Abekawamochi - grilled cut mochi topped with mixed sugar and kinako, or syrup and kinako Abura Bouzu/Abura Sokomutsu - This is Escolar (Oilfish) and sometimes called Shiro Maguro, although it is not tuna and should not be confused with that fish. Bright white in color and quite fatty, this fish is not always easy to find. Due to the high levels of fatty esters, this particular fish may cause digestive issues with some individuals, and for that reason has been prohibited in Japan since the 1970's. If your body can tolerate it, the creamy texture and clean taste can be quite appealing. Abura - oil Abura - age, Aburage - Puffy, brown fried tofu Aemono - a cooked salad - foods in vinegar dressing or sauces, Vegetables or meats mixed with a dressing or sauce Agari - Green tea Age - fried Agedofu, agedashi dofu - thick slices of deep fried tofu used in soups, nimono, etc. Agemono - Fried foods Ahiru - Duck Aji - Spanish mackerel, horse mackerel, scad. Purportedly this is not actually a mackerel, but member of the Jack family. It is small - about 6" in length - and they fillet it and serve marinated in vinegar. Aji-no-moto - Monosodium glutamate (MSG) Aji-no-tataki - Fresh Spanish mackerel Aka miso - Red soy bean paste Akagai - Red clam. Akami - Lean tuna, cut from the back of the fish Akikure - Autumn chestnut rice. Rice dish with shiitake mushrooms, chestnuts and sweet potato, served in a dish and sprinkled with sesame seeds and radish sprouts Ama-ebi - Sweet shrimp, usually served raw. Eat the shells like you would crayfish. Amakuchi - Sweet sauce Amazake - A creamy white naturally sweet fermented rice drink made with a fermenting agent; usually served warm in winter Ame - A sweet rice candy stored in barrels of water Amiyaki- cooked over a wire grill An - Sweetened pureed paste of cooked adzuki or white kidney bean Annago or anago - Conger eel (saltwater) Ankake - A thick sauce topping made by combining a starch and water mixture infused with vegetable or meat flavorings. Usually served over rice and noodles Ankimo - Monkfish liver Anko - Monkfish. Anko-nabe - Monkfish stew Anmitsu - a dessert made from agar-agar, an and sugar Ana-kyu-maki - Conger eel and cucumber rolls Aonori - Dried seaweed powder Ao shiso no mi - prepared beefsteak plant seeds Aoyagi - Yellow clam Asa gohan - breakfast Asari - clams Atsuage - Deep fried Tofu, often served in Oden and Nimono Avocado - a common ingredient in some maki, make sure they are ripe you'll find the dark-skinned haas variety is easier to skin Awabi - Abalone Awamori - often referred to as ŌOkinawan sake', it's actually the local variant of shochu, and ranges in potency from about 30 to 60 percent Awasemiso - The combining of two or three different kinds of Miso, to improve the complexity of the flavor. Most Japanese homes will have at least Aka and Shiro Miso for this purpose Awaze-zu - sushi vinegar Ayu - Sweetfish - a medium sized river fish. Azukebachi - literrally "entrusted bowl"; the name of the tea kaiseki dish made from ingredients left over from preparing the various courses of a tea kaiseki meal Azuki - or aduki or adzuki - a small red bean used occasionally in savory dishes, but primarily in confections Baataa - butter Baigai - Small water snails Bainiku - Umeboshi paste, used as flavorings to sauces and toppings. Its highly tart and salty taste offsets fishy and oily flavors, and is often used as a palate cleanser Bamboo shoots - Bought sliced or whole Bara sushi - sushi rice and other ingredients mixed together, like a rice salad Basashi - raw horse meat served so cold as to be almost frozen - tasty but not for the squeamish Bata - butter Battera-sushi - Osaka-style pressed and molded mackerel sushi Beni imo - a purple sweet potato often used in tempura or simply baked and topped with butter Benishoga - Ginger pickled in brine, traditionally in plum vinegar. Today's Benishoga is colored bright red, and is sold whole, sliced, julienne or chopped Bento - traditional boxed lunch Bento Box - Japanese lunch box, usually lacquered, sectioned to contain an assortment of varied foods and rice. Bento serving style portability features, as well as the element of "reveal and surprise" Biru, biiru - beer Bonito - English word, for the Japanese katsuo or skipjack tuna. Dried and shavged to mke flkes for dashi as well as eaten fresh Botan - Wild boar Budoshu - Wine Bulgogi - A Korean marinated beef dish Buri - Adult yellowtail Buri Toro - Fatty Yellowtail. The belly strip of the yellowtail. Incredibly rich with a nice buttery flavour. Burokkori - broccoli Buta, butaniku - Pork California roll - Crab meat, smelt or flying fish roe, avocado Cha - Tea - often refers to the genre of Japanese tea, from the highly specialized Matcha to the roasted flavored teas Cha soba - Tea flavoured soba (thin buckwheat) noodles served cold Cha su ramen - Wheat noodles in pork broth with sliced pork Chaji - A formal tea ceremony that includes a kaiseki meal Chakai - a tea ceremony where only thin tea is served (after a sweet) Chakaiseki - tea kaiseki Champuru (or champroo) - an Okinawan staple, champuru is a mixed stir-fry with a seemly infinite number of potential ingredients. Goya (bitter melon - see below), somen (noodles), papaya, eggplant, pork, and fu (glutinous bread) commonly serve as the base, while egg, katsuobushi (fish flakes), seaweed, and Spam are often added to round out the