Japanese cuisine

Japanese cuisine is one of the most distinctive ones in the world. Its originality is mostly caused by the history and geographical position of Japan (there are lot of marine products due to the fact that Japan is surrounded by the sea, and there is a lot of rice because people in most Asian countries eat a lot of rice). If a European is not familiar with Japanese dishes trying them will be a completely new experience for him. The basis of the Japanese cuisine is rice, vegetables, fish and seafood. Rice is the major meal in Japan. You can't imagine the traditional Japanese food without rice. The culture of growing rice has become a part of the national world-view - the attitude towards rice is in some way of a sacral character. Growing this plant requires a lot of collective handwork. They say that it is rice that's connected with the tradition of living in big families under one roof – every member of the family is supposed to contribute to growing rice. Most often rice is eaten without any additions, butter and even salt, and Japanese people claim that without any additions rice has a subtle and rich flavour. As an addition to other dishes rice is often added to sushi, the most popular Japanese dish around the world. Sushi bars now can be seen almost in every country and in every city.

Japanese people eat less beef and port, as well as animal fat, butter and milk products compared to Europeans. This is primarily connected with religious prohibitions as Buddhism doesn't allow killing and eating animals.