Abura-age - thin oblong fried pieces of tofu.

Awakuchi - bright soybean sauce.

Azuki - small brown-red beans, used for preparing sweet dishes mainly.

Aka miso - mid-flavored soybean paste.

Amazu - sweet sauce.

Atsu-age - deep-fried tofu.

Bancha - sort of tea.

Biwa - loquat, medlar.

Bifun - clear noodles, made of rice-flour with adding potato starch.

Budo - grape.

Beni-shoga (see also Gari) - thinly stuffed and corned ginger root.

Bento - lunch box.

Daikon - long, white root vegetable, related to radish.

Daikon-oroshi - small grater, for daikon specially.

Dashi - base broth for soups or stew dishes made of kombu (sea kale) and kezuri-bushi. You can prepare it by yourself or dilute in water dashi-no-moto.

Dashi-kombu - dried kelp.

Dashi-no-moto - powder broth for fast preparation of dashi.

Domburi - crockery, earthen saucer.

Eda-mame - fresh new beans.

Enokiidake - small mushrooms with soft aroma and delicate flavor.

Futo maki - stodgy rice rolls with vegetables or fish etc., wrapped with nori.

Gammodoki - quenelles made of deep-fried tofu with vegetables.

Gari (see also Beni-shoga) - chipped pickle pink ginger; it is traditionally served with sushi.

Gyokuro - sort of green tea.

Ginnan - ginkgo nuts.

Gobo - burdock root.

Gohan - rice.

Hakozushi (see also oshizushi) - compressed sushi.

Hakusai (Chinese cabbage) - a vegetable with a white stalk and green leaves.

Harusame - thin noodles, made of azuki beans or starch roots.

Hacho miso - type of miso.

Hashi - chopsticks.

Hijiki - kelp.

Hiyamugi - type of thin noodles.

Ikura - salty poppy salmon caviar.

Itigo - strawberry.

Ichiziku - fig.

Kabochya - deep-green pumpkin with yellow flesh and nut taste.

Kaiware - daikon sprouts.

Kaki - Japanese persimmon.

Kaki - oysters.

Kamaboko or tikuwa - boiled fish sticks, made of whitefish.

Kampyo - finely cut dried pumpkin; used in sushi.

Kanten (agar-agar) - gelling agent, made of algae.

Kashiwa - oak leaves.

Katsuo-bushi, kezuri-bushi - flocks, made of boiled and then dried pieces of katsuo (tuner).

Kinako - flour, made of yellow soybeans.

Kombu - algae; giant kelp, full of calcium and other mineral substances; one of the main components for preparing dashi.

Konnyaku - jelly pearly piece, made of the-same-name plant.

Kocha - black tea.

Koya-dofu - frozen tofu.

Kuri - Japanese chestnut.

Kurimanju - dumplings with chestnut.

Makizushi - rice roll with filling, wrapped with nori.

Macha - green tea for ceremonies.

Меnма - salty bamboo sprouts for noodle.

Myoga - Japanese ginger.

Mikan - mandarins.

Mirin - kind of rice wine similar to sake, but with a lower alcohol content, not for drinking but for culinary cases.

Miso - fermented bean paste, used in soups and seasonings; there are different sorts of it.

Misoshiru - soup made of soybean paste miso. Classical miso soup is served with tofu pieces.

Mitsuba - Japanese parsley; used in soups mainly.

Mochi - rice flat cakes made of rice mochigome.

Nabe - pan, pot, frying-pan.

Naberyori - kind of dishes in pots.

Naga-imo (or yama-imo) - mountainous potato.

Naganegi - leek.

Nasu - eggplant.

Natto - fermented soybeans, that have chewing texture.

Niboshi - dried sardines for making dashi; used as a snack; add to soup, miso and noodle hoosh.

Nigari - traditional Japanese thickener for preparing tofu; is got from steaming sea water.

Nigiri-zushi - kind of sushi; handmade with fish pieces or some seafood.

Nira - smelling grass allium.

Nihonnashi - Japanese pears.

Nori - algae cultivated on plantations; usually used as a decoration.

Norimaki sushi - rice roll with stuffing, wrapped with nori.

Okara - boiled soybeans run-offs.

Oshizushi - compressed sushi.

Ocha - tea.

Ramen - Chinese noodles.

Renkon - lotus root with sweet white flesh; used in tempura or in stir fries and fried vegetables.

Ringo - apples.

Saikyo miso - type of miso.

Sakurambo - cherry.

Sake - traditional rice alcohol drink with 18-20° proof; it is drunk and used for culinary cases.

Sambaizu - type of vinegar.

Sansho - Japanese green aroma pepper.

Sashimi - dish made of fresh fish and shellfish, sliced and placed on plates.

Satoimo - sort of potato.

Satsuma-age- fish balls, fried in sesame oil.

Shoga - fresh ginger.

Shojin ryori - vegetarian food.

Shiitake - type of polyporus.

Shimezi - pulpy mushroom.

Shirataki - clear noodles made of konniyaku.

Shiro miso - lightly fragranced straw soybean paste.

Shiso - aromatic deep green or red leaves of plant, similar to begonia; green leaves are used in salads, red one - for making pickles.

Shitimi togarashi - mixture of 7 spices, which contains chili, sesame, poppy seed, hemp, shiso, sancho and nori.

Soba - buckwheat noodles.

Soba tsuyu - instant soup base made of soy.

Somen - very thin Japanese wheaten noodles.

Sora mame - chunky beans.

Sudachi - green vegetable with nice smell.

Suika - watermelon.

Sukiyaki - dish, made of meat chops, fried in vegetable oil with leek, tofu, mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, onions and other ingredients.

Sumomo - apricot.

Su-meshi - marinated rice, an essential ingredient of all sushi types.

Sushi - dish, made of boiled acidified rice with wet fish slices, seafood and vegetables; may be wrapped with dried algae (nori).

Suribachi and surikogi - ceramic cup-mortar and wooden pestle that grate products.

Sencha - green tea made of young leaves.

Shungiku - culinary plants of chrysanthemum group.

Takanotsume - fresh red pepper chili.

Takuan - pickled daikon.

Take-no ko - fresh bamboo sprouts.

Tamari - dark soy sauce, made by natural fermentation.

Temaki - type of sushi; rice roll wrapped with algae (nori).

Teppanyaki - fried in metal crockery; the chief makes dishes at a hot pan called teppan for 6-8 people.

Togarashi - condimental chili pepper.

Tororo (see also yama-imo) - dressing, made of yam, shoyu, misoshiru, mackerel, dried algae and eggs.

Tofu - soybean curd, made of soybeans and nigari. Used in soups, vegetable dishes and for decoration. Can be fried, pickled, steamed etc.

Tempura - type of preparing vegetables, fish, breaded and fried in boiling vegetable oil. Served with soy sauce and daikon radish. Tempura is usually served with soup, rice, noodles and pickles.

Chu-schyu - stewed pork meat.

Tsukemono - a basic name for marinated and salty products. For example, takuan, which is served with rice.

Tsuma - julienned daikon, used for sushi and sashimi.

Tsumami- ack, served for drinks.

Udon - Japanese wheat noodles.

Ume - plum.

Umeboshi - condimental pickled and dried on the sun plums.

Usukuchi - soy sauce with reduced saltiness.

Wakame - tortile dried kelps' ribbons.

Wasabi - Japanese relish, made of wasabi roots; served as a paste or powder; traditionally used as a dressing for sushi and sashimi.

Yuba - soymilk dried cream.

Yuzu - citrus fruit, may be replaced by lime.

Yakitori - chicken grill at the broiling rack.

Previous