Food Culture in Japan

by Michael Ashkenazi, Jeanne Jacob

Overview

Americans are familiarizing themselves with Japanese food, thanks especially sushi's wild popularity and ready availability. This timely book satisfies the new interest and taste for Japanese food, providing a host of knowledge on the foodstuffs, cooking styles, utensils, aesthetics, meals, etiquette, nutrition, and much more. Students and general readers are offered a holistic framing of the food in historical and cultural contexts. Recipes for both the novice and sophisticated cook complement the narrative.

Japan's unique attitude toward food extends from the religious to the seasonal. This book offers a contextual framework for the Japanese food culture and relates Japan's history and geography to food. An exhaustive description of ingredients, beverages, sweets, and food sources is a boon to anyone exploring Japanese cuisine in the kitchen. The Japanese style of cooking, typical meals, holiday fare, and rituals—so different from Americans'—are engagingly presented and accessible to a wide audience. A timeline, glossary, resource guide, and illustrations make this a one-stop reference for Japanese food culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313324383
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/30/2003
Series:	Food Culture around the World
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

MICHAEL ASHKENAZI is a scholar specializing in Japanese food and culture. He is the co-author, with his wife, Jeanne Jacob, of The Essence of Japanese Cuisine: An Essay on Food and Culture (2000).

JEANNE JACOB has worked in the business world, in marketing to Japan and serving as a liaison. She also has extensive publishing experience, and after having lived in Japan for a number of years, she co-authored with husband, Michael Ashkenazi, The Essence of Japanese Cuisine: An Essay on Food and Culture (2000).

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Timeline
1. Historical Overview
2. Major Foods and Ingredients
3. Cooking
4. Typical Meals
5. Eating Out
6. Special Occasions: Holidays, Celebrations, and Religious Rituals
7. Diet and Health
Glossary
Resource Guide
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Ashkenazi and Jacob explain some of the history of foods in Japan. Other than seafood, most foods were introduced over the long history of the country. It would take a much longer book to provide all the details, but readers can get a good understanding of the patterns of food habits from this book….readers will enjoy this book, which includes a few recipes. Part of a new series entitled Food Culture around the World, this work joins a recent group of books in English on the subject of Japanese food. Some are cookbooks; others, like this one, are also historical. Recommended. All levels.” —Choice

“…these books provide a wealth of information that would be ideal for travelers interested in the food cultures of their Asian destinations; 'foodies' in any country who desire greater background knowledge of these three ethnic cuisines; high schoolers working on food-related projects; or students in introductory college-level area studies, anthropology, or geography courses who are curious as to how history, the physical environment, agriculture, technology, religion, conceptions of health and nutrition, and other circumstances have affected and continue to affect the food cultures in three key Asian countries: China, India, and Japan.” —Southeast Review of Asian Studies

From the Publisher