flavor Chanko-nabe - seafood and vegetable stew eaten by sumo wrestlers Chanoyu - literally "tea's hot water"; the formal practice of preparing and consuming whipped powdered green tea Chakin-zushi - Vinegared rice wrapped in a thin egg crepe Chawan - rice bowl Chawan mushi - Steamed custard of Dashi and eggs, steam cooked with tid-bits of chicken, shrimp, Kamaboko and Gingko nuts Chazuke - rice and various toppings, over which green tea is poured Chiizu - cheese Chikara udon - "Power noodles" Noodles with mochi (rice cakes) Chikuwa - tube shaped, hollow browned fish cake, Browned fish cake with a hole running through its length Chikuzen-ni - Vegetables and chicken simmered together Chinmi - Delicacies, rare and expensive, and most often seafood. Chinmi are served in small portions, as accompaniments to Sake. The "Three Greatest Chinmi Under the Sun" are Uni ( sea urchin ), Konowata ( fermented sea cucumber ) and Karasumi ( cured mullet roe ) Chirashi sushi - (Iso-don, gomoku sushi). Sushi rice bed under other ingredients usually consists of assorted raw fish on a bed of vinegared rice Chirinabe - A Japanese one-pot dish consisting of chunks of a firm-fleshed fish (like cod or sea bass), tofu and various vegetables. All ingredients are brought to the table raw along with a pot of simmering broth, which is placed on a heating element and kept simmering throughout the meal. Each diner adds their own ingredients, letting the food cook until tender before retrieving it from the communal pot. Chirinabe is served with various condiments, which usually include ponzu sauce. See also mizutaki; nabemono Chofu - Sweet rice cake wrapped in a light cake Chomiryo - Condiment or seasoning. The most popular ones in Japan are Miso, soy sauce, vinegar, Dashi, sugar, salt, pepper, and Wasabi Chutoro - Medium fatty tuna, from the upper belly Cloud ears - Alternate name for Kikurage Crab sticks - imitation crab - an ingredient used in sushi Daidai - A bitter orange, used for its tart citrus juice Dai-ginjo - Finest grade of sake, made from the hardest core of the rice Daikon - a giant long white, carrot shaped Japanese radish Daizu - Soybean. There are three main varieties: green ( as in Edamame ), brown, and black Dango - small, round, dumplings, usually served on a stick Dashi - a soup stock made from kelp (konbu) and fish (dried bonito flakes) Denbu - Dried seasoned flakes of shrimp and whitefish Dengaku - Foods such as eggplant, Konnyaku, taro and Tofu are dressed with a sweetened Miso topping and grilled on skewers Dobin - A ceramic or china teapot with a bamboo handle over the top Doburoku - a type of a thick, soupy sake Dojo - Loach Donabe - An earthenware pot with a cover, expecially designed to retain heat. This type is used often for tabletop Nabemono hot-pot cooking Donburi - large bowl for noodle and rice dishes. Domburi dishes can vary in toppings from beef, chicken /egg combination, Tempura and others Ebi - cooked shrimp or prawn Edamame - Boiled soybeans served in its pods. In Japan, a popular accompaniment to beer, just like peanuts & beer in the U.S., eaten by pulling the beans from the pod with your teeth Edomae Sushi - a hand molded type with a variety of toppings Engawa - a Halibut fin muscle or the orangy meat that surrounds a scallop Enoki - long, thin, white mushrooms Fu - wheat gluten, eaten fresh, grilled or dried Fugu - blowfish; requires a licence for preparation as it is poisonous if prepared incorrectly Fugu-chiri - Blowfish soup Fuki - A fibrous vegetable often simmered in broth fukusa sushi - type of sushi which is wrapped in a crepe Funamori - or gunkan maki aka kakomi sushi- this is nigiri sushi wrapped to hold in less solid ingredients Furikake - a dry seasoning mix usually composed of noi flakes, sesame seeds and freeze dried granules of fish stock Furofuki daikon - "Hot tub vegetables." Steamed radish chunks in miso soup Furutsu - fruit Futomaki - a large roll with rice, sweetened cooked egg & pickled gourd Gari or shoga - Sweet pickled ginger for Sushi; the astringent flavor helps to clear the palate between bites and aids digestion. They come either natural colored or pink Genmai - Brown rice or unpolished rice Genmaicha - Roasted tea with brown rice Geoduck - mirugai, in the American Pacific northwest Geso - Squid tentacles Geta - Wooden block used at a sushi bar as a plate Ginjo - Higher than average grade sake Ginnan - Gingko nuts; served to reflect the autumn season as ingredient in Chawanmushi or dry roasted Gobo - long, slender burdock root Gochiso-sama [deshita] - Traditional phrase closing a meal Gohan - formal word for rice, also meaning "meal" (the informal word "meshi" can also be used) Goma - Sesame seeds, white or black, often roasted. Japanese style sesame seeds are used with the hulls intact. Highly aromatic Gomoku sushi - Sushi rice bed under other ingredients Gori - Pickled ginger cut into thin slices Gou - See sake Goya - a bitter fruit that looks like an extra knobbly cross between a melon and a cucumber. Goya finds its way into almost any dish. It is most often stir-fried but is also eaten in salads or tempura and is even made into tea. Some people argue that it is the secret behind the Okinawans' famous longevity Gunkan maki - Nigiri sushi wrapped to hold in less solid ingredients Gyokuro - Premium grade green tea, using the first young sprouts off the tea plant. Quality