Japanese cuisine

The modern term "Japanese cuisine" (nihon ryōri, 日本料理 or washoku, 和食) means traditional-style Japanese food, similar to that already existing before the end of national seclusion in 1868. In a broader sense of the word, it could also include foods whose ingredients or cooking methods were subsequently introduced from abroad, but which have been developed by Japanese who made them their own. Japanese cuisine is known for its emphasis on seasonality of food (旬, shun),quality of ingredients and presentation.

Traditional Japanese food is undoubtedly one of the healthiest and most delicious in the world and fortunately for most of us, foods like tofu, sushi, tempura, miso, soba, and even green tea are now familiar and freely available to people outside Japan. As a national cuisine, Japanese food has greatly evolved over the past few centuries due to many social as well as political changes. Right from the ancient eras, wherein much of the traditional cuisine was largely influenced by the Korean and Chinese cultures, the Japanese cuisine gradually transformed with the onset of the Medieval period, which brought along with it new tastes and flavors.

With the advent of the Modern ages, massive changes took place and the Japanese cuisine would then be influenced greatly by the Western culture. However, the traditional Japanese food of today is still very similar to what existed towards the end of the 19th century. This would mean that a large portion of the Japanese cuisine includes those foods whose cooking methods and ingredients have been introduced by other cultures, but which have since then been experimented with and developed by the Japanese themselves.

The thing about Japanese food is that you either will love it or you will downright despise it. With traditional Japanese food, there is no such thing as an in-between. However, chances are that if you hate Japanese food, then you probably haven't even tasted authentic Japanese food or you simply haven't given yourself the chance to like it. Unlike other cuisines, Japanese food is not something that you will appreciate after having only a bite. Like wines and cigars, Japanese food is an acquired taste.