Glossary

A

Agedashi:Deep-fried tofu with dashi sauce made from shoyu, or soy sauce.
Ankimo:Foie gras-like monkfish liver usually served with ponzu sauce.

B

Bento:An individual meal packed in a container, often called a “box lunch.”

C

Chawan:mushi Steamed egg custard with meat/seafood/vegetables in a cup.
Chazuke:A bowl of rice with hot green tea or hot dashi poured over it. Also called ochazuke.

D

Dango:A dumpling made from rice flour.
Dashimaki tamago:A rolled omelet made with dashi sauce.
Dengaku:Grilled tofu/fish/vegetables topped with miso paste.
Donburi:A bowl of rice topped with meat/fish/vegetables.

E

Enoki:White mushrooms that are long, thin, and straw-shaped.

G

Ginnan:Ginkgo seeds.
Gobo:A vegetable named Greater Burdock. Its long roots are eaten.
Goma-ae:A dish featuring a boiled vegetable mixed with sesame seed paste.
Gyudon:Beef bowl, a bowl of rice topped with simmered beef and onions.

H

Hijiki:A brown sea vegetable rich in calcium.
Himono:Dried fish. Grilled aji, or horse mackerel, is a popular breakfast item.
Hiyayakko:Chilled tofu. Eaten with toppings such as grated ginger and long onion.

I

Ikizukuri:Sashimi prepared from live fish.
Izakaya:A Japanese brasserie, or bar and grill. Izakaya are becoming much like casual restaurants these days.

K

Kara agé:Meat or fish coated with flour and deep-fried. Often synonymous with deep-fried chicken.
Kakuni:Cubes of pork belly stewed in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, sake, and mirin.
Karashi miso:A mixture of miso and mustard often used together with sugar and rice vinegar.
Kamameshi:Rice and vegetables/chicken/seafood cooked in a single–serving earthen pot.
Kimpira:Sautés of sliced or shredded vegetables seasoned with soy sauce.
Korokke:Deep-fried mashed potato mixed with minced meat/fish/vegetables. Its origin is the French croquette.
Kushikatsu:Chicken/pork/seafood/vegetables skewered and deep-fried.

M

Mitsuba:A vegetable with a fresh aroma, used as an accent in many dishes.
Mochi:Rice cakes made of glutinous rice.
Moriawase:An assortment of different foods. Sashimi moriawase is an assortment of different kinds of sliced raw fish.
Morokyu:A side dish of fresh cucumbers eaten with a dip of sweet moromi miso made from barley, soybean, salt, and millet syrup.
Mozuku:A thin, short type of seaweed usually served in vinegary sauce.

N

Nabe or Nabemono:A collective name for various hotpots containing meat, seafood, and vegetables.
Natto:A fermented soybean dish, stringy like melted cheese and infamous for its strong smell and slippery texture.
Nikujaga:A dish of meat, potatoes, and onions, stewed in sweetened soy sauce.
Nizakana:Fish boiled in sweet soy sauce-based broth. Also called nitsuke.

O

Oden:A popular winter dish consisting of boiled eggs, processed fish pastes, daikon radish, etc. simmered in dashi broth.
Ohitashi:Boiled vegetables such as spinach seasoned with dashi and/or soy sauce.
Okonomiyaki:A pan-fried Japanese pancake containing a wide variety of ingredients and topped with okonomiyaki sauce.
Omakase:Chef’s choice or prix fixe course dinner, especially at sushi restaurants.
Omu raisu:Fried rice seasoned with ketchup and wrapped in an omelet.
Onigiri:Rice balls.
Onsen tamago:A soft boiled egg with a tender yolk and a halfliquid white, like a poached egg.
Osechi:Traditional New Year’s foods usually packed in lacquered boxes.
Osuimono or Suimono:A clear soup made with dashi stock.
Osusume:The recommended dish of the day.
Otoshi:A small dish served just after the customer gets to the table and orders an alcoholic beverage.
Oyakodon:A rice bowl topped with chicken and egg. Oyako means parent and child.

R

Ramen:Popular noodle dishes originating in China and adapted to the Japanese palate.
Robatayaki:Fish/meat/vegetables grilled over a sunken hearth.
Ryotei:A luxurious Japanese restaurant at the highest end of the market.

S

Saikyoyaki:Grilled white-flesh fish that has been marinated with sweet miso paste.
Sakekasu:Sake lees, a residue produced when fermenting rice.
Sansho:Japanese pepper.
Satoimo:Taro potato.
Sekihan:Rice cooked with red azuki beans.
Shichimi togarashi:A ground mixture of seven different spices including red pepper.
Shiso:Beefsteak plant used as a condiment.
Shogayaki:Japanese style gingered pork. Slices of fried pork seasoned with ginger.
Somen:Long, thin noodles made of wheat.
Sumiso:Miso mixed with rice vinegar sauce.
Suno-mono:Vegetables or seafood marinated in rice vinegar.

T

Takikomi gohan:Rice and various ingredients cooked with soy sauce-based dashi.
Takoyaki:Fried dumplings containing diced octopus inside.
Tataki:Fish or meat briefly seared and sliced.
Teishoku:A set meal or combo. A Japanese-style set meal usually comes with a cup of miso soup.
Tekkadon:A bowl of sumeshi rice topped with tuna sashimi.
Tonjiru:A kind of miso soup with pork and vegetables.
Tsukemono or Oshinko:Vegetables pickled in salt, rice bran, and miso or sake lees.
Tsukudani:Seafood/vegetables stewed in sweetened soy sauce.
Tsukune:Meat/fish balls.

U

Umeboshi:Pickled ume (Japanese plum) fruits, sour but commonly used as a food to prevent food poisoning.
Unadon:A bowl of rice with broiled eel.

Y

Yaki-onigiri:Grilled rice balls.
Yakimono:Broiled dishes of fish/meat/game.
Yakiniku:Japanese-style barbecue.
Yakisoba:Wheat noodles pan-fried with meat/seafood/vegetables and seasoned with slightly sweet sauce.
Yakitori:Skewered grilled chicken.
Yamakake:A side dish of diced tuna topped with grated yamaimo yam and soy sauce/ponzu.
Yuba:Thin layers of hot soybean milk.

Z

Zensai:Appetizers in a multi-course Japanese meal; hors d’oeuvres.
Zoni:A soup containing mochi rice cakes along with vegetables/chicken/seafood that is usually eaten on New Year’s Day.
Zosui:Rice porridge containing vegetables/eggs/fish.