"I believe there is food as long as there is life, there is life as long as there is philosophy."
"I believe that deep inside the Japanese people there is just such a connection between religion and everyday life."
When you ask a Japanese person what religion they are, they may seem a little puzzled at first, but most follow both Shintoo and Buddhist beliefs. This answer may surprise the average Westerner, who is committed to either one or no religion. In short, Shintooism is linked to celebratory, happy occasions, while Buddhism is linked to sadder occasions, such as funerals, which gives rise to their dual commitment. The Japanese have long been very spiritual people, so it's not surprising that many of their food customs are influenced by religion. If you asked a Japanese person today, however, they may not know that many of the foods they eat have their origins in religious customs.
As rice became the staple diet of Japan, a connection between the gods and the effects of nature on people's lifestyles evolved. Heaven, sky, water, fire and earth became the elements that symbolize the connection between god and man. Ancient tradition demanded that whenever there was a rich harvest of crops or a good catch of fish, food would be cooked and presented at the Shintoo shrine to express appreciation to the gods for their gifts.
The period surrounding New Year is probably the busiest time for Japanese families, when they prepare for the gods to come into their lives in the coming year. All family members get together for a big house-cleaning session, cleaning away the past year's dirt, dust and grime - symbolizing out with the old, in with the new. In the kitchen, they prepare osechi-ryori, which is food for the first three days of the New Year, They focus on foods that will keep for at least those three days. Just about all preserving techniques are used, such as drying, preserving in vinegar or adding extra amounts of soy sauce, miso paste or salt.
There are a number of reasons for all this advance preparation. The gods are being invited into the house and it is important not to disturb them with a big clatter in the kitchen. This is particularly significant with respect to the God of Fire, who is the most vengeful god. From as far back as the Heian Period, we say that we must not use fire in the kitchen during the New Year period. Today it is slightly modified to say we shouldn't work in the kitchen. Actually, the real intent of the custom is to give women a much-needed break from the demands of the kitchen for three days.
In the middle of the 6th century, Buddhism was introduced through China and Shojin-ryori (temple cuisine) was also introduced. The word Shojin means a devotion to pursue a perfect state of mind, banishing worldly thoughts and striving for limitless perfection at each stage. The preparation itself is a part of the practice of Buddhism. An effect that flowed through from the Mahayana Sect of Buddhism into our eating customs, sprang from their ban on the killing of animals and the eating of fresh meat. Shojin-ryori is an extremely simple style of cooking with many restrictions. It includes only basic, original forms of ingredients, involving many processes and much time to get to the end product. Typically, soy beans are grown, harvested, dried, soaked, steamed, crushed, steamed again, shaped, and left to stand in water to make tofu, before being used in such dishes as miso soup. Needless to say, the miso paste has undergone similar processes as well. Shojin-ryori consists of a variety of dishes but all are made in this arduous manner. Basic as they seem, the nutritional value is still there. They contain whole some vegetables and tofu makes up for the lack of animal protein.
It has been through the need to produce food that would keep a long time that many of our everyday ingredients have been developed by people within and around the temples, either because they are in isolated area or are isolated from mainstream society. Most temples play host to a considerable number of monks, novinces and general workers who partake of two such meals per day. Where would we be without tofu, miso, Shoyu(soy sauce), yuba (bean curd sheets), natto (fermented bean curd), abura-age (deep fried bean curd) and soy milk, all preoducts of temple cuisine?
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Daikon to abura-age no miso shiru
Daikon and Beancurd Miso Soup
Ingredients :
- 800ml dashi
- 160g daikon, peeled and julienned
- 100g carrot, peeled and julienned
- 1 abura-age (deep fried bean curd) sliced
- 80g light brown miso
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 stem spring onion, trimmed and sliced diagonally
- Shichimi (Japanese seven spices) powder, to serve
Steps :
1 . Heat dashi in a pan and add daikon, carrot and abura-age. Cook for 10 minutes over moderate heat.
2 . Combine miso and mirin, hten add to the soup. Stir gently
3 . When it has come up to the boil, remove from the heat.
4 . Pour soup into individual bowls and garnish with spring onion.
5 . Sprinkle shichimi on top.
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