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Intermediate Japanese - Free Online Course
MENRUI
麺類
noodles
Noodles are an extremely popular food in Japan, especially at lunchtime. Noodles are served by specialty noodle shops and more general restaurants alike. Depending on the noodle, the region and the restaurant, menrui might be dished out with toppings of tofu, mushrooms, pork, scallions, or fish. Japanese standards of etiquette are in most things quite fastidious, but audibly slurping one’s noodles is permissible.
Japanese noodles can be divided into two main categories. Soba / 蕎麦are brownish buckwheat noodles, and udon / 饂飩are white noodles made from wheat flour.
In old Japan, Tokyoites were said to prefer soba, while residents of Osaka favored udon. Today, however, there are no such distinctions, and either type of noodle can be readily found throughout the country.
MISO
味噌
soybean paste
Miso is a common Japanese food, and the basic ingredient in miso soup. It is made by boiling and crushing soybeans, then mixing the paste with wheat, salt, rice, or barley. The mixture is then allowed to ferment for as long as three years. Miso keeps without spoilage for a long time, even at room temperature.
An early form of miso was brought to Japan from China in the seventeenth century. The Chinese soybean paste was called chiang. Chiang was modified over many years until it finally suited the Japanese palate.