A few years ago Mrs. J-List and I “moved” from Gunma to Tokyo, renting a condo in the city so we could go down on the weekends and enjoy life in the city. I enjoy drinking in bars with other foreigners, and for some odd reason more often than not I find myself with Italians. The other night I was chatting with a guy from Naples, Italy, so naturally I asked him his feelings on the popular Japanese dish called “Napolitan” spaghetti…and to say he went ballistic at the affront to proper Italian cuisine would be an understatement. Let’s learn about various strange Japanese foods and their histories!
Strange Japanese Foods: Napolitan Spaghetti
Why did Japan invent a fake Italian dish? According to Japanese urban legend, the foods distributed to households during the Allied occupation consisted of canned tomatoes, pasta and ketchup, which were unfamiliar to Japanese people at the time, and this pasta dish consisting of ketchup, green peppers, and pasta fried in olive oil was one result. It appears to have been invented in 1946 at the Hotel New Grand to serve the U.S. military stationed nearby.
Doria (Baked Rice Casserole)
I’ve been eating doria for so long, I would also assume it was a proper Western dish, but it’s another example of 和製洋食 wasei-yohshoku, or made-in-Japan Western cuisine. Also invented at the Hotel New Grand in Yokohama, this is essentially Japan’s version of potatoes au gratin, but with rice substituted instead. My favorite variation is hamburg doria, which is white sauce, tomato sauce and cheese with a “hamburg steak” baked into the center of it, with rice bubbling underneath.
Omurice, an Omelette Over Rice
Another strange Japanese food is omurice, a staple of anime food. It’s basically an omelet served over chicken rice with ketchup flavoring. It likely originated at a restaurant called Hokkyokusei in Osaka, in 1925.
Wait, There’s No Teriyaki in Japan?
One of the most famous flavorings from Japan is teriyaki, the wonderful blending of soy sauce, mirin and sugar. Imagine my surprise when I arrived in Japan and found that the only time I encountered the word was when I ordered a Teriyaki Burger from McDonald’s. It turns out that teriyaki as we know it originated from Japanese chefs who had emigrated to Hawaii. Japanese use the flavoring all the time, but they don’t usually call it teriyaki.
Croquettes are a Defining Food in Japan
The most popular way to cook potatoes in Japan (and South Korea) isn’t french fries, it’s Asian-style croquettes, called korokke in Japanese. Paired with Bull Dog Sauce, this is the best “feel good” food in the world. Another amazing variation is kani cream korokke, with cream sauce and crab inside.
We love most Japanese foods, but here’s a blog post with 16 varieties you might hate!
Strange Japanese Foods: “Hamburg Steak”
A cheap way to serve ground-up beef in steak form, Hamburg steak is hugely popular in Japan, and often seen in anime. I was surprised to learn that the term Hamburg steak used to be common in the U.S. before WWI made people want to avoid eating German-sounding dishes. That was when it was renamed Salsbury steak.
What the Heck is “Wiener Coffee?”
Keeping up with the theme of foods named after European cities, we have Wiener coffee…that is to say, Vienna coffee. Since that city is pronounced “Wien” in Japan they adopted the German pronunciation in the late 19th century. Vienna coffee is coffee with whipped cream on top, and it’s lovely.
Japan Brought Us Ice Coffee?
Whenever I have a lot to get done, I swing by Starbucks and pick up the ultimate power drink: a grande iced coffee with a shot of espresso in it. But it was only a few decades ago when asking for iced coffee would get you hot coffee poured over ice cubes, which was not something you wanted to drink. According to my research, iced coffee originated at a shop in Kanda, Tokyo in 1894.
Incidentally, canned coffee was invented in 1969 by the Ueshima Coffee Company. Now it’s a $6 billion industry in Japan.
Another Strange Japanese Food: California Roll
If you’re a fan of sushi, don’t expect to find this popular variant on sale in sushi shops in Japan, as it was invented in California.
Thanks for reading this post about strange Japanese foods that you probably can’t find outside of Japan. Got any more examples? Post them in the comments, or chat with us on Twitter!
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