki soba (焼きそば): Fried Chinese noodles.
- Yaki udon (焼きうどん): Fried udon noodles.
Bread (pan): A Portuguese Gift
Bread (pan パン) isn't originally from Japan, but it's been around since the 1500s and is now very common.
- Curry bread (karē pan カレーパン): Deep-fried bread filled with Japanese curry sauce.
- Anpan (ampan アンパン): A sweet roll filled with red bean paste.
- Melon-pan (メロンパン): A sweet, round bun with a cookie-like topping that looks like a melon.
- Katsu-sando (カツサンド): A sandwich with a tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) filling.
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Breaded cutlet-sandwich (Pork cutlet sandwich)
Common Japanese Main and Side Dishes (okazu)
Okazu (おかず) are the main and side dishes that go with rice.
Deep-fried Dishes (agemono)
Agemono (揚げ物) are deep-fried dishes.
- Karaage (唐揚げ): Bite-sized pieces of chicken, fish, or other meat, floured and deep-fried. It's a popular snack!
- Korokke (コロッケ): Breaded and deep-fried patties, usually made with mashed potato mixed with meat or vegetables.
- Tempura (天ぷら): Deep-fried vegetables or seafood in a special light batter.
- Tonkatsu (豚カツ): A deep-fried breaded pork cutlet. There's also chicken katsu!
Grilled and Pan-fried Dishes (yakimono)
Yakimono (焼き物) are grilled or pan-fried dishes.
- Gyoza (餃子): Chinese-style dumplings, usually filled with pork and vegetables, and pan-fried until crispy.
- Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き): Savory pancakes with different meat and vegetable ingredients, often topped with Worcestershire sauce or mayonnaise.
- Takoyaki (たこ焼き): Round, fried dumplings made of batter with a piece of octopus inside. They're a popular street snack!
- Teriyaki (照り焼き): Meat, fish, or vegetables grilled or pan-fried with a sweet soy sauce glaze.
- Yakitori (焼き鳥): Barbecued chicken skewers, often served with beer.
One-Pot Cooking (nabemono)
Nabemono (鍋物) are dishes cooked in one pot, often at the table.
- Shabu-shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ): A hot pot with very thin slices of beef, vegetables, and tofu. You cook them in a light broth at the table and dip them in sauce.
- Sukiyaki (すき焼き): Thinly sliced beef and vegetables cooked in a sweet soy sauce mixture. People cook it at the table and dip the food into raw egg before eating.
- Chankonabe (ちゃんこ鍋): A hearty stew eaten by sumo wrestlers to gain weight!
Stewed Dishes (nimono)
Nimono (煮物) are stewed or simmered dishes. Ingredients are cooked in a broth flavored with sake, soy sauce, and a little sweetness.
- Oden (おでん): Fish cakes, boiled eggs, daikon radish, and other items stewed in a light, soy-flavored broth. It's a popular winter food.
- Nikujaga (肉じゃが): A beef and potato stew, flavored with sweet soy sauce. It's like a Japanese version of a beef stew.
Stir-fried Dishes (itamemono)
Stir-frying (炒め物) wasn't originally a Japanese cooking method, but it's now very common.
- Chanpurū (チャンプルー): A stir-fry from Okinawa with vegetables, tofu, meat or seafood, and sometimes egg.
Sashimi: Fresh and Raw
Sashimi (刺身) is raw, thinly sliced food, usually fish or shellfish. It's served with a dipping sauce and simple garnishes like soy sauce and wasabi.
- Fugu (河豚): Sliced poisonous pufferfish. Only specially licensed chefs can prepare it because it can be dangerous if not done right!
Soups (suimono and shirumono)
Soups (suimono 吸い物 and shirumono 汁物) are a big part of Japanese meals.
- Miso soup (味噌汁): A very common soup made with miso (fermented soybean paste) mixed into dashi broth. It usually has seaweed, vegetables, or tofu.
- Tonjiru (豚汁): Similar to Miso soup, but with pork added.
- Zōni (雑煮): A soup with mochi (rice cakes) and various vegetables, often eaten on New Year's Day.
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Zōni (New Year's soup)
Pickled or Salted Foods (tsukemono)
These foods are usually served in small portions with white rice, or as a snack with sake.