conscious Sushi bars will use Gyokuro Gyoza - or wonton - Chinese style meat dumplings - pan-fried, sautˇed and/or steamed Gyu, Gyuniku - Beef Gyu Tataki - beef tataki Ha-Gatsuo - Skipjack tuna. This meat is similar to bonito but is a lighter, pinker product. Hakusai - Chinese cabbage Hamachi or buri - yellow tail tuna Hamachi-kama - Yellowtail collars Hamaguri - clam Hamo - pike conger Hanakatsuo - Dried bonito fish, shaved or flaked. Usually sold in a bag. Also called Katsuobushi (bonito flakes). Hari hari zuke - pickled vegetable mix (yellow) Harumaki - Spring roll Harusame - thin semi transparent bean gelatine noodles, "Spring rain" green bean threads. They are clear and tasteless, with flavor absorbing qualities. Harusame is a natural ingredient to Nabemono especially Sukiyaki pots, and Sunomono Hashi - chopsticks Hashiarai - literally "chopstick wash"; a small portion of liquid (often hot water) flavored with a seasonal ingredient served at a tea kaiseki meant to clean the chopsticks and refresh the palate after the grilled course Hassun - several meanings, including square cedar tray upon which foods are served at a tea kaiseki; the name for the actual course of a tea kaiseki composed of something from the ocean and something from the mountains served on a cedar tray; the hors d'oeuvre course served during a restaurant kaiseki meal Hatahata - Sandfish Hatchou Miso - Miso made with 100% soybeans, popular in central Japan near Nagoya Hichimi togarashi - a western dialect for shichimi togarashi Hijiki - a variety of black seaweed in tiny threads seaweed, A dried stringy black colored sea vegetable that is highly nutritious and popular sauteed and seasoned in soy sauce and sweeteners Hikari-mono - fish sliced for serving with the silver fish skin left on Himo - "fringe" around an ark shell Hirame - Flounder, halibut or turbot Hiru-gohan - lunch Hiya yakko - blocks of cold tofu Hiyashi - cold Hiyashi-bachi - served chilled in a bowl with ice and cold water Hiyashi-chuka - Chinese noodles topped with ham or pork, cucumbers and cabbage, in a vinegar and sesame oil sauce. Hocho - general term for knives, Japanese chefs' knife. A highly specialized work of art with roots to the samurai swords Hojicha - A course roasted tea Hokkigai - A type of clam Hon-jozo - Average grade sake Honzen ryori - literally "main tray cooking"; formal court cuisine consisting of two or more soups and at least five side dishes distributed between one main legged tray and several smaller ones Hotate, hotatagai - Scallops Hokkigai - surf clam Horenso, horenso no ohitashi - spinach Ichimi Togarashi - Pure ground Japanese chili pepper Iidako - small octopus IIka-geso - Squid's tentacles Ika - Squid Ika-geso - Squid's tentacles Ika maru-yaki - Whole grilled squid Ikura - salmon roe Imo - Potato Inada - very young yellowtail Inari sushi - Aburage stuffed with sushi rice Inarizushi - A popular style of Sushi, using fried Tofu pockets and stuffing them with vinegared rice. A popular picnic dish Inoshishi - Wild boar Ishikari-nabe - Salmon stew with sake Iri goma - Roasted sesame seeds Ise-ebi - Lobster Iso-don - Sushi rice bed under other ingredients Itadakimasu - Traditional phrase opening a meal Itamae - Literally "front of the chopping board", meaning a Japanese chef Iwana - Char Iwashi - Sardine Izakaya - A tavern where liquor and simple accompaniment foods are served Jaga(imo) - potato Ji - a prefix meaning locally made or caught. Jizake - "Local Sake", often micro-brewed therefore yielding interesting characters in taste Jonainagashi - Dessert made from mashed white beans Jubako - stacked lacquer boxes usually used for holding special new years foods Junmai - "Pure rice" sake, brewed without added alcohol Kabayaki - grilled eel on skewers without rice Kabocha - Squash Kabu - a small white turnip Kagami Biraki - 'Opening of the lid", is the act of knocking the lid off a wooden Sake cask with a wooden mallet, symbolizing the start of festive occasions - weddings, new businesses, new building sites and dedications. The Sake is poured with a Shaku wooden ladles into individual Masu wooden square cups, and shared by everyone attending the occasion. Cedar is the best wood Kai - a generic term for shellfish Kaibashira - eye of scallop or shellfish valve muscles Kaiseki, kaiseki ryori - Based on the centuries old Japanese tea ceremony art form, Kaiseki Ryori is an elaborate multi-course menu depicting key elements of Japanese cuisine: fresh ingredients from the season or geographic area, attention to presentation and varied cooking style Kaiten zushi - Sushi on a conveyor belt Kaiware - Daikon radish sprouts Kajiki - Swordfish Kake udon - a bowl of hot udon in clear soup stock made with fish and soy sauce Kaki - Winter oysters Kakomi sushi - Nigiri sushi wrapped to hold in less solid ingredients Kamaboko - One popular type of fish cake. Often is two-toned red and white colored, therefore is used in festive occasions Kamachi-kama - Yellowtail collars Kamameshi - Rice and tidbits steamed in a pot. Kampyo - seasoned Japanese dried gourd in strips Kani - crab meat Kani-kamaboko - fake crab meat Kanimiso - Green contents of a crab's head Kanpachi - a very young yellowtail Kanpyo - strips of dried gourd - alternate spelling Kanten - Agar agar gelatin from the sea, used in desserts and glazes. Sets without chilling Kappa - Cucumber, when used in a