Japanese cuisine

Described as one of the healthiest national cuisines, Japanese food comprises mainly of seafood and soybean, from which the Japanese get the bulk of their protein. Recently, however, meat, such as beef and pork, has been added creatively into the cuisine, but when you go to Japanese restaurants in the UK, you will probably find that the menu has mainly fish or seafood dishes on offer.

A Japanese meal is generally made up of rice, a main dish of fish or meat, and a side dish of cooked vegetables, soup and pickled vegetables. Japan's predominant religion, Zen Buddhism, influences Japanese cuisine through Kaisek, the Zen way of cooking that embraces nature, harmony and restraint. This means that Japanese food is simplistic with little use of oil and spices, as natural flavours are enjoyed without the heavy sauces and complex mixtures you may find in Chinese, Indian or other cuisines.

Japanese cuisine includes many foods that are left raw or only slightly cooked to maintain their freshness. One of the most well known types of Japanese cuisines available in the UK is sushi, a mix of vinegar-soaked rice with raw fish or shellfish. Starting out as a method of pickling fish hundreds of years ago, sushi has now become an artful and unique dining experience. Sushi can be served with raw fish or seafood, tofu, chicken, fresh or dried vegetables and seaweed, and can be eaten as it is, or be dipped into shoyu (Japanese soy sauce).