food history

IMG: Masataka Takateru

Whiskey first became widely available in Japan (least amongst the wealthy) in the 19th century, mostly in and after the 1870s, although it seems to have been introduced in the 1850s. Whiskey distilling in Japan did not get going until the 20th century though. The establishment of distilleries in Japan was spearheaded by a small group of men who fell in love with whiskey, and wanted to establish distilleries in Japan.

Filed under:  drink japan cool stuff from japan food history history
Onigirazu (rice sandwiches)

A new Japanese Kitchen article in The Japan Times, about the influence of social media on Japanese food in the 2010s.

Filed under:  japan times social media writing elsewhere onigiri onigirazu food history

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Eggs, plus the history of ranking restaurants and food in Japan.

Filed under:  eggs japan washoku writing elsewhere japanese culture food history japantimes

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My latest article in the Japan Times is about the history of corn (maize) in Japan, and includes a recipe for chilled corn soup that's really easy to make.

Filed under:  summer writing elsewhere food history japantimes

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A bit about salt.

Filed under:  essays nutrition budgeting food history seasonings food culture
Keep reading Salt, Part 1 →

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How ancient Japanese people in the north foraged for mushrooms, plus a super-simple mushroom recipe.

Filed under:  japanese mushrooms fall writing elsewhere japan times food history