Why is Japanese rice so delicious?
Japanese cuisine has been listed as an Intangible Cultural.
Asset by UNESCO, and one of the key reasons it has achieved this status is its rice.
Here, we delve into why it’s so delicious.
Reason1Japan has over 4,500 years of rice farming history
Rice first came to Japan from China at the end of the Jomon period, around 2,500 BC, and cultivation techniques that allowed it to be farmed in Japan’s warm, humid climate, complete with four distinct seasons, spread throughout the country around 200 BC.
In the fourth century AD, rice was gathered as a tax by the Imperial Court and they also nationalised the paddies. Thus, whoever controlled the rice also had influence and power. Feudal lords gathered the annual rice tax, and until the Edo period, listed it as their domain’s yield.
This continued until1873, when the Meiji period’s land tax reform came into place. As a result, rice has not just been central to Japanese cuisine, but also had a large effect on its politics and economy.
Reason2Japanese cuisine uses Japonica and Uruchi rice varieties
There are many different rice varieties around the world. In Japan, and much of east Asia, the rounded and elliptical Japonica breed is the most popularly cultivated.
In south-east and southern Asia, the long and thin Indica breed is most common. Depending on the quantity of starch, Japonica rice is further split into mochi rice and uruchi rice. Mochi rice is very sticky and is used in dishes like sekihan or mochi, whereas the rice used in regular cooking is uruchi rice.
Japanese cuisine has used the special properties of both varieties since ancient times, either as whole grains or ground into flour, and not just for regular cooking, but also sweets and fermented goods like sake, mirin and miso. Thus, rice is not just used in meals but is a base for many different ingredients.
Reason3It’s low calorie and nutritionally balanced
Compared with bread or noodles, rice is low calorie and nutritionally balanced, with a mix of carbohydrate, fat and protein. In a world where Metabolic Syndrome and lifestyle diseases are growing problems, a diet with low-fat rice as a base is recommended to maintain or improve your health.
Rice also goes well with meat, fish, vegetables, seaweed and beans. By adding a variety of side dishes to rice, you can improve your balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Indeed, rice is absolutely essential to the healthy and nutritionally balanced “one soup and three sides” style of traditional Japanese cooking.
Reason4Each grain is grown carefully
One rice seed can produce an average of over 1000 grains of rice. First, the seeds are selected in April and planted in a seed plot. Then in May, when the shoots are tens of centimetres tall, they’re gathered into bunches of three or four and planted in paddies.
The plants normally divide into six stalks as they grow, in a process known as ‘bunketsu’. Come harvesting time in September, the plants are gathered in bunches of around 20, with each ear containing between 50-70 grains. In order to obtain 50 many delicious grains from just one seed, a lot of effort goes into the farming process.
Reason5Rice is grown with artisanal skill
Different to other countries, rice in Japan is grown in small water paddies of approximately one hectare. As a result, farmers can carefully and thoroughly manage all their crops. For example, in July, water is temporarily drained from the fields in a process called ‘nakaboshi’.
This process is designed to allow the soil to oxygenate and the rice plants to develop strong roots. By carefully managing water like this, the roots grow stronger and the ears of rice develop better, leading to delicious rice.
Compared to overseas rice, which competes on price, Japanese rice focuses on quality. That’s why Japan grows varieties like Koshihikari, which is difficult to grow but is very delicious. It’s also why many Japanese rice farmers use the ‘Aigamo method’, which employs ducks to eat weeds and insects, agitate the soil and fertilise the rice paddies organically.
This carefully grown rice is the pride of Japan. And because the point of origin and farmer’s information is required to be placed on each bag, you can eat the rice with confidence.
Reason6High-tech rice hulling
Rice hulling is the process whereby brown rice is turned into white rice. Before it’s hulled, the rice is carefully selected for quality and the husks removed to make brown rice.
Then, by using a special camera, any foreign substances, as well as rice with bad colour or shape can be identified and removed by a unique machine that blows them away with air. By further polishing the remaining grains, you get white rice.
Thanks to using the kind of technology you only get in Japan, you get high quality white rice that’s sold both in Japan and around the world.