Local Flavors

July 8, 2010

Local Flavors

A newly published guide shows that Tokyo never tasted so good

By

Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on July 2010

Photos by Takuya Suzuki

Food Sake Tokyo by Yukari Sakamoto (The Little Bookroom, 2010, 306pp) is available for ¥2,779 at bookstores throughout Japan. Excerpts appear with the kind permission of the publisher.

Longtime Metropolis food correspondent Yukari Sakamoto knows a thing or two about dining, but she really pulled out the stops with Food Sake Tokyo. This dense, photo-filled guide offers literary nourishment for all—whether you’re a rookie still learning your uni from your asari, or a veteran who can spout off on the finer points of imo-jochu vs. kokuto-jochu. It’s the latest addition to the “Terroir” series by New York-based publisher The Little Bookroom, which combines restaurant tips, shopping guides, neighborhood introductions, maps, glossaries and lots, lots more. And even if you thought you knew Japanese dining culture inside-out, you may be surprised by how much you learn.—Steve Trautlein

Handling Food

To drink miso soup, pick up the bowl, bring it up to your mouth, and sup. If there are pieces of food in the broth, hold the bowl with one hand and use your chopsticks with the other hand to dish out the items.

When served a dish with a lid, take the lid off and place the lid off the tray with the inside part facing up. Do not place the lid on the tray or with the inside part facing down. When you are done with the dish, return the lid to its original place on the bowl.

If you find it difficult to take the lid off the bowl, try squeezing the bowl with one hand while lifting the lid with the other hand. The lid helps to preserve the aroma of the food, so when you remove it, be sure to take a long, deep whiff.

When eating wasabi with sashimi, it is recommended that you do not put the wasabi directly into the soy sauce as this causes the essence of the wasabi to be lost. Instead, put a little bit of the wasabi on the fish, and then lightly dip it into the soy sauce.

When you pick up sushi with your fingers, if there is not a sauce on it, you can dip the fish side into soy sauce. The sushi chef will often advise you if there is already a sauce on the fish (as in anago, eel which is customarily served with a sauce): “Sono mama de tabete kudasai.”

Do not pour soy sauce or any other sauce over a bowl of rice, unless it already comes with a sauce.

If any of the bowls or dishes interest you, it is fine to pick them up after you are done eating to look at the bottom to see where they are made. If you think a dish is beautiful, compliment the chef.

Japanese Food Words

Japanese cuisine has long been associated with pleasing all five senses. Sound is an integral part of this aesthetic, and the Japanese language is rich with onomatopoetic words that are used to describe food and whose pronunciations mirror the attributes they describe…

Here are some of the most evocative words, and their meanings:

  • Atsu atsu Steaming hot, almost too hot to eat, like ramen
  • Beta beta Cloyingly sticky, like a dessert wine
  • Fuwa fuwa Fluffy, like a marshmallow
  • Gabu gabu Drinking wholeheartedly
  • Hoka hoka Hot, at just the right temperature, like a bowl of rice
  • Hoku hoku Steamy, like baked sweet potatoes
  • Jyu jyu Juicy meat being grilled
  • Kori kori Crunchy, like pickled cucumbers
  • Koto koto Sound of a bubbling pot
  • Mochi mochi Chewy, like mochi (rice taffy)
  • Neba neba Slimy and sticky, like natto (fermented soybeans)
  • Nuru nuru Slimy and slippery, like okra
  • Paku paku Eating wholeheartedly
  • Pari pari Thin and crispy, like potato chips or nori
  • Piri piri Something that is spicy, like too much wasabi
  • Puri puri Resistant, like fresh shrimp
  • Puru puru Wiggly, like sesame tofu
  • Saku saku Delicate and crispy, like tempura
  • Shari shari Sound of ice being shaved
  • Shiko shiko Chewy, like udon
  • Shuwa shuwa Fizzy and frizzante, like sparkling wine
  • Ton ton The sound of a knife rhythmically hitting the cutting board
  • Toro toro Melts in your mouth, like fatty tuna
  • Tsubu tsubu Chunky bits, like the pulp in freshly squeezed orange juice
  • Tsuru tsuru The sound of slurping noodles

The five ri’s

The language spoken in a sushi shop is particular to that world. The terminology of the sushi shops includes the following five “ri” words that you will hear over and over:

  • Agari Tea that is served at the end of the meal; green tea cleanses the palate and prevents the growth of bacteria
  • Gari Pickled ginger, which also cleanses the palate and has antibacterial properties
  • Nikiri A thick sauce made from simmering soy sauce, mirin, sake, and dashi that is brushed on seafood
  • Nori Black-green laver often used for rolled sushi
  • Shari Vinegared rice

Seasonal Fish

Below is a list of fish according to when they come into season; they may also be available other times.
Spring is famous for mebaru, sawara, madai, kihada maguro, karei, and hatsugatsuo… Summer fish to look for include aji, isaki, hamo, hiramasa, and takabe… Autumn fish to look for include sanma, modorigatsuo, nametagarei, akagarei, and akijake… Winter fish to seek out include buri, hirame, hotaru ika, and honmaguro

Sushi Bun
Building #8, 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku
Tel. 03-3541-3860 • www.tsukijinet.com/tsukiji/kanren/susibun (Japanese)
restaurant • moderate
Sushi shop with a strong following is the 150-year-old Sushi Bun, originally a cart at the former fish market in Nihonbashi. Sushi Bun only uses wild fish that is domestically caught. The fifth-generation daughter speaks English and can help you with the menu.

Meat

Mention meat and Japan in the same breath, and the first thing that comes to mind for most people is “Kobe beef.” Actually, Kobe Beef is a brand name—one of 229 recognized brands of wagyu, the Japanese fat-marbled beef that is famous around the world.

Wagyu cattle in Japan lead the most pampered lives imaginable for livestock. Some are fed beer, massaged (not Swedish-style, but by intense brushing), and serenaded with classical music in stress-free environments. Wagyu is from four breeds: the most popular is Japanese Black; the others are Japanese Brown, Japanese Polled, and Japanese Shorthorn…

The first time a diner sees wagyu, the marbling (shimofuri) may be surprising: the beef is uniformly marbled with a large percentage of fat. The most expensive wagyu has the most fat, and the fat is white, rather than tinged with yellow, as it may be in lower-quality meat. Some famous brands of wagyu include:

  • Kobe Beef This meat has a particular umami to it, and aromatic fat; as well as being massaged, Kobe Beef cows munch on a special grass and drink mineral-rich water.
  • Maesawa Gyu The cold temperature of the northern prefecture that is home to this breed produces an aromatic meat with fine marbling.
  • Matsuzaka Gyu Perhaps the most famous of all, these cattle are fed beer and massaged, resulting in good marbling.
  • Saga Gyu The waters of the Saga region are said to contribute to this rich meat with sweet fat.
  • Yonezawa Gyu This corn-fed meat with a fine marbling melts in your mouth.

Takei
5-17-19 Hakusan, Bunkyo-ku
Tel. 03-3941-2725 • 7:30–19:30 Monday to Saturday; closed Sunday and holidays
shop
In an area peppered with small specialty shops, this meat shop, opened in 1934, has both second- and third-generation family members working behind the counter. Originally the shop specialized in wagyu, but due to popular request, it now offers domestic pork and chicken as well. Popular items include the roast beef and potato salad. Takei tries to sell meat at half of the market price by purchasing whole at the Shibaura slaughterhouse and then processing it on premises.