Sukiyaki, a dish that Japanese food lovers are familiar with and even dream of.
This kind of hot pot is cooked with a small amount of sauce. The ingredients usually include high-grade beef slices, green onions, lettuce, tofu, mushrooms, etc. These ingredients are boiled in a soup mixed with soy sauce, sugar and mirin, and then eaten with raw eggs.
Among them, beef dipped in raw eggs has a smooth texture and sweet taste, and is the most popular. It can be said that sukiyaki is one of the representatives of Japanese cuisine, and beef is the soul of sukiyaki.
But in fact, it is only nearly two hundred years since beef began to appear on Japanese tables.
"Meat Ban" and "Civilization"
Starting from 675 AD, the Japanese began to "forbid eating meat." At that time, the Buddhist culture introduced to Japan had an impact on Japanese food culture , making the Japanese begin to avoid meat.
To this end, Emperor Tenmu issued a "Meat Eating Prohibition Order" , declaring "the meat of cattle, horses, dogs, apes, and chickens shall not be eaten" . For nearly 1,200 years since then, Japanese people have relied on fish as their main source of animal protein.
During the Tokugawa Shogunate period, although the Japanese had begun to eat sukiyaki, they did not eat beef very much. The main ingredient of sukiyaki at that time was chicken, so it was also called "chicken sukiyaki".
Until the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate due to its inability to adapt to the changing times of internationalization, the new Meiji government kicked off and immediately implemented the policy of actively adopting the systems and cultures of advanced European and American countries, aiming to enhance national power and enrich the life and culture of the Japanese, becoming An era of civilization and enlightenment.
The so-called "civilization and enlightenment" of means the comprehensive absorption of Western culture so that Japan can catch up with its backwardness.
One of them is that actively introduces Western cuisine , including beef, which was nominally banned in the past. Meat has begun to be lifted and is even continuously promoted by the government.
"Everyone has to eat beef hot pot"
In January of the fifth year of the Meiji period (1872), the emperor tasted beef for the first time at a dinner banquet in the palace, and promoted meat to the people. It also appeared in the news and was widely reported.
The government's advocacy of meat eating is also related to the nutritional intake of the Japanese people . The physique of the Japanese was significantly worse than that of Europeans and Americans. At that time, it was speculated that the problem lay in the content of the diet, so I thought that as long as the Japanese started eating meat, their figure would improve.
The book "The Entrance to Civilization" published in the sixth year of Meiji (1873) was the first to talk about the "protein" (i.e. protein) rich in meat as the basic substance that forms the tall and straight figure of Westerners.
Yukichi Fukuzawa also pointed out in the beef company's advertising text: "The Japanese are weak because they do not eat meat. Meat is actually a good medicine."
In order to respond to the beef incentive activities, in the fourth year of Meiji (1871) ) published by "An Yu Le Guo" criticized people who do not eat beef as falling behind the times, and also incited in the book: "No matter scholars, farmers, businessmen, men, women, old and young, wise, stupid, rich or poor, everyone must eat beef hot pot" . ”
As a result, the Japanese sat down cross-legged and ate the beef hotpot called "An Yule Hot Pot". After tasting it, they found it was really delicious, so they also felt the atmosphere of the new era with great interest.
The "predecessor" of sukiyaki
In such a short period of time, beef hotpot quickly conquered the taste buds of the Japanese with its delicious taste. Restaurants specializing in beef have sprung up in urban areas, also known as "cow houses" .
According to the records of "Tokyo Kaikai Banshoki" in the seventh year of Meiji (1874), the menu of the beef hot pot restaurant at that time included sukiyaki, hot pot, Tamagoyaki , salt grilled dishes, sashimi, boiled food, etc. In addition to the beef hot pot In addition, there is also "Sukiyaki" , which is also among the best-selling dishes.
Sukiyaki originated from Kansai . The beef hotpot restaurant in Tokyo may have introduced Sukiyaki after referring to Kansai cooking techniques.Many people from the Keihan area also come to Tokyo for business, so in order to differentiate the same beef dishes into Tokyo style and Kansai style , the restaurant marked sukiyaki on the menu. name.
During the Meiji period, beef and green onions were first added to the beef hotpot, and then seasonings were added, and the dishes were cooked and eaten according to the customer's personal preference.
For sukiyaki, the fat of the beef is melted in the pot first, then the beef is lightly stir-fried and grilled, and then the pot bottom is seasoned with soy sauce, sugar and wine.
In the 26th year of Meiji (1893), the book "Recipes for Year-round Cooked Food for Amateurs" was published. If you refer to the " Beef Hot Pot " recipe in the book, you will find that it is already the same as the "Kotobuki" cooked by ordinary families today. Hiyaki" is almost the same.
The term "beef hot pot" was gradually no longer used around the end of the Meiji period, and the mainstream beef hot pot cuisine was transformed into the sukiyaki model.
After entering and in the Taisho era, whether it was beef hotpot or sukiyaki, they were all labeled as "sukiyaki".
When people first started eating meat, they usually ate in restaurants. After the meat-eating habit spread, every household gradually accepted Western cuisine, which laid the foundation of Western cuisine.
After entering the Meiji 20s, ordinary household kitchens began to prepare Western-style dishes based on beef, and a cooking book specializing in the household market was published locally. The biggest feature is to improve Western cuisine into Japanese taste, using seasonings such as miso or soy sauce to season the food, so that the food can be paired with rice, thus forming "Western food" that combines Western and Western cuisine.
"Tokyo Shinbansho Chronicles", "Tokyo Kaikai Bansho Chronicles" and other books published in the Meiji period, all regard "eating beef" as a sign that Japan has entered a new era.
※ This article is compiled from "The Complete History of Japanese Food", author: Hisao Nagayama, translator: Cai Lirong, published with the authorization of Nippon Tongkei.
Picture source in the article: pixabay photoAC
"The Complete History of Washoku"
[Japanese] Hisao Nagayama
Knows its taste and knows its history
Traces the history of Japanese food culture for thousands of years
Interprets the dietary patterns of ancient and modern people in "the country of long-lasting food"
This history of Japan on the table
takes you to appreciate the "harmony" behind Japanese food
"The Complete History of Japanese Food" starts from the Jomon period 13,000 years ago and covers the development of Japanese food in modern times. The historical facts are connected in chronological order, eloquently told, and easy to understand.
Public culture, samurai culture, Zen artistic conception, eclectic fusion of Japan and the West, seasonal aesthetics that change with the seasons... It is not difficult to use food as a window to get a glimpse of the general shape of a culture. Turning to the first page of "The Complete History of Japanese Food", the past and present evolution of Japanese culture between bowls and chopsticks can be seen before your eyes.
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