Dear food knowledge / 日本食

ドイツ人が好きな日本食。料理すると喜ばれるおすすめの日本食や調味料とは

Japanese food that Germans like. What are the recommended Japanese foods and seasonings that make you happy when cooking?

When I am living in Germany as a student or a working adult, I am often asked by my friends and colleagues, "Can you make some Japanese food?"

At that time, many people are probably wondering what kind of Japanese food they will be pleased with.
We will answer these questions here.

Japanese food that makes you happy when made in Germany and ingredients that are preferred

We will explain Japanese food that is popular in Europe and Germany, and whose ingredients are available at local supermarkets and Japanese food stores.

It is especially useful for those who don't want to make mistakes when inviting friends and colleagues to a Japanese food party.

Standard of standard, sushi



The most asked question by Germans and foreigners is undoubtedly, "Can you make sushi?"

The most well-known and popular Japanese food overseas is sushi, and in many cases this is the first question asked.

To be honest, making nigiri sushi is not impossible, but it is very difficult for amateurs.

Therefore, it can be said that sushi rolls are suitable for serving others.
So, here I will explain with the idea of ​​making sushi rolls in mind.

The main ingredients of sushi rolls are rice, vinegar, seaweed, seafood, vegetables and seasonings.
Rice and vinegar are often sold in supermarkets in Germany, and if you don't need Japanese rice or ready-made sushi vinegar, you can easily get by, but if you are particular about it, you can buy it at a Japanese food store. need to do it.

Of course, instead of sushi vinegar, you have the option of purchasing sushi-no-ko from a Japanese food store.


Nori is not available in small German supermarkets, so it can be purchased at large supermarkets.

Seafood can be purchased at supermarkets if it is salmon, but there are also shops that carry frozen shrimp and shellfish for other options.
However, tuna and white fish are rarely handled, and there is a problem that it is doubtful whether they can be eaten raw.

Vegetables such as lettuce and cucumber are common, but luckily in Germany you can buy these ingredients at supermarkets.

As for other seasonings, soy sauce is gradually gaining citizenship in German and European supermarkets, and the number of stores that carry it is increasing, so it is not so difficult to find it.

However, they do not have sashimi soy sauce, so if you need it, including wasabi, you will need to purchase it from a Japanese food store.

Also, mayonnaise can be bought at supermarkets, so it's not a problem, but be aware that mayonnaise tastes different from Japanese mayonnaise.

Popular as a healthy food, miso soup



Miso soup is a popular Japanese food, especially among health-conscious people.

It's not a staple food, but if you serve it with other Japanese foods or serve it as a light meal, it will make people happy.

The main ingredients needed to make miso soup are miso, vegetables, dashi stock, and others (tofu, etc.).



Miso is not readily available in German supermarkets, but BIO supermarkets may carry it.
However, if you are particular about miso, or if you want to choose red or white, you will need to purchase it at a Japanese food store.

I think that what you want to put in vegetables is different depending on the person, but for example, you can basically buy carrots, potatoes, onions, eggplants, etc. at any supermarket in Germany, but supermarkets that carry green onions are more expensive Please note that there are few.

Dashi is only sold at Japanese food stores, so if you absolutely need it, look for it there.

I think there are various other things you want to add, such as tofu, wakame seaweed, and fried tofu. must be purchased at a Japanese grocery store.

By the way, some supermarkets sell instant miso soup, so if that's enough for you, you can look for it at supermarkets or Japanese food stores.

Popular seasoning, teriyaki sauce



It may come as a surprise to some, but there are quite a few people overseas who like Japanese teriyaki.

Teriyaki sauce is one of the most common ingredients in Japan, probably because it suits the tastes of Germans and Europeans.
Also, teriyaki sauce can be easily made at home if you have the ingredients.

All you need is soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake, and sugar.
As I explained in the sushi part, soy sauce is not only available in Japanese food stores, but also in supermarkets in Germany and other European countries, and it is relatively easy to prepare.

However, mirin and cooking sake are rarely available in German supermarkets, so you need to buy them at a Japanese food store.

Sugar is available at any supermarket, so there is no problem.

Extra, fried rice



It's not exactly Japanese food, but there are times when people from overseas say they want to try it, and when I served it, they were happy to serve fried rice.

It can be eaten at Chinese restaurants and Vietnamese restaurants, and it is a popular dish that can be eaten at restaurants and at home because it is relatively easy to obtain ingredients even in Germany and it is not difficult to make.
Thanks to the fact that it can be eaten at restaurants, it is also known to Germans, and is an easy and recommended dish.

The main ingredients are vegetables, rice, eggs and seasonings.
As for vegetables, carrots, onions, etc. are easy to gather, as are other Japanese food ingredients.

