Culinary Basics of Japan: The Taste that the “Edo-kko” Loved
How the Edo Period Gave Japanese Food Its Flavor
Asakusa, Edo (1853, 10th month) by Utagawa HiroshigeLos Angeles County Museum of Art
Sushi, tempura, obento...Japanese food is now registered as a world intangible cultural heritage by the UN, and has in recent years exploded in popularity worldwide. The basic framework of modern Japanese food was formed during the Edo period, beginning in the 17th century (Edo being the old name for Tokyo). The Edo period – encompassing 260 years and 15 shoguns – was a stable one, allowing a flourishing of Japanese culture, undisturbed by war or uprising. The Edo-kko, citizens of Edo, enjoyed the arts, including a rich food culture from which we can trace the modern-day obento. So let's see how Japanese food culture came together.
Feeding a million stomachs
During the Edo period (1603-1868), the shogunate ruled Japan from present-day Tokyo. It is often thought of as the samurai age, but more than anything else it was a time when the culture of the cities came together and blossomed. The Edo-kko citizen was a new, more modern type of person – a brash, outgoing, having a strong sense of his or her own justice, and one who loves to find new ways of impressing his fellow citizens; a brash personality who might occasionally be grating but you could never bring yourself to fully dislike. The city of Edo meant different social strata mixing on the streets; you might see samurais with their swords hanging by their sides, whilst farmers sold vegetables to the merchants. Without war, people had more spending money, and it became fashionable to appreciate the arts, to travel, to eat and to play. The sakoku policy that restricted contact with foreign countries allowed a uniquely Japanese sense of aesthetics to develop.
Also, the sankin koutai policy accelerated the flow of people, especially single men, coming in to the city. As a result, the population topped 1 million in the 18th century. This is on par with modern-day Milan, and it made Edo one of the largest cities in the world at the time. It did not take long for the food industry to accommodate this influx of single men, and new styles such as yatai – eating whilst standing at a stall – became popular. Yatai offered various novel foods such as nigiri sushi, tempura, eel and soba (buckwheat noodles), the fast-foods of their day. Yatai food is very different from the multi-course meals that represent luxury food in Japan – it was created by common people for common people.
Ryori Hayashinan: Food Culture of Edo (2019)Original Source: SANSHIN KAKO Co,. Ltd.
Learn the ideal diet from Edo
Thanks to improved production technology in the late Edo period, the price of food stabilized. Many recipe books and restaurant guidebooks were also published and a culture that appreciated food along with seasonal items and events developed as well, whether at home or at restaurants. For example, the custom of eating eel on the special ushi day in summer was born in the Edo period and continues to this day.
"It is also during the Edo period that the basics of Japanese home-cooking: ‘Ichi ju sansei [one soup and three dishes]’ was established," said Mr, Nobuaki Abe, General Manager and Chief Chef of "Nanko Kitanomaru Rest House", located in the Imperial Palace garden. He focuses on the development of seasonings using the traditional manufacturing method of the Edo period and on food education activities.
"I think it was more like a balance of soup, rice, pickles and fish dishes. The number of side dishes increases for seasonal special events or family events, as it still does now. A lot of old recipes for specific rituals and festivals are preserved and still available, but there aren’t many remaining for normal home cooking. Now we can have whatever ingredients we want available at any time in any season, but in the the Edo period, people only had a choice of seasonal food. The seasonal food tends to contain more nutrition so it makes sense in terms of health. People consumed local seasonal food and so wasted no more water or energy than was needed, so it was in some sense ideal and very ecological”.
Backstage at an Edo Kabuki Theater (1810s) by Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)Los Angeles County Museum of Art
A lunch box filled with wisdom and fun
People also started to consider the setting of their dining - eating and drinking in beautiful scenery, or while watching popular plays and sumo wrestling. In the middle of the Edo period, Nishiki-e and Ukiyo-e printings captured the lives of people enjoying these entertainments. Food culture naturally changed with people’s lifestyles.
"Yo no Ju" provided at "Nanko Rest House (2019)Original Source: Nanko Rest House
"At first, the purpose of obento was to carry food with you, but later it became more colourful and playful. Various types of lunch boxes were produced; such as a hanami bento box for cherry blossoms, or a makunouchi bento box for a theatre" said Mr. Abe. He now makes Edo-style lunch sets, amongst them a “Edo Eco Kourakuju” lunch set, drawn from the recipes of the Edo period recorded in books such as “Ryouri Haya Shinan (Book of Cooking Lessons)”.
Tempura
In the early Edo period, tempura was different from the tempura we know now. It used to feature a deep-fried fish paste called satsuma age. The batter, koromo, only began to be used in the late Edo period.
Kouri (ice) tofu
Ice was very valuable in Edo. Tofu within a soft jelly brings a welcoming sense of cool to the hot and humid Japanese summer.
Touza pickles
Pickles were essential for home meals in the Edo period. There are many varieties, from leafy vegetables to turnips to daikon radish.
Miso soup
At the time, each family made their own miso at home. Today, Miso remains so regional that the type of Miso you eat at home is still a clear give-away as to where you come from.
Iri Zake
This was used as a substitute for today’s soy sauce. It’s sake with plum pickles in, boiled for some time to condense the taste. It has a soft and elegant mouthfeel and is a favourite seasoning of Mr.Abe.
Seasonal fish
Meat and dairy products, which were eaten during Heian period of the 8th century, were banned in Edo. Fish was therefore a crucial protein source. Thanks to the rich seas around Tokyo, fish cooking techniques improved rapidly.
江都名所 飛鳥山はな見|Asakayama Hanami (ca. 1834) by Utagawa HiroshigeThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
A holiday lunch box is one of the things Japanese people love to enjoy now and then. When travelling, ekiben (bento from a train station, for a train journey) is often eaten. A wide variety can be found, from the colourful makunouchi bento to those featuring local specialities.
Oshizushi (squeezed Sushi) (2019)Original Source: Nanko Rest House
Oshizushi (squeezed Sushi), which was the main style of sushi until the birth of nigiri sushi (hand-held sushi) in the middle of Edo period, is still very popular, being wrapped in bamboo or persimmon leaves for the function of food sanitation. At that time of Edo, wide roads had already been constructed to connect the regions, so it was common for ordinary people to enjoy traveling. Though Edo is now a far-way place, its tastes and customs linger on in modern life. Why don't you see if you can taste a morsel of the rich Edo culture as you travel around Japan?
Cooperation with:
National Foundation of Japan’s National Park Association
SAVOR JAPAN
Photos: Misa Nakagaki
Text:Makiko Oji
Editing: Saori Hayashida
Production: Skyrocket Corporation
