Last Updated on August 14, 2022 by Kimberly Crawford
Japan – the island country in East Asia, is most famous for its food. Japanese food is distinctive and features a lot of seafood. Since it is an island, the country utilizes fresh seafood as often as possible in its dishes. Japanese believe that the traditional food in modern society is vital to save the culture.
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Japanese food is a favorite cuisine worldwide due to its flavor. Besides its taste, it also has many healthier effects on your body. Indeed, Japan is a “food heaven” for people who love eating. Remember that seafood is not the only thing you will see in famous Japanese food. Japanese cuisine is mainly based on plants, vegetables, and seafood. Japanese cuisine is suited to almost every taste except for spice lovers.
The savors of Japanese cuisine are similar to other Asian cuisines. But the flavors of Japanese cuisine are uniquely Japanese. Are you curious about Japanese food and want to enjoy it? Here are the five most popular Japanese food you should try in the USA. For your Foodie venture, these dishes are the ideal starting point.
1. Miso Soup:
Miso soup is the most famous traditional Japanese soup. It is served mainly at the start of a meal. It is a perfect appetizer or a side dish for most traditional Japanese meals. Mainly, it consists of two main ingredients: a “dashi stock” and “softened miso paste.” It is a soy-based miso paste in a stock named “dashi.” It might have pieces of tofu and onions.
Depending on your personal tastes and regional recipes, you can mix endless optional ingredients. Miso pasta can also be made from chickpeas if you are allergic to soy. It is the must dish on the menu of a Japanese restaurant. If you have visited a Japanese restaurant, you might have had it or at least seen miso soup on the menu.
Miso soup is one of the lightest and most delicious soups. Basically, miso paste is a fermented soybean paste. It gives the soup its unique flavor and name. No doubt, miso soup is worth trying.
2. Onigiri:
Onigiri is a popular lunch box dish among the Japanese. It is also known as omusubi or rice ball. Typically, it is made from white rice with a tiny bit of fish or plum in the center, shaped into a cylindrical or triangular form. And it is often wrapped in nori or seaweed. You can also fill them with vegetables, protein, or both.
Traditionally, onigiri is filled with salmon or tuna and shaped into a triangle. For heavier flavored variations, you may have seasoning sprinkled over the rice. It includes dried fish, pickled plum, and egg smatterings. Besides the standard onigiri, some lightly grilled versions are Yaki Onigiri. Yaki Onigiri is flavored with savory soy sauce.
Onigiri is considered a great snack in Japan. Besides this, it is a great choice to taste Japanese food while living in the USA.
3. Ramen:
Ramen is a famous Japanese noodle dish. It is another famous Japanese dish. Ramen is associated with Japanese food. Basically, Ramen is a large bowl of Chinese-style alkaline wheat noodles. It is served in a meat-based broth. And Ramen is usually spiced with miso or soy sauce. A wide choice of toppings is available. You can pick them according to your unique and personal choice.
Some of its toppings are nori, sliced pork, and scallions. You can even prefer chicken, beef, or a vegetarian option if you are allergic to pork. One can even state that Ramen has its roots in Chinese noodle dishes. Recently, its popularity has risen in the western world. Ramen is a simple Japanese dish at its core.
It is an excellent dish as one can customize it to fit their priorities. Ramen is an excellent dish for travelers who wants a quick but hearty bite. It is also known as a “budget meal” due to its low price.
4. Tempura:
Tempura is one of the typical dishes of Japan. Tempura usually consists of meat, seafood, and vegetables. It has been battered and deep fried. The batter in which it is dipped has no bread crumbs and consists of flour, beaten egg, and cold water. Tempura is a different dish from ordinary fried dishes. It is due to its distinctive batter. And it has less grease than any other frying method.
Typically, tempura is served with a special tempura sauce. This sauce contains sugar, mirin, soy sauce, and fish stock. Among the seafood tempura, shrimp tempura is the most popular one. Potatoes, green peppers, bamboo, or onions may be used for vegetable tempura. Tempura can be served as a main meal. Tempura is world famous for its golden looks and crispy taste.
5. Sushi:
There is no possibility that you have not heard of sushi. Sushi is one of the most famous Japanese food worldwide. It is well-loved in the Western world. The country of Japan is popular with the name “Sushi Capital of the World” as this dish was made famous there. Sushi is available in a large variety of rolls that you can relish.
Typically, sushi consists of vinegar rice in which raw seafood is placed. Its most common elements are salmon, prawns, cucumbers, pickled radish, sweet eggs, and squid. It is served in rolls wrapped in rice paper, yuba – the soybean skin, and dried sheets of seaweed. Mostly sushi dishes are served raw, but there are some cooked sushi dishes also.
In Japan, people love dipping sushi pieces into wasabi, soy sauce, or both. Moreover, sushi has become the most famous Japanese dish in the USA. Moreover, it is well relished and admired in the United States. You should try sushi at least once in your life to enjoy its taste.