Cold rice may be used in many cases, but it is possible to prepare it by the method described in other Japanese foods, and even indica rice is often sold in supermarkets in Europe. You can align them without any problem.

As for seasonings, you can buy salt and pepper anywhere, but some people may want to add seasonings such as chicken stock powder to make it even more delicious.

In that case, Ajinomoto is sometimes available at supermarkets, but other ingredients like chicken stock soup may not be available at small supermarkets, so you can buy it at large supermarkets, Japanese food stores, and Asian stores. Let's go to the shops.

summary

The above is a commentary on Japanese food that will make you happy if you make it in Germany.

It's quite common for a friend or colleague to say, "Well, I'm going to visit this weekend, so can you make it for me?"

In such a case, I hope that you will refer to this article in particular and think about what you can buy and where you can make it in time.

If you don't have a Japanese grocery store in your neighborhood, or if you want to be ready to respond to sudden requests at any time, online shops are extremely convenient.

Our company is also based in Germany and handles various Japanese food ingredients and seasonings such as soy sauce, mirin, and sushi in our online shop .

Shipping within Germany is free for purchases over 50 euros, so please take a look.

WasaKanae
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ドイツ人が苦手な日本食とは。日本食の好き嫌いについて

What kind of Japanese food do Germans dislike? About likes and dislikes of Japanese food

I think that there are many opportunities for Japanese people who have moved to Germany to have meals with German people.

In addition to eating at restaurants, you may also invite friends to your home and serve them Japanese food.

However, as you know, it is also true that there are some differences between German and Japanese diets.

Even if you go to great lengths to serve the food, it would be a shame if the other person didn't like it and was happy with it.
To prevent this from happening, it is very important to understand the likes and dislikes of German food.

So this time, we will look at German likes and dislikes of Japanese food.

What kind of Japanese food do Germans like or dislike?

There are many things that Japanese people think are delicious, but German people don't think so.

There are various reasons for this, such as differences in eating habits between Germans and Japanese, and unaccustomed eating because there is no similar food around us in the first place.

Here are some specific examples of Japanese food that you may or may not like.

natto



For many Japanese, natto is probably the most easily imagined Japanese food that foreigners like and dislike.

Even if you look around German ingredients, you can hardly find anything similar to natto.

You can find Asian ingredients and seasonings, including Japanese food, in most supermarkets, but there are very few shops that carry natto.

With its unique smell, sticky texture, and stringy appearance, it is a very strange ingredient to Germans, and many people are puzzled by its uniqueness.

We Japanese are used to eating it, so it may not feel like it, but some Germans don't know how to eat it.

octopus



This is also a familiar ingredient in Japan, but although there are regional differences in Europe, it is not so common in Germany.

In countries along the Mediterranean coast such as Spain and Italy, there is a traditional custom of eating octopus.

In the first place, there is a history that people have been reluctant to eat octopus for religious reasons.
It is well known that the British despised octopuses, calling them "devilfish".

One of the reasons for this is said to be the precepts of Judaism, which became the origin of Christianity.
According to Jewish law, eating octopuses and squid that do not have fins or scales is prohibited.

In addition to such a historical background, it is said that people have come to avoid eating octopus because of its appearance.

Recently, sushi has become common in Germany, and Germans have more opportunities to eat raw fish. There are still many people. 

Anko



Anko is one of the most popular Japanese sweets in Japan, but many Germans don't like it.

The reason for this seems to be the unique sweetness of red bean paste.

Of course there are sweet things like cakes and chocolates in Germany, but the sweetness of red bean paste seems to be too sweet for Germans.

In the first place, it seems that Germans are surprised to eat sweet boiled beans, and it seems that such a rarity has become a Japanese sweet that divides likes and dislikes.

Large plate dishes, hot pot dishes



For Japanese people, it is a common sight to share a large plate of food with others, or to eat hot pot dishes together in the winter. There is no custom of sharing and eating at a restaurant, and it is common to own your own plate.

In Japan, it's normal for a plate to come out when you eat at a restaurant, but in Germany, it's almost unheard of unless the waiter asks for it.

I think it depends on the restaurant, but it seems that if you ask for a plate, you may get confused or get a bad look.

There are more and more Japanese and Asian restaurants in Germany, so of course there are people who don't mind sharing, but there are still many people who are reluctant to do so.

I think it is necessary to pay attention to these cultural differences when dining with Germans or when inviting them to your home.

rice with egg



In Japan, it is a standard menu that is delicious with soy sauce added, but this is also a favorite or disliked for Germans.

In the first place, raw eggs are prone to salmonella food poisoning, and in order to eat them safely, they must be thoroughly washed.

Compared to other countries, Japan has a more thorough hygiene management of eggs, so even if you eat raw eggs, it is rare for you to get sick. There are very few countries that manage to make it safe to eat.

