I’ll admit up front this is sorta for homework. In that, I’m doing research for a project and I’d like input, NOT in that this is the sole source I’m going to.
But anyway, Japanese dopers (and whatever others who would like to contribute), what are your favorite seasonal foods?
Thanks
I only have one that I can think of off the top of my head and that’s nabe, which is appropriate as winter is approaching.
Nabe, essentially, is just a communal ceramic or metal bowl filled with water, stock, and a selected choice of vegetables, seafoods and/or meats that are meant to feed a group of people gathered around a table. Once the ingredients are cooked (boiled) then each person picks them out of the communal bowl and places them into their own small bowl which usually contains some kind of sauce or soup.
I think it’s nice for a number of reasons. The first of which is that nabe is considered a communal dinner. It’s something to enjoy with family, friends, or with other gatherings, rather than something you’d eat alone.
Secondly, if you cook it at home, especially during winter it warms up the whole living area with the steam of the cooking vegetables but without the smell of burning (frying) food. If the place where you live is cool during winter, but has decent ventilation I’d highly recommend it.
Hiyashi Chuka is a cold noodle dish usually available in the summer only.
I’m not Japanese and don’t live in Japan, but I could eat it everyday.
Every Japanese restaurant owner around here looks at me like I’m crazy if I ask for it in the winter.
My mom used to make sukiyaki (similar to nabe) at the end of the year, in a big dutch oven with noodles, broth, vegetables and meat. I remember she used to cut the carrots so they looked like cherry blossoms. It was so good. I repo’d the dutch oven a few years ago and I always think of it as the sukiyaki pot.
Also, while we pretty much ate it all year round, mochi is a big thing to make and eat for the new year. I remember mochi pounding (mochi-tsuki) at Japanese churches and cultural centers in Hawai’i. I’ve recently started making mochi at home, which should give us some extra insulation around the waistline for the holidays.
I like nabe too! Especially if it’s eaten at a big party… good times! We usually have fondue for dessert too.
My absolute favorite seasonal food (if it counts) is mikan. God, they are so delicious and cheap right now! Apparently the mikan crop was good this year–they are SUPER cheap and delicious. Good vitamin C too.
I also love “sakura” flavored things, which can generally only be found in the cherry blossom season. Sakura flavored soft ice cream is amazing–probably my favorite ice cream flavor of all time. Starbucks used to do a very tasty sakura flavored macaron, too. Sometimes there are very specialty items that are sakura flavored as well. In case you are wondering exactly what cherry blossoms taste like… well, it’s hard to explain. It’s basically the taste of a special Japanese sweet, called sakura-mochi. Pink-dyed mochi is wrapped in cherry leaves which have been pickled… they are very salty. I guess it’s basically a sweet/salt combination, but it’s very distinctive.
I would kill to be able to eat it year round! Man, I really want some sakura “soft cream” now…Of course, that would take a lot of the mystique away, I suppose… As it is, all my memories of sakura ice cream are of beautiful spring days at tourist spots, so that makes it taste even better!