Green Tea - 緑茶

The Benefits of Green Tea

Green tea helps to prevent cancer.
Green tea restricts the increase of blood cholesterol.
Green tea helps to control high blood pressure.
Green tea has the capability of lowering blood sugar levels.
Powerful antioxidising agents such as vitamin E and vitamin C restrain the aging process, green tea contains
both these vitamins.
Green tea deters food poisoning.
Green tea has the ability to kill certain bacteria. 
Green Tea originated from China, but had become a huge part in Japanese history and culture.
 Matcha (抹茶) is powdered green tea 

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Dango vs. Mochi

Colored mochi

The only difference between mochi and dango is the way that they are made.  To make mochi, you start with actual glutinous rice that is ground, steamed, and then pounded to make a sticky ball or cake.

Dango on the grill

Although it looks similar to mochi, dango is made from different types of rice flour (including a sweet glutinous rice flour, of which the base is called mochiko).  Dango is easier to make since it doesn’t require you to pound the dough.  You simply mix the rice flour with hot water to make a dough, separate it into small balls, and boil them in salted water. Both mochi and dango can be eaten in similar ways – filled with azuki, grilled, with a sauce, skewered, etc. – so it’s easy to confuse them with each other especially if you’re not the one making it!

Unagi

 

It’s said that unagi (freshwater eel) has been consumed in Japan since thousands of years ago. As it’s rich in protein, vitamin A and E, and so on, it’s believed that unagi gives people stamina. For thisreason, it’s eaten the most during the hottest time of the year in Japan. It’s a Japanese custom to eat unagi on Doyo-no-ushinohi (the ox day during Doyo period) in summer which fall between mid July and early August.

Filleted and deboned unagi is commonly glaze-grilled, and it’s called unagi-no-kabayaki. It’s skewered and grilled with sweet basting sauce, and is popularly served on top of steamed rice. Vacuum-sealed unagi-no-kabayaki is often available at Asian grocery stores.

Unagi-no-kabayaki is cooked differently in eastern Japan and western Japan. In eastern Japan, unagi is generally steamed after it is grilled, then it’s grilled again. In the western part of Japan, unagi isn’t usually steamed before grilling. So, unagi-no-kabayaki in eastern Japan is more tender than that in western Japan.

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Hinamatsuri - ひな祭り

ひな祭り is also known as “Girl’s Day” or “Japanese Doll Festival”. It is a traditional Japanese holiday that is celebrated on March 3rd. It is also called 桃の節句 (momo no sekku) or “festival of peach blossoms.”

ひな祭り (hinamatsuri) is a day to pray for young girls’ growth and happiness. To celebrate, Japanese families who have young girls display ひな人形 (hina ningyō – hina dolls) in their homes. Traditionally, these dolls were believed to have the power to take bad spirits. That is why they have to be taken down from display soon after ひな祭り (hinamatsuri) ends. If the dolls are left up past March 4th, it is said that it will result in a late marriage for the daughter.

 Some traditional ひな祭り foods!

菱餅 (hishimochi) is a special kind of mochi (rice cake) that is colored pink, white, and green. The pink (peach blossoms) is for chasing evil spirits away, the white (snow) is for purity, and the green (new growth) is for health.

ひなあられ (hina arare) – sugar-coated popped rice. 

桜餅 (sakura mochi) - pink mochi filled with sweet bean paste and covered with cherry leaves.

甘酒 (amazake) - sweet sake. 

ちらし寿司 (chirashizushi) – sushi rice with a variety of vegetables, egg, and fish or shrimp on top. Chirasu is a verb that means “to scatter” so chirashizushi is like “scattered sushi”.

Mister Donut

Mister Donuts has released their super cute and yummy looking donut called Strawberry Milk.

It consists of a Strawberry chocolate milk coat with freeze-dry strawberry chips on a fluffy donut with a milky strawberry cream inside.

It certainly looks yummy, doesn't it? 

Nattō - なっとう

Nattō is a popular breakfast food in Japan, which has a strong smell and taste and if you stir it, it will make it stringy with a sticky texture. It's also rich in vitamin K, which helps in preventing osteoporosis. Long ago, straw bags were used to ferment the nattō soybeans, until scientists found a way to ferment them using a nattō starter culture containing Bacillus subtilis natto (a bacterium).