Of course, there are dishes and alcoholic beverages that use raw eggs in Europe, but it is common to cook them thoroughly over a fire, so I am wary that raw eggs may not be hygienic. It seems that there are many Germans.

Shirasu



I think there are many people who enjoy Shirasu with rice.
In Japan, raw shirasu-don can be eaten in Kamakura, and is very famous.

However, some Germans find the sight of large amounts of whitebait on rice to be disgusting.
It seems strange to Germans who are not accustomed to eating the whole fish because they don't like the fact that there are so many small eyes of whitebait on the rice.

As I touched on when I talked about octopus, in Europe it was not customary to eat raw fish.

Japanese sushi and sashimi are gradually becoming popular in Germany, but there are still many unfamiliar foods.

WasaKanae
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どんな日本食品や食材はヨーロッパのスーパー、お店で買えるか?

What kind of Japanese foods and ingredients can be bought in European supermarkets and shops?

If you live in Europe, you may often find yourself wanting to eat Japanese food.

Do you know what ingredients you can find at the supermarket?

So this time, I would like to explain about Japanese food ingredients that you can buy at supermarkets and shops in Europe.

Ingredients for Japanese food that you can buy at supermarkets and shops in Europe

We will introduce the basic ingredients used in Japanese food that are necessary when making various Japanese dishes.

Especially if you are planning to move to Europe, knowing foods that are easy to obtain will help you decide what to prioritize and bring from Japan when you move.

Basic sashisuseno "se", soy sauce: Obtaining difficulty ☆



Soy sauce is required to prepare most Japanese dishes.


In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of supermarkets in Europe that have small corners for Asian ingredients.

So it's becoming relatively easy to get your hands on soy sauce.
Kikkoman's bottle type soy sauce is placed in a nearby supermarket.

However, the options are limited, so if you want variety and a range of sizes, we recommend using Japanese food stores or online shops.
There is a high possibility that both light and dark soy sauce are available, and not only that, but also sashimi soy sauce.
You will find the type of soy sauce that you need.

Useful for binders and fried foods, Bread crumbs: Difficulty of obtaining: ☆ ☆

Bread crumbs are necessary when making hamburgers, pork cutlets, etc.
You can substitute it by shaving hard or dry bread, but it takes time and often does not shave cleanly.

Therefore, you may want bread crumbs that are sold in bags.

Depending on the store, it is possible to buy bread crumbs at the supermarket, but to put it the other way around, it is not everywhere.
If you can't find it at a nearby store, there is a high probability that you can find bread crumbs at a Japanese food store or an Asian store.
Larger supermarkets often carry it.

By the way, flour, which is also necessary for frying, is sold at supermarkets in Europe.
They are often bundled together in powder form and are easy to find.
However, it depends on the store whether they have all kinds of flour, medium flour, and strong flour, so you need to be careful.

When making sushi at home, wasabi: Obtaining difficulty ☆☆



Wasabi is rarely used, but it's something you'll crave when making sushi at home.

When I live in Europe, I sometimes have local friends and colleagues who want to try sushi, so I have a sushi party at home.
In fact, the popularity of wasabi is increasing, with people from overseas saying they want to try wasabi.

Some European supermarkets have recently started selling wasabi.
Whether wasabi is used as a spice in creative dishes and rankings, or because Japanese food is becoming more popular, it is sometimes put together with the above-mentioned soy sauce in the Asian food section.

Dashi and Miso Necessary for Various Japanese Foods: Obtaining Difficulty ☆☆



In Europe, it is very difficult to obtain dashi from katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and kombu (kelp).

Also, it is basically impossible to buy dashi soup at supermarkets in Europe, so these are not sold at all.

Dashi-related ingredients must be purchased at Japanese food stores, Asian shops, or online.

In these places, you can find a wide variety of dashi soup stocks.
However, there are cases where granule-type or packed dashi is available at large supermarkets.
With this, you don't have to use ingredients that are hard to get in Europe to make the dashi stock, and you can complete the dish in a short amount of time.

Besides miso soup, of course it is necessary as a base for Japanese food, and it can also be used as a base for mixed rice.

Of course, miso is required to make miso soup.
This miso is also hard to find in European supermarkets, except for large supermarkets.

In addition, there is an increasing number of BIO-affiliated shops that sell health-conscious foods in Europe that sell miso as a healthy food.

As for the size, they are rarely sold in packs of the size commonly seen in Japan, so they are sold in smaller packs and bags.
If you don't need a large amount, or if you're looking for a small size for traveling or at a friend's house, you can find it at BIO stores.

Lastly, I would like to introduce some foods that you can buy anywhere in Japan, but are surprisingly difficult to buy in Europe.