roll Kappa -maki - rolled cucumber sushi Kappo Ryori - Highly refined a la carte dishes, usually meant to accompany and complement alcoholic beverages Karashi - A very pungent hot Japanese mustard. Unlike Western mustards, is not sour Kara Age - Deep-frying cooking method usually of chicken and fish. Ingredients are dusted in seasoned flour and deep fried in vegetable oil Karakuchi - Slightly spicy sauce Kareh katsu - curry sauce poured over deep-fried pork cutlet Karei - flounder or flatfish Katakuriko - Dogtooth violet. Is a substitute for potato and corn starch as a thickening agent or in a frying batter mix Katsu - a cutlet, A popular food preparation. Any kind of meat, most popular is pork cutlet, coated with egg and Panko Japanese breadcrumbs and deep-fried. Tonkatsu sauce usually accompanies Katsu dishes Katsudon - Deep-fried pork cutlet served with sauce over rice katsuo-boshi - dried bonito fish used to make dashi Katsuo - bonito fish Katsuo-boshi, Katsuobushi - Dried bonito fish Kayaku gohan - mixed rice Kazunoko - Herring roe Kikurage - a dried fungus, Chinese wood ear mushrooms Kimachi - a small fish from the yellowtail family Kim chee - Spicy marinated cabbage Kocha - Western style tea Kohada - gizzard shad Koji - a fermenting agent made by inoculating either beans or grains with the mold aspergillus kinako - Roasted soybean flour, used to coat Mochi and other desserts Kinkan - A citrus fruit Kinoko - generic term for mushrooms Kinome - leaves of the Japanese prickly ash Kinpira - Sauteed burdock and carrot strips seasoned with sauces Kishimen - A type of Udon, fettuchini-shaped Kissaten - coffee shop Kitsune Soba/Udon - originating in Osaka. Abura-age (fried tofu), simmered in sweet-and-salty stock and chopped leek is placed on top of noodles. Kitsune udon got its name from the fact that kitsune (foxes) love abura-age (fried tofu). Kohada - Gizzard shad Kohakukan-ume - Jelly with a whole plum inside Kohi - coffee Koi- Saltwater carp Koji - Aspergillus oryzae microbes, widely used on steamed rice, barley or soybeans to make Sake, soy sauce, Miso, Mirin, Shochou and Natto Kombu- Kelp, possibly dried, used for natural glutamic acid to make Dashi stock Kome - Rice Konbu - kelp (used in making dashi) Konnyaku - a gelatinous rubbery cake made from the "devils-tongue" tuber or snake palm, A yam paste, formed into small bricks or into threadlike noodles. Konnyaku has no taste, and therefore is served with strong sauce or flavoring Konomono - pickled vegetables, as well as the name of the pickle course at a tea kaiseki Koromo - Most commonly classified as Tempura batter, or a mixture of egg and breadcrumbs for deep frying foods such as fish, prawns, chicken Kara-age and vegetables Kosho - Pepper Koyadofu - Freeze-dried tofu Kudamono - Fruit Kudzu - a rocky white starch made from the tuberous root of the plant with the same name Kuruma-ebi - Prawn Kuro goma - black sesame seeds Kurodai - Snapper Kushi - Skewer, most often made of bamboo Kyuri - Japanese cucumber Langostino - a small shellfish, a bit Italian really! Madai - Red seabream Maguro - tuna. Makajiki - Blue marlin Maki, maki sushi - rolled by a mat into a cylinder or a cone, with fillings in the middle and Nori outer layer Maki-mono - Vinegared rice and fish (or other ingredients) rolled in nori seaweed Makisu - mat made of bamboo strips for making roll sushi Makunouchi bento - Classic bento Mame - Beans Manju - Sweet bun filled with an Masu - Trout Masago/Masagu - capelin (smelt) roe, very similar to tobiko but slightly more orange in colour, not as common as tobiko in North America (though often caught here). Capelin, shishamo, is also served grilled (after being lightly salted) whole with the roe in it as an appetizer. Matcha - Powdered tea used in the tea ceremony, also used to flavor foods such as soba noodles, sweet dumplings and ice cream Matsutake - Very rare pine mushroom Meji - Young tuna Mekajiki - blue Marlin Mentaiko - spicy fish roe, pasta sause Meshi - informal word for cooked rice (can also mean "meal.") Meshimono - rice mixed with meat or vegetables Mikan - Mandarin orange Mikkusu - mixed Mimiga - thin shavings of cured pigs' ears, often served with a little mayonnaise and washed down with beer Mirin - Sweet rice wine-fit for sauces, glaze adds flavor, sugar substitute. 15% alcohol, burn off alcohol before eating Mirugai - Long neck clam Miso - a fermented paste of soya beans and either barley or rice, with salt - basic to japanese cookery and especially miso soup. Miso is highly flavoured and rich in protein; Fermented soybean paste - soups, flavorings, and sauces; white - sweet younger miso with more rice. Aka miso is higher in salt content, rich and has a savory flavor Miso dengaku - Konnyaku, tofu or taro skewered and grilled with miso paste on top Miso ramen - Wheat noodles in pork broth seasoned with miso Mitzutaki - cooked in liquid Mizutaki - cooked in liquid Mizu - water Mochi - Japanese rice cakes made from glutinous sweet rice, eaten fresh or hard Mochigome - mochi rice Mochiko - sweet glutinous rice flour Momen tofu - "Cottony" bean curd. see tofu Momiji oroshi - Red maple sauce. A condiment of grated daikon and hot chilli peppers eaten in the fall Momo - peach Mori-soba - cold buckwheat noodles served on a bamboo screen Moyashi - Bean sprouts Mugicha - Tea brewed from roasted barley Mukozuke - the marinated raw seafood