Archive for Food Culture
New Year In Japan And Osechi
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In Japan, New Year (Oshogatsu) is an annual festival of much greater importance and focus than Christmas. Starting with Buddhist temples ringing their gigantic temple bell 108 times on New Year’s Eve, Oshogatsu goes on for the next few days. On the 1st, we visit a local shrine for Hatsumode (first shrine visit), with larger shrines offering a large selection of food stalls.
Preparing For Oshogatsu
A few days before the end of the year, we trek up to a large department store at the northern end of Osaka city. There, a large floor offers all the fixin’s for Osechi (New Year’s food). We’ll purchase a number of delicacies to use in making our family’s Osechi.
One of the main ingredients for Oshogatsu is Mochi (small cakes of pounded glutinous rice). We use these in Ozoni soup, on the Oshogatsu decorations of the home shrine, and for Yakimochi (grilled mochi). A traditional ceremony, called Mochitsuki, has a team pounding the glutinous rice into paste with a massive wooden sledgehammer. Note: The brave fellow wearing the blue gloves will reach in and turn the mass of paste between falls of the large sledgehammer.
On this visit to the Hankyu department store, we were lucky enough to time it just in time for the cutting of a massive tuna. This individual tuna weights 250kg (550lbs) and the specialist deftly sliced it up with large saws and knives. This will make a lot of tasty Sushi.
Oshogatsu Eating
On our New Year’s Day, we start off the day with a bowl of Ozoni soup. This soup varies greatly throughout Japan, with very salty version in some areas, and a mild, white ozoni in Osaka. Made with white Miso, this Ozoni is made with small Daikon (Japanese radish), Tofu, Mochi, and Koimo (a small taro potato). On top, we sprinkle Katuobushi (dried bonito flakes).
We also drink a cup of green tea (Ocha) with small, tied strings of Konbu (sea weed). We call these Musubi Konbu, and the way they are tied symbolizes a wish for family unity.
Then, we have our Osechi (fancy New Year’s food served in beautiful, lacquered stacking boxes). In the picture below, are the following delicacies:
Left box, starting in the top left corner and going clockwise: The colourful ball and mini apple are made of Mochi, the squares are Kamaboko (fish cake made from fish paste) with cheese and ham inside, on the right are chicken rolls, on the left is more Kamaboko, and in the middle is smoked Saba (mackerel).
Right box, starting in the top left: Stewed Shiitake mushrooms, more Mochi, Kurikinton (mashed sweet potato with chestnut), Kombumaki (seaweed packets), Tainoko (bream eggs), Kuromame (black soy beans), Kintokininjin (a red carrot cut into flower shapes), Gomame (small dried fish coated with a sweet sauce and sesame seeds), and Musubikonyaku (a firm gelatin-like food made from a type of yam, which is used in many Japanese dishes).
2012 is the Year Of The Dragon and, here In The Devil’s Kitchen, we like to think it’s another year of good, devilish eating. Happy New Year.
Sami Klaus Comes And The Christmas Baking Begins
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Whereas in North America, the jolly fat man in a red suit slides down chimneys on the 24th of December, things are different in my hometown in Switzerland. On December 6th (the anniversary of the death of Saint Nicholas) Sami Klaus comes to visit. And, he doesn’t slip in at night – he arrives at your door.
In every village in Switzerland, local men dress up as Sami Klaus and visit the houses with children. They bring mandarin oranges, nuts, and other goodies for the good children – and a broom made of twigs for switching the bad children. For some reason, I always got the broom.
For me, December 6th marks the beginning of the Christmas season. So, from today on, we’ll be baking all sorts of Christmas goodies In The Devil’s Kitchen. Look forward to old favourites (like gingerbread houses and sugar cookies) and some of my old favourites from my childhood in Switzerland (like Brunslli and Zimtsterne). There’ll also be a large Stollen (which will make you take a whole new view of fruitcake) and a number of Christmas dishes (like the delicious Christmas chicken breast roll we favour over turkey – more stuffing).
Enjoy the Christmas season with devilish delights.
Grazing Amongst The Food Stalls At Festivals In Japan
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In Japan, there are numerous festivals (or Matsuri). It’s said that you will always find a festival going on somewhere in Japan. And, you’ll always find a plethora of food stalls. In The Devil’s Kitchen, this has always been our main target when we attend a festival. There’s nothing better on a balmy summer evening than strolling from stall to stall, and grazing on all the tasty treats being grilled before your eyes.
Aizen Matsuri – The First Summer Festival
In Osaka, the first of the major summer festivals is held from June 30 to July 2 around one of our local temples. The food stalls sprawl out onto the neighbouring streets, and as you come up the main street you are greeted by the first of many stalls. In this case, a fried potato stall – yes, french fries are popular all over the world.
Following the crowds, you soon end up at the main temple – dedicated to the deity Aizen Myo. We make this our first call. A quick, mandatory visit before we dive into the food stalls.
Around the back of the temple, a stage where traditional dances and shows are entertaining the crowds. Just watching them builds up a good appetite.
OK. We’re hungry. Let’s go hit the stalls. Starting at the temple grounds and spilling out into the streets, here is a hodgepodge of small food stalls. Time to graze!
One of the most famous Osaka foods is Takoyaki (octopus balls), and this vendor is working at devilish speed to keep up with the demand.
Takoyaki is a delicious batter with a piece of octopus in each ball. Cooked in a special takoyaki pan – a cast iron pan with half-spherical moulds – these tasty balls of batter, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, green onion, and diced octopus must be deftly turned with a small pick. Served in a small tray, with a topping of takoyaki sauce and dried bonito shavings, these are a treat you’ll not want to miss.
Like fried chicken? You can get your fill of battered and deep fried chicken (or karaage). Vendors serve as many pieces as will fit into a paper cup. A generous vendor will pile the pieces of karaage precariously high. Enjoy picking pieces out of the cup with a wooden skewer.
Hungry? There’s nothing like a big pile of yakisoba (fried noodles with cabbage, pork, and yakisoba sauce) to fill your belly. With a taste that originated in China and became heavily integrated into Japanese cuisine, yakisoba is a ubiquitous Osaka dish.
You can also get a version of yakisoba that is wrapped up in fried egg. Here, omusoba (“omu” being a derivative of “omelette”) is being given a drizzle of ketchup before being served to the hungry crowds.
Of course, at any festival, there’s nothing like eating food directly off a stick or skewer. Head to one of the many yakitori stalls for chicken barbecued on skewers. These little treats have been seared over flame and dipped in a special sauce. Succulent pieces of chicken on a stick.
These devilish little treats get gobbled up by the crowds, and the two stall owners run an endless assembly line. On a day that hit 35c (95F) with high humidity, nobody envies the cook working long hours over hot flames.
Whereas in North America, I’ve often eaten boiled and buttered ears of corn, here in Japan it gets grilled. Yaki tomorokoshi (grilled corn) is grilled over a small brazier and brushed with a light sauce.
A great way to wrap up an evening of grazing is with a skewer of dango. These balls of pounded and glutinous rice flour are placed around a small fire and slowly browned. Dipped in a vat of syrup (made of soy sauce, sugar, and starch) these become mitarashi dango. These chewy balls dripping with sweet syrup will satisfy your sweet tooth.
In The Devil’s Kitchen, we love all kinds of festivals and street fairs – as long as they have food. From the summer festivals of Japan to the cow markets of Switzerland to the morning bazaars of Bali, there are always devilishly good treats to be had.