- Tsukemono (漬物): Pickled vegetables. There are hundreds of types, and they are served with most rice-based meals.
- Umeboshi (梅干): Small, very sour pickled ume fruit (like a plum). They are often found in lunch boxes or inside onigiri rice balls.
Other Side Dishes
- Bento (弁当): A combination meal served in a box, usually as a cold lunch.
- Chawan mushi (茶碗蒸し): Meat (seafood or chicken) and vegetables steamed in an egg custard.
- Edamame (枝豆): Boiled and salted soybean pods, often eaten as a snack.
- Nattō (納豆): Fermented soybeans. It has a strong smell and a sticky texture, and many people eat it for breakfast.
Sweets and Snacks (okashi, oyatsu)
Okashi (おかし) or Oyatsu (おやつ) are Japanese sweets and snacks.
Japanese-style Sweets (wagashi)
Wagashi are traditional Japanese sweets.
- Dango: Sweet dumplings made from rice flour, similar to mochi.
- Kakigōri: Shaved ice with sweet syrup on top. Perfect for summer!
- Mochi: Steamed sweet rice pounded into a soft, sticky cake.
- Taiyaki: A fried, fish-shaped cake, usually filled with sweet red bean paste.
Western-style Sweets (yōgashi)
Yōgashi (Yōgashi) are Western-style sweets that have been adapted in Japan.
- Kasutera (カステラ): A type of sponge cake that came from Portugal.
Other Snacks
- Umaibō: Puffed corn snacks that come in many different flavors.
- Pocky: Thin biscuit sticks covered in chocolate or other coatings.
- Ice cream: Besides common flavors like vanilla and chocolate, you can find unique Japanese flavors like Matcha (green tea) ice cream.
Drinks
Tea and Non-alcoholic Drinks
Tea is very important in Japan!
- Green tea: Many types, including Sencha (steamed green tea leaves), Matcha (powdered green tea), and Hōjicha (green tea roasted over charcoal).
- Mugicha: Barley tea, often served cold in the summer.
- Ramune: A popular Japanese soda that comes in a unique bottle with a marble stopper.
Alcoholic Beverages
- Sake (酒): A traditional Japanese rice wine.
- Shōchū: A distilled drink, often made from barley, sweet potatoes, or rice.
- Japanese beer: Popular brands include Sapporo, Asahi, and Kirin.
Imported and Adapted Foods
Japan has taken many foods from other countries and made them their own!
Foods from Portugal (16th Century)
- Kasutera: A sponge cake.
- Pan: The Japanese word for bread comes from the Portuguese word for bread, pão.
- Tempura: This deep-fried dish is so well-loved in Japan that many people don't even realize it came from Portugal!
Western-influenced Dishes (Yōshoku)
Yōshoku (洋食) are Western-style foods that have been changed to fit Japanese tastes.
- Japanese curry rice: One of the most popular foods in Japan today, it's milder and sweeter than Indian curry.
- Hayashi rice (ハヤシライス): Beef and onions stewed in a red-wine sauce, served over rice.
- Omu raisu (オムライス): Ketchup-flavored rice wrapped in an omelet.
- Hamburg steak: A ground beef patty, often served with rice and vegetables.
Spaghetti: Japanese Style
Japanese versions of spaghetti are unique!
- Naporitan: Spaghetti with tomato ketchup, sausages, onions, and green peppers.
- Tarako spaghetti: Spaghetti with cod roe sauce, often topped with seaweed.
Pizza: Japanese Toppings
Pizza is popular in Japan, and Japanese pizza places often have unique toppings!
- Toppings like corn, shrimp, squid, mayonnaise, potato, or even teriyaki chicken are common.
Other Homegrown Dishes with Foreign Roots
- Gyoza: Japanese dumplings with a rich garlic flavor, usually pan-fried.
- Ramen: Noodles in soup, originally from China but now a Japanese favorite.
Seasonings
Japanese food uses many special seasonings:
- Dashi: A basic broth made from kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (dried tuna flakes).
- Soy sauce, mirin (sweet cooking wine), miso (fermented soybean paste), and sake are key flavors.
- Wasabi: A spicy green paste, often eaten with sushi.
- Yuzu: A citrus fruit used to flavor many dishes, teas, and sweets.