or vegetable dish at a tea kaiseki served on the first tray with the miso soup and rice Murasaki - Sushi bar term for soy sauce Mushimono - Steamed foods Myoga - variety of ginger Nabe - Cooking pot or pan Nabemono - are quick-cooked stews. "Nabemono dishes are a hearty wintertime specialty, prepared from fish, seafood, chicken, meat and/or vegetables in a bubbling cauldron right at your table. Serving trays piled high with raw ingredients arrive at the table, then everyone pitches in with the cooking, finally eating together out of the communal pot. Nabemono restaurants are very down-to-earth places, usually with a rustic decor reflecting nabemono's origins in Japan's rural farming regions. Nabemono are also served in pub-style izakaya restaurants, in places specializing in regional cuisines, and in private homes." Nama - a prefix meaning raw food or draught beer Nama-tako - fresh or raw octopus Namako - Sea cucumber. As a variation, the pickled/cured entrails, konowata, can be found for the more adventurous diners. The liver, anago no kimo, is served standalone as well. Nameko - Slippery red mushrooms sold in small cans Nametake chazuke - prepared mushrooms Nanami togarashi - Mixed hot spices Narizushi - Stuffed bean curd rolls or sushi rice in fried tofu pockets Nashi - Japanese pear Nasu - an Eggplant or Aubergine Natto - Fermented soy bean Natto-maki - Fermented soybean rolls Negi - a Japanese onion Negitoro - Chopped and mixed negi-onion and toro Neta - The fish topping in nigiri sushi Nibaizu - A vinegar and soy sauce mix commonly used in cooking Nigiri - or hand-made sushi is the typical sushi and is ordered and served in pairs Nigiri sushi - A slice of fish or other topping atop vinegared rice Nihon shu - a type of sake, rice wine Niika - Monterey squid simmered in soy stock Niku - Meat Nikudon - Rice bowl with beef, tofu and gelatinous noodles Nikujaga - Beef or pork simmered with potatoes and other ingredients Nijimasu - Rainbow trout Nimono - simmered or boiled foods usually in a otoshibatu; An array of foods but usually vegetables simmered in soy sauce, sugar, Mirin and Sake. Most popular are Shiitake mushrooms, Takenoko bamboo shoots, Satoimo yam and chicken Nishin - Herring Nobeyaki udon - Hot udon noodles with spinach, fish cakes, shrimp tempura, mushrooms and sliced boiled egg. Very filling; considered a peasant dish Noren - split curtain placed in a door entry. Commonly found in eateries Nori - Purple laver seaweed pressed into thin sheets; Cultivated laver sheets, processed sprouts of sea plants belonging to the red algae family, dried into sheets; A popular sushi wrap, high in iodine and vitamin A Norimaki - Sushi rolled up in sheets of dried Nori seaweed Nori-tama - Sweetened egg wrapped in dried seaweed Nuka - rice bran (used to pickle vegetables) O-cha - green tea Ochazuke - rice and Tea Soup, served sprinkled with nori and sea urchin roe Oden - fish, fish cake and vegetables simmered in broth Odori-ebi -``Dancing shrimp,'' ama ebi served living Odoburu - Hors d'oeuvres or appetizers Oishii - word meaning delicious Ohba - Japanese beefsteak plant Ohitashi - Cooked vegetables in a dashi broth, a sauce made from dashi, soy and sometimes mirin Ohitsu - a special bowl to keep rice warm Ohyo - Halibut. Also called Karasu Garei. Okame - Hot soba or udon noodles with fish cakes, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, wheat cakes and spinach. Usually eaten only in autumn or winter Okashi - Confectionary Okonomi - The practice of ordering sushi a few pieces at a time Okonomi-zushi - home-style nigiri sushi Okonomiyaki - egg "pancakes" containing diced seafood, vegetables, or meat, that are grilled and topped with a savory sauce Omakase - Chef's choice Omakase Ryori - A dining arrangement where dishes are left up to the discretion of the chef for serving up the freshest pick of the day, a commonplace for Kappo Ryori and Sushi bars Omuraisu - Thin omelette wrapped around rice mixed with tomato sauce and pork or chicken Onigiri - Balls made with plain steamed rice with various stuffings; Rice balls filled with seasoned seafood and vegetables - most common are Ume plus, salted salmon, Katsuo shavings, and Kombu strips. Onigiri is a popular lunch and picnic item Ono - Wahoo. Ono (Hawaiian for 'delicious') has a very white flesh with a delicate consistency, similar to a white hamachi (yellowtail). Oribenishiki - Bean jam and chestnut rice cake coated with sugar Osechi ryoori - traditional New Year's food Osenbei - Rice crackers Oshi- Pressed sushi which is cut into small squares Oshibako - Used for pressing the sushi to make Oshi-zushi. Oshibori - moistened heated towel Oshinko - pickled vegetables, usually cucumber or daikon radish Oshinko no - An assortment of pickles, including daikon, cabbage, cucumber, aubergine and turnip. Usually served as a side accompaniment to various dishes Oshiwaku - wooden box with top Oshizushi - sushi rice and other ingredients pressed into a box or mold Otoro - Fatty portion of tuna belly Otoshibuta - a heavy straight sided pan used for simmering - nimono Otoro - Fattest tuna Otsumami - Savory nibbles (?) Oyako - Chicken and egg Oyakodon - Rice bowl with chicken, onions and runny semi-cooked eggs Ozoni - a dashi based new years day breakfast soup containing mochi plus other regional ingredients Pan-joon - Very light Korean scallion pancake Panko - Japanese