Food Culture in Edo Period

     There is many kinds of food in Edo period.  I will introduce some examples.

     Sushi is one of the most famous food in Edo.  Now, if we want to eat sushi, we can eat at a sushi shop or buy at a convenience store.  It is easy to eat and hygienic equipment.  Edo was not the same then as it is today.  In Edo period, people can not eat sushi easily because, it did not have all the facilities about a refrigeration plant.  At that time, people can not keep uncooked fish to fresh so sushi was cooked near by sea.

     Edo people can eat sushi at a sushi stall with a stand-up counter only.  On the whole the menu was as same as today but, what is amazing was that there is not ohtoro(top-quality tuna, with a high fat-content from the underbelly of the fish) menu!  Edo people throw away ohtoro because of it's not keep well.

     Tofu is one of the familiar food in Edo period.  the Hyakutin book was published in Edo Period.  It is a book that introduced the tofu dish that reaches to as many as 100 kinds issued in Edo period.  It was classed six tipe of how to cook.

     Tempura is popular in Edo too.  It is vegetables or fish dipped in batter and deep-fried.  Also Edo people can eat tempura at a stall with a stand-up counter.  In Edo period, tempura is cheaper than today's.  Tempura stall that is inexpensive and that one has no qualms about going to like McDonald's.

reference:

http://preetamrai.com/weblog/archives/2005/12/04/sushi-stall-in-thailand-time-travel-to-edo-japan/#more-348

http://web-japan.org/tokyo/know/fast_food/fas.html

http://www.chuo-kanko.or.jp/knowledge/edomae/edomae_04.html

http://www.library.metro.tokyo.jp/17/008/17200.html

posted by Tetsushi Nakamura

Comments

[vibram five fingers]

In Edo period, people can not eat sushi easily because, it did not have all the facilities about a refrigeration plant.