History

In early Japan, fish and other marine water animals became an important culinary tradition. The terrain of Japan didn’t encourage farming and thus food was scarce. Hunting and fishing was the main method of gathering food during that time.

Short grain rice, a Japanese favorite till the present day, was introduced to Japan in the third century B.C. Since then rice dominated Japanese cuisine.

There had been a taboo on meat eating during the reign of Emperor Temmu in A.D. 675. He decreed hat no one can eat cattle, horses, dogs, monkeys and chickens.

The Chinese introduced soy sauce, tea and chopsticks. And when Buddhism was introduced to Japanese culture in the 8th century meat eating was totally banned for the next 1200 years.

The Portuguese followed by the Dutch introduced fried foods in the 16th century. This is when fried tempura came about. At this time meats and eggs became more acceptable.