Just Japanese (Was Re: SC - lye, fish, pastry, japanese and horehound)

[Ron Martino Jr]

Haifuku!

> 6.  Yumitori-dono, what would my 16th C. Dutch lord have come across 
> food-wise while travelling in your part of the world?  I'd like to 
> plan a meal to follow a shogi challenge.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Cairistiona nic Bhraonnaguinn
> Christina van Tets
> ivantets at botzoo.uct.ac.za

	Well, being Dutch, he would have come to Japan well after the
Portuguese and Spanish. That means arriving after the introduction of
tempura, bread and sponge cake (would anyone know what form this would
have taken?), as well as several New World foods such as potatoes and
maize, by the Portuguese. 

	As for 'native' foods, rice, of course, was king. Standard meals were
made up of rice, soup and vegetables (usually pickled). Vegetables
included aubergines, burdock, cucumbers, daikon, eggplant, thistles,
radishes, cress, peas, yams and mushrooms. Fruit, either fresh or in
some cases dried, included persimmons, plums, peaches, apricots, several
varieties of oranges, and melons. Seaweed was a staple, as was a vast
variety of fish and seafood. Despite the popularity of Buddhism, game
was popular - quail, pheasant, geese, cranes, woodcocks, swans, rabbits,
wild boar, deer, badger, and so on. Beans, especially soybeans, were
commonly used in a great many ways. Towards the end of the 16th century,
or in the early years of the 17th, soba (buckwheat) noodles joined udon
and somen as Japan's options for pasta. Other common prepared
ingredients included soy sauce, tofu, vinegar and miso (fermented bean
paste). 

	Many of these foods were only available as regional specialties, though
larger markets such as Kyoto could be counted on to have such products
for sale. They were also quite seasonal. The Japanese cookery is
governed by the season, so any plans to create a meal should take into
account the time of the year. Special occasions, such as tea ceremonies,
had their own unique dishes.

	So far, I have been unable to find any actual recipes that may be
traced back to before the Edo period (pre-1603 AD). Certain dishes are
mentioned by name in the historical texts, but there's no certainty that
they were prepared in the same manner we make them today. In at least
one case, we do know that there was a significant change after 1600 AD.
Sushi was originally fish packed in rice and allowed to ferment.
Apparently, the rice was meant to be discarded in the dish's first
incarnation, but by the 15th or 16th century the rice was consumed as
well. In at least one source, the use of vinegared rice was a mid-17th
century innovation. 

	If anyone knows of better information than this, or has actual sources
for recipes or dishes traceable back to period, please let me know.

	Yumitori
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