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Japanese Food

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Japanese Food
What are major characteristics of traditional Japanese food, and how has it been influenced by geography and religion?
Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. Japanese cuisine is known for its emphasis on seasonality of food, quality of ingredients and presentation. Japanese food is well known all over the world for its low fat and nutritional values. The Japanese food might appear bland and less spicy because they don’t use spices as they prefer to retain the natural tastes of the food. The balance of flavor, freshness, elimination of artificial flavors and retaining the real flavor of the fish, aesthetic beauty of the dish served are the can be attributed as the characteristics of a traditional Japanese meal.
Japanese food is said to be seasonal. Vegetables, beverages and fish are consumed according to the climate in Japan. The people in Japan are well accustomed to the seasonal eating habits and it is so popular that even the presentation of the dishes and the ambience on the table changes according to the seasons. For ex, using green bowls in spring and using glassware which looks liked chilled with ice cubes in summer and warm wooden bowls in winter are few of the presentations followed by Japanese.
Japanese concentrate on quality and presentation rather than quantity, almost all the foods served are served in minimal quantity so that the diner enjoys its quality. There is also famous Japanese saying “stand up from the table satisfied rather than full” which also indicates the importance of minimalist food intakes which keeps makes up for the healthy diet habits.
The Japanese view of a meal is one major characteristic which influences the west as well. Any traditional Japanese meal is made up of a soup, rice bowl, side dish, pickle, sauce and a beverage. Desserts are added to the meal in the later 19th century. Japanese consider a meal should supplement appropriate amounts of

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