When you start talking about Japanese food, almost everyone will immediately think of sushi. That is not surprising, because sushi is most popular with people all over the world. All-you-can-eat restaurants, who hasn’t ever visited one? But does Japan only have sushi? Of course not! Japanese food culture has a long history and is therefore very extensive. In addition to sushi, there are countless types of snacks that are well known and popular in Japan, but often not even available in the Netherlands.
Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki is a filled Japanese pancake. Traditionally, it is made with leftover food. Hence the name okonomiyaki which literally means: ‘fried or grilled as you like’. So you can throw anything on or in it, as long as you like it. That is why there are many variants of this dish. Common ingredients are: vegetables, seafood and pork. In addition to the difference in ingredient, this pancake also varies in preparation. Some people put the ingredients in it and others choose to put the ingredients on the batter.
Japanese crepe
In Japan they have come up with their own variant of the French crepe. The difference with the French version that we know in the Netherlands are Japanese crêpes richly filled with fruit and / or an ice cream scoop with a tasty sauce on top and rolled up into the shape of an ice cream cone instead of folded flat. There is also a slight difference in the batter, for example, less butter is used in the batter of the Japanese version.
Imagawayaki
Imagawayaki is a thick pancake filled with red bean paste, pastry cream, fruit, cheese, meat, potato paste or curry. It is prepared on a special pan that resembles a poffertjes pan. This dish is served hot and is similar to dorayaki, a thinner pancake filled with red bean paste.
Dorayaki
As mentioned before, this is a kind of pancake that resembles imagawayaki. A dorayaki is only a bit thinner and can also be eaten cold in addition to warm. Originally, a dorayaki is a pancake filled with red bean paste. Today it consists of two thin pancakes with the filling in between.
Taiyaki
Taiyaki is a wafer in the shape of a fish. The usual filling here is also sweet red bean paste, as well as pastry cream, chocolate, cheese or sweet potatoes. This waffle can only be made with a special waffle iron due to the special shape. If you’d like to make your own, don’t worry, smaller home versions of the specialty waffle iron are available.
Takoyaki
Takoyaki is a spherical snack made with flour and mainly filled with squid. It is served with a special takoyaki sauce (similar to Worcestershire sauce) and Japanese mayonnaise on top. Takoyaki is one of the most popular street snacks in Japan and can also be found in many Japanese restaurants in the Netherlands.
Senbei
Senbei is a type of rice cake. It is available in a variety of colors (e.g. white), flavors (sweet, salty, etc.) and shapes (round, ribbed, etc.). Senbeis are best when fresh from the grill. They are now very easy to obtain in the Netherlands. They are for sale in almost all Asian supermarkets.
Dango
Dango is a boiled dough ball made from rice flour. It is usually eaten as a dessert with a cup of green tea. On its own, the dango tastes almost nothing, which is why it is also eaten with a sauce. To make it a bit fun, sometimes a dye is added and you have dangos in different colors. The dangos are served on a stick, just like satay, with three to four balls on each stick.
The above snacks are best known in Japan and can be found almost everywhere on Japanese streets. Due to its popularity, there is a lot of competition and that has contributed to the development of all kinds of new snack varieties to stay ahead of the competition. If you ever visit Japan, you will certainly be amazed by the many food stalls.