style dried breadcrumbs used to coat foods for deep frying. Panko are has a larger texture and leaves a lighter, more crunchy finish than American bread crumbs Po-ku tamago - fried Spam and eggs, an American import great for the morning after a night of too much Orion Ponzu - Sauce made with Japanese citron; A citrus-vinaigrette, with soy sauce and a bit of red chili added to complete the sauce. Ponzu is very versatile, used with many Japanese dishes Philidelphia roll - salmon, cream cheese and some sort of vegetable Rafte - fatty, tender slices of pork in a sweet brown sauce often made from soy, awamori, and ginger Ramen - Thin noodles, often used in fast-prepare packets Reimen - Chinese noodles topped with ham or pork, cucumbers and cabbage, in a vinegar and sesame oil sauce. Renkon - Lotus root. Mostly used for Nimono or are fried Restaurant kaiseki - a formal restaurant meal that resembles aspects of a tea kaiseki but is based on sake instead of rice and aims to entertain versus spiritually enlighten Rice - the foundation of suchi is the sticky rice Rikyu bashi - cedar chopsticks that are tapered at both ends and used exclusively for tea kaiseki Ringo - apple Robata-Yaki - fresh ingrediants cooked over a wood fire; restaurant specializing in grilled foods Roe - Fish eggs. Generally, flying fish, smelt, and salmon roe are available in all sushi restaurants. Ronzu - sauce made with Japanese citron Saba - Mackerel, usually pickled Sabinuki - No wasabi, please Sakamushi - Steamed over sake Sakana - generic word for "fish" Sake - Salmon Sake - Japanese rice wine Sakura denbu - seasoned shredded cod fish (pink powder) Sakura-mochi - A delicacy made from pounded sweet rice paste and cherry tree leaves Sanbaizu - A sweet and tart vinaigrette sauce mixture containing vinegar, soy sauce and Mirin Sanma - Japanese mackeral Sanpincha - jasmine tea, arguably Okinawa's most popular non-alcoholic beverage Sansai - Wild stalks and sprouts of mountainous vegetation which naturally grow in the springtime: Wasabi bracken sprout, Zenmai royal fern sprouts, Fuki bog rhubarb, Udo. Seri parsley, Tsukushi horsetail, Yomogi sagebrush. Sansai are used in cooking to express the coming of spring Sansho - Japanese green peppercorn. Is highly acidic and pungent, which goes well with highly rich foods like Unagi. Sarada - salad Sashimi - raw seafood, usually slices or slabs of raw seafood, such as tuna and octopus, served on a platter with thinly sliced ginger, finely shredded radish, and wasabi Sata andagi - a fried donut usually seasoned with kokuto (black cane sugar). Sato - sugar Sato-imo - a small, round, pototo like taro root ("country potato") Sawagani - Small crabs Sawara - Spanish mackerel Sayori - (Springtime) halfbeak Sazae - Conch Seigo - young sea bass Senbei - thin, crisp rice crackers Sencha - Medium to high grade of tea Shabu-shabu - Food blanched at the table; served with sauce; the sound made when blanching a shabu shabu meal Shako - Mantis shrimp Shamoji - Flat rice-serving spoon Shari - A sushi bar term for sushi rice Shichimi - Seven spice chili pepper: Aka Togarashi, sesame seed, poppy seed, orange peel, beefsteak plant, Sansho and Nori, often sprinkled over udon noodles Shichimi togarashi - Mixed hot spices Shigi nasu - Long, slender eggplants that have been slit lengthwise, brushed with sweet soy and grilled until tender, then slathered in miso sauce Shigure ni - "Autumn rains." A stewed dish of soy and ginger flavoured vegetables Shiitake - Japanese forest mushrooms which naturally contain high concentration of amino acids, therefore is an important flavoring ingredient. Dried Shiitake are more flavorful than fresh due to natural chemical changes during the drying process. Shimeji - Japanese mushroom Shimesaba - Salted, vinegared mackeral Shinoda maki - Shredded cabbage, radish and mountain ferns wrapped in sheets of tofu and tied with gourd ribbons, then simmered in a sweetened soy broth before sliced into individual rounds for serving Shio - salt Shiokara - A dish made of the pickled and salted internal organs of various aquatic creatures. It comes in many form such as 'Ika no Shiokara' (squid shiokara), shrimp, or fish. Shioyaki - Fish sprinkled with salt and grilled over a flame or charcoal Shira-ae - Ground tofu and sesame seeds tossed with spinach, served cold. Shira-uo - Whitebait, icefish or salangid Shirako - Sperms sacs of the cod fish Shiratake /Shirataki- Translucent rubbery noodles Shirataki - Yam noodles made of Konnyaku. A Sukiyaki ingredient Shiro goma - White sesame seeds Shiro maguro - Albacore tuna Shiro miso - White soy bean paste Shiromi no sakana - Sushi/sashimi fish which are relatively white in color Shiru - Generic Japanese term for soup Shirumono - Generic Japanese term for soup Shishito - Lion head pepper Shiso - Japanese mint; Beefsteak plant, commonly referred to as Japanese basil or perilla where the leaves are used as flavorings for sweeets or pickled plums as well as for decoration. Piquant, with a flavor cross between lemon and mint (member of the mint family) Shiso sakura - pickled radish and ginger with beefsteak plant (pink) Shizakana, shiizakana - literally "insisting fish"; an optional course, usually composed of seafood, served at a tea kaiseki if tea guests request more sake Shochu - A distilled sprit made of rice, grain, sweet potatoes or molasses. Shochu is potent at 