Quick Guide to Japanese Cuisine!

Bento: A meal served in a box with many divided compartments, usually containing rice, a salad, a sweet fruit or pickles, varied vegetables, and a focal point, such as meat, seafood, or tofu.

Daikon: White radish.

Donburi: A Japanese rice bowl, in which steamed rice serves as a foundation for vegetables, meat or seafood, or tofu.

Gobo: Burdock, a high-fiber vegetable.

Hand Roll: A square of Nori is filled with rice, vegetables and seafood, then wrapped into a cone shape without the help of a sushi rolling mat (makisu).

Inari Sushi: A pocket or pouch of tofu is fried to a puffy golden brown and stuffed with rice, as well as other fillings, if desired.

Masago: Capelin fish roe (eggs), always orange, and more difficult to find than Tobiko, but otherwise very similar.

Miso: a soybean paste used to flavor soups and sauces. A lighter miso color indicates a milder, less salty flavor.

Nori: Strips of seaweed, used to make sushi and to flavor a variety of other dishes.

Sashimi: Simple, sliced, perfectly fresh raw fish.

Sunomono: Japanese salad, made from thinly sliced fresh vegetables, often with seafood, and marinated in rice vinegar, creating a tangy, refreshing appetizer.

Tempura: a variety of foods are dipped in batter and deep-fried.

Tobiko: Flying-Fish roe (eggs), which are very small, crunchy, mildly salty, and range in color from dark orange to a deep red.

Wasabi: Japanese  green horseradish. The root is grated and mixed with soy to dip sushi and sashimi. It is also used to create nigri sushi, acting as a thin bond between the fresh fish and the rice.

Yaki: refers to the method of grilling meat or tofu.