We would like to get you briefly acquainted with the history of Japanese cuisine starting from the VII century and until the XIX century, when its special style formed.

In the Ritsuryo period (VII-X centuries) the court's ministry had already established a number of posts dealing with the court's nutrition, such as officials checking gifts to the emperor's kitchen. That time court nobility very often arranged splendid dinner parties on occasion of the New Year's Day, appointment of ministers and other officials. Among written monuments of that time menu is considered the oldest one. As separate dishes sea breams, carp, octopus, humpback salmon and other dishes were served. Preparation of these dishes was quite simple. There were four types of seasonings: soy sauce, vinegar, salt and sake. There was a special plate with four segments for them.

There were a lot of complicated rules concerning the day's routine, order of the ceremony, place for the dishes and clothing. During banquets food was served on special large tables looked like modern ones.

After the Kamakura period (1192 - 1333) had started aristocracy for some time continued to arrange banquets and samurais who had seized the power lived in modest conditions. During samurais' dinner ohan dish used to be served. Ohan was a dish for the court's low officials. It consisted of rice in a rice bowl with medusa, plum in vinegar, some fish and vinegar or salt as a seasoning. As the samurais were getting more powerful ohan was getting a more substantial and rich meal.

In the described period fasting cuisine started its history. In Japan which is a Buddhist country there used to be a custom of clearance through fasting. When Zen Buddhism appeared strict rules of eating fasting food still existed. At the same time fasting cuisine started to form as a separate type of meal.

The Nanbokucho-Muromachi period (1336-1573) may be considered a period when formation of a certain type of cuisine influenced by the samurai society was finished. The samurai society formed around Muromachi shogunate united the customs of the court's aristocracy and samurais creating original culture.

There appeared dishes of the official cuisine and custodians of the ceremonies connected with the official cuisine. Aristocracy was represented by Shijo, Takahashi etc. and samurais by Ogasawara, Okusa and others.

In the Muromachi (1333-1573) and Azuchi-Momoyama (1573-1603) periods another type of cuisine style called "kaiseki ryori" was formed.

Thus different types of cuisine - official, fasting and kaiseki - each having its own style existed at the same time and influenced each other. But starting from the middle of the XIX century the official cuisine slowly decayed because of the great variety of its ceremonial rules and complicated dishes. So its dishes were cooked only for marriages and festival ceremonies. At the same time "kaiseki ryori" got new development owing to simplicity of its rules.

Seasonings and spices of Japanese cuisine
Starting from the Heian period (794-1192) there have been four kinds of seasonings in the Japanese cuisine - salt, vinegar, sake and soy sauce. They became a base for the Japanese seasonings and spices. Salt and vinegar considered the most valuable ones. Generally vinegar was made of plums and citruses.

Salt and vinegar play an important role in preparation of food. For example with the help of them fish smell is removed and the period during that products can be stored is enlarged. If you have salt and vinegar you will be able to cook food out of all products. But it's the quality of salt and vinegar that determines the taste of a dish.

One of the basis of the Japanese cookery is "kagen". The meaning of the word is dosing and regulation (number of spices, firepower etc.). The word consists of two characters: addition and subtraction.

During preparation of a dish we as a rule think about the fact that the product should not be very solid, that to achieve good taste some amount of sugar, salt, vinegar etc. must be added. If the mixture of all these ingredients will be right you will get a delicious dish. In other words it is a means of preparation by addition.

There is also another means when the most delicious part of a product is extracted and the one spoiling the taste is removed. This is a means of preparation by subtraction. It helps to get the ideal taste.

The Japanese cuisine is based upon the means of subtraction. There is an expression "to take out the juice" meaning that the most delicious part of a product is extracted. The expression "to get rid of bitterness" means that a bad part of a product is removed and the remaining good one is used. For example mullet is washed down by boiling hot water. After that only the delicious part of fish remains. As in the Japanese cuisine products with removed disadvantages are used the taste of the dishes gets light.

Table setting, seasons, portions
An important part of the Japanese cookery is the art of table setting. The Japanese eat with "eyes", as the view of dishes is essential for them. Probably nowhere in the world eyes participate in meals to the extent they do in Japan. May be this comes form past times when beauty and fineness of dishes replaced a moderate list of products.

The Japanese cuisine has one more unique feature. Apart from beauty and harmony of forms and colors the dishes reflect seasons of the year. Each season grants its own delicacies. Correspondence to season as well as freshness of products is appreciated in Japan more than preparation itself. No wonder that in the Indian summer you may be served with soup containing pieces of carrot in the form of maple leafs and some spring dish will remind you of blossoming sakura outside.

Great attention is paid to the quantity of food served. Unlike the Russian cuisine with its large portions all the dishes of the Japanese cuisine are served in the quantity that do not let you be fed up. The Japanese like when meal consists of a large number of small dishes of different taste. The classic Japanese meal consisted of 15-20 small dishes served one after another.

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