20 to 45% alcohol Shoga - Ginger. There are many types of this root garnish, used for palate cleansing and as a garnish Shojin ryori - vegetarian temple food Shoyu - Soy sauce, the representative seasoning for Japanese foods. Quality Japanese Shoyu is naturally brewed, which differs from the darker, sodium rich Chinese soy sauce Shumai - Chinese Dim Sum dumpling Shu-mei - Stuffed wontons, served steamed or deep-fried Shungiku - chrysanthemum leaves, edible and used in stews. Quite tasty Soba - Buckwheat noodle served hot in broth or cold with dipping sauce Soba-zushi - Sushi made with soba rather than rice Soki soba (or suki suba): buckwheat noodles and pork ribs served in a clear broth Somen - Angel-hair thin wheat flour noodles usually served cold with dipping sauce during summer Sosu - Worcestershire-like sauce Soy sauce - Salty sauce made from fermented soybeans Spicy Mayonnaise - A common condiment with some kinds of sushi rolls Su - Rice vinegar, mild but tart and tangy. Naturally brewed is best. Rice vinegar is a salt substitute, cleanses fishy flavors and smell, is a color enhansor when boiling, and is even serves as a food preserver. Sushi rice uses vinegar as a flavoring and as a preserver Sudare - Floor- or window-sized bamboo mat Suika - Watermelon Suikanshuku - Persimmon filled with white beans and coated in red bean jelly Suimono - A clear consomme with a Dashi stock base and a few ingredients Sukimi - Bits of fish scraped from the bones, used in rolls. Sukiyaki - dish in the nabemono-style (one-pot), consisting of thinly sliced beef, tofu, konnyaku noodles, leeks, onions, Chinese cabbage, and enoki mushrooms among others. The ingredients are slowly simmered in a shallow iron pot on a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. Before eaten the ingredients are dipped in a small bowl of raw, beaten eggs. Sumitomo - A kind of cucumber salad Sunomono - vinegared foods Suribachi - A bowl with a rough corugated inside, used as a mortar Surikogi - A wooden pestle shaped like a big cucumber Surimi - Imitation crab meat (also called kamaboko) usually made from pollack. Generally used in California rolls and other maki, it's not the same thing as "soft shell crab." Although “surimi” is used outside of Japan, most Japanese people use the term Kani-Kama, short for Kani-Kamaboko. Sushi - Sculpted morsels of vinegared rice and raw fish, shellfish and vegetables Sushimeshi - rice for preparing sushi Suteki (steak) - Okinawan steak is famous throughout Japan, but it tends to be expensive and is nothing to write home about Suzuki - sea bass, striped bass or rockfish Sweet bean paste - Red azuki beans boiled with sugar Tabemono - food Tako raisu (taco rice) - although the name might lead you to expect this dish to contain octopus (tako in Japanese), taco rice is simply that - the contents of a taco (beef, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and salsa) on a bed of rice. In addition to the ubiquitous Spam, the US forces brought a taste for Tex-Mex food that has made a lasting impression on local cooking Tai - sea bream, porgy or snapper Tairagai - razor-shell clam Takenoko - bamboo shoots Tako - octopus. Takuwan - Pickled Daikon, Japanese radish, usually yellow Tamago - Eggs Tamagodon - Rice bowl topped with a semi-cooked egg Tamago-toji soba/udon - Bound together with eggs, Japanese wheat noodle, or Japanese egg drop soup with Japanese broad noodles Tamago yaki - fried egg or sweetened egg omelette Tamari - Soy sauce made without the traditional wheat ingredient Tanuki soba - Soba noodles topped with spinach and deep fried crusts of tempura. Loved by tanuki Tara - cod Tare - a thick sauce, usually soy-based and slightly sweetened Taruzake - Cask sake, matured in cypress casks Tataki - Grilled on the surface, then finely chopped Tatami - A rush mat used as a floor covering Tazuna sushi - (Rainbow roll) A roll with diagonal strips of food across the top Tea kaiseki - A kaiseki meal based on rice that proceeds a formal tea ceremony; in the ceremony a moist sweet is served before a bowl of thick tea and a dry sweet is served before a bowl of thin tea Teishoku - A set meal with rice, soup, vegetables, salad, a main meat dish and pickles Tekka, tekkadon - tuna, especially in a roll Tekka-maki - rolled sushi made with raw tuna Tekkappa-maki - Selection of both tuna and cucumber rolls Temaki - Hand rolled sushi, usually in the shape of a cone, with fillings in the middle and Nori outer wrapping Tempura - seafood or vegetables, battered and deep-fried usually in a light batter. In many ways, Tempura is an archetypal Japanese food. "All the essential qualities of Japanese cuisine are reflected in its preparation: the use of absolutely fresh ingredients, the artful presentation, and the perfection of technique by a skilled chef. The result is one of the triumphs of Japanese cooking -- a fried food that is light and fresh-tasting rather than heavy and greasy. It's a cooking style in which the essence of the ingredient itself completely defines the taste." Tendon - rice topped with tempura fried shrimp Tenshin - a small simple meal served after the thin tea and occasionally the thick tea in temples, but before the whipped green tea at a tea ceremony Tenzaru - Cold soba noodles with shrimp and vegetable tempura Teppanyaki - Meat or seafood and vegetables grilled in front of the diner Teriyaki - A soy based sauce, sweetened with Mirin and flavored with other seasonings. Traditionally used only with fish in Japan, the American version which began in Hawaii is thicker and sweeter, and is popular with chicken and beef Term - Aemono Vegetables or meats mixed with a dressing or sauce Tobiko - flying fish roe Tofu - set soya bean curd -" two basic types of tofu used in Japanese cooking, the standard "firm" variety, which has a rough surface and slightly grainy texture and "silken" tofu (kinugoshi), which is very soft and possesses a glossy surface. " Tofu shinjo - Pounded tofu with seaweed, wrapped in deep fried tofu Tofuyo - this form of fermented tofu tastes a little like a strong moldy cheese and is great with awamori, but a bit hard to handle without the aid of a stiff drink Togarashi - hot sauce made from whole chilies in alcohol - especially good with noodles or champuru (not that same as the chili powder referred to by the same name on the mainland); whole dried hot red peppers Ton - pork Tonkatsu - pork cutlet, breaded then fried Tori, toriniku - chicken Torigai - cockle clam Tori no kara-age - Fried chicken pieces Toro - fatty tuna, belly flesh of the fish Toshi-koshi soba - Japanese custom of eating soba at the end of the year Tsubugai -- Japanese shellfish Tsukemono - Pickled vegetables, usually served as a side dish to accompany rice Tsukimi - Raw egg yolk, usually placed on noodles Tsukimi wan - Moon viewing broth. Miso soup topped with a perfectly round fried egg or circle of tofu Tsukudani - Simmer seasoned foods flavored with soy sauce, Mirin and sugar until almost dry. Similar to Tsukemono, Tsukudani is served with rice, or as a filling in an Onigiri Udon - Thick wheat flour noodles served in hot soup or cold with dipping sauce Udonsuki - Udon, chicken and sometimes seafood simmered in a soup Umeboshi - Japanese plum in brine, usually super sour. Various types include crunchy, sun dried and pickled. Despite its sourness, Umeboshi is an alkali food, which helps food digestion, serves as a palate cleanser and even retards food spoilage. Ume extracts are widely used for its unique flavor Umejiso-maki - Japanese ume plum and perilla-leaf roll Ume-shiso - plum paste and shiso leaf mixture Ume-shu : Plum wine aged for at least a year Una-don - grilled eel, served on rice Unagi - grilled or smoked Freshwater eel Unagi maki - eel roll Unagi no kimo - eel innards Uni - sea urchin or sea urchin ovaries Usukuchi shoyu - light Japanese soy sauce Wakame - Lobe-leaf seaweed, possibly dried, in strands; There are generally two kinds: fresh and dried, where both need to be soaked in water before using. Salted fresh wakame will triple in size where as the dried hydrates back to over 5 times as the original; mainly used in miso soup Wagashi - Japanese sweets, confections, cakes or candy. Wan - bowl (of soup) Wanmori - The climactic course in tea kaiseki consisting of exquisite cooked ingredients surrounded by a clear dashi stock that is lightly seasoned and delicately garnished Waribashi - throwaway wooden chopsticks Wasabi - Japanese horseradish, a green mustard which is always served with Sushi and Sashimi. Wasabi carries intense heat, however is very brief. A root plant that grows in clear, cool mountain streams, natural Wasabi is an expensive and prized commodity Wood ears - alternate name for kikurage Yaki - Grilled, toasted Yakidofu - broiled or grilled soy bean curd Yakiimo - Sweet potato cake with cinnamon Yakimeishi - Fried rice Yakimono - broiled foods, literally "grilled thing", also the grilled course in a tea kaiseki meal Yakiniku - Korean style bef barbecue Yakinori - toasted seaweed Yakitori - skewer-grilled foods Yakumi - one of several strongly flavored seasonings Yakuseki - a small vegetarian temple meal, it currently refers to the small evening meal served in temples. Yamaimo - Taro root eaten fresh or cooked. This "Mountain Yam" is often grated into a sticky paste and served as topping for rice and noodles Yamakaki - grated mountain potato with chunks of maguro Yasai - generic term for vegetable Yosenabe - a fish, seafood and vegetable soup Yuba - A delicate sheet of protein film which forms naturally when making Tofu, similar to the protein film which forms with steamed milk. Yuba is a versatile food ingredient, recently popular for its health enhancing benefits Yudofu - tofu simmered in hot water along with kombu seaweed Yushoku - dinner Yuto - The name of a tea kaiseki dish of warm salted water mixed with the savory shards of the scorched rice loosened from the bottom of the rice pot; also the name of the black lacquer hot water pitcher in which the dish arrives Yuzu - A Japanese citrus with a unique lemon-lime and slightly piney flavor, predominantly used when yellow and ripe although sometimes when green. Its juice and rind are used for sauce and garnish Zaru-soba - cold soba (buckwheat noodles), with a topping of nori strips Zensai - Small, attractive appetizers served in small fancy dishes before a traditional meal Zoni - Traditional new years soup with mochi rice cakes (which are to be offered to the gods), vegetables, seafood and chicken. Zoni always contains rice cakes, but other ingredients differ. Zoni is seasoned either with salt and soy sauce, or with miso bean paste. Zosui - Rice soup, or rice cooked in broth, usually with a porridge-like consistency. Zuke - pickled Zume - stuffed