Furikake to accompany white rice: Difficulty of obtaining: ☆☆☆



When you eat rice, you may feel lonely with only white rice.

In such a case, the rice will be dramatically delicious just by adding furikake.
Furikake is usually sprinkled over rice, but there are many other ways to use it, such as adding hot water to turn it into ochazuke.

In Europe, where rice is not a staple food, and in countries where japonica rice is not as sticky as it is dry, furikake is not a familiar dish.

Unfortunately, furikake is not readily available in European supermarkets, and can be purchased at Japanese food stores.

If you don't have a Japanese food store in your living area, or if you don't want to bother, you can also look for it from the online shop.

lastly

What did you think about the Japanese ingredients and foods that you can buy in European shops?

For those who have lived abroad, it is important to know that living in Japan and moving to Europe for the first time makes decisions about what can and cannot be bought. This is a confusing point.

Small condiments such as furikake don't take up space in the bag, so we recommend you bring a few of your favorite items.

On the other hand, liquids such as soy sauce are heavy and bulky, so it is convenient to procure locally.
Our Germany-based online shop also carries soy sauce, mirin, and various other Japanese foodstuffs, ranging from table-sized to commercial use.

WasaKanae
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日本人はドイツでどこから日本の食材を調達している?ドイツでの食材調達ルートを大解説

Where do Japanese people source Japanese ingredients from in Germany? Great commentary on food procurement routes in Germany

When Japanese people move to Germany, there are many things to do, such as procedures, commuting to work or school, and purchasing and organizing necessary items for living. Among them, one of the points that should not be forgotten is Japan's food procurement route.

When Japanese people move to Germany, they generally think about what kind of Japanese foods and ingredients to bring and take as much as possible, but it can be a big burden to bring liquids and heavy items. .

Unfortunately, no matter how much Japanese food you bring with you, it will eventually run out, and eventually you will need to procure ingredients locally.

This time, we will take a look at where Japanese people buy Japanese ingredients in Germany.

Where can you buy Japanese food in Germany? Japanese food procurement route

If you're staying in Germany for a short period of time, you don't have to think too much about ingredients, but for Japanese people who stay for a long time, food is one of the most important points in their lives.

In particular, Japanese people who live for more than half a year or a year spare no effort to buy Japanese food locally.

So where can Japanese people buy ingredients in the first place?
This is pretty much a pattern no matter where you live in Germany.
This is because the procurement routes for ingredients are inevitably limited.

1 : Local supermarket

Some Japanese foods are also available at supermarkets.

Small supermarkets do not carry foreign ingredients, but medium-sized supermarkets have an Asian section, where some Chinese and Japanese ingredients are placed.

In Japan, sushi roll sets (including japonica rice), gari, sushi vinegar for sushi, and soy sauce are the staples, and depending on the location, miso and teriyaki sauce may also be available.

However, you can't expect more handling than that except for large supermarkets, and the number of handling is basically not many.
Even when it comes to soy sauce, many places only sell Kikkoman's basic soy sauce and often don't carry other types of soy sauce.
Also, the price is often relatively high, and the point is that small bottles of soy sauce, in particular, are not economically viable for regular purchases.

2 : Japanese food store

After all, Japanese food stores have the largest variety of Japanese ingredients.

In areas where many Japanese live, such as Düsseldorf, Hamburg, and Berlin, you can access Japanese food stores.
Japanese families are looking for ingredients because they have many ingredients from Japanese food manufacturers, seasonings that are familiar to Japanese people, rice, miso, and Japanese sweets. Stability is excellent for

However, to put it the other way around, Japanese food stores are limited to areas where many Japanese live, big cities, and so on.
Also, due to the high quality of the food, the price of ingredients imported from Japan can be relatively high.

3 : Korean food store

South Korea is smaller than Japan and has a population of over 50 million people.

If the population is small, the number of Koreans living in Europe will naturally decrease, but many people are actively going abroad, and depending on the country or city, there are as many Koreans as there are Japanese. Sometimes there are.

In places where Koreans have expanded, Korean food stores and wholesalers of food ingredients have appeared in the area accordingly, and Japanese food ingredients are also sold.

In some countries, there are more Korean food stores than Japanese food stores, and there are also Korean food stores in places where there are no Japanese food stores.

There are similarities and differences between Japanese and Korean food.
The common point is that Japonica rice is the staple food and soy sauce is used, but the difference is that Korea has a lot of meat dishes and spicy food is preferred.
There are also similarities, such as large-sized japonica rice and soy sauce, udon, soba, curry roux, seaweed, and some seasonings such as wasabi, which are easy to handle.

In addition, instant noodles are a very familiar food to the common people in South Korea, but there is a tendency to prefer spicy food, and Korean instant noodles are basically all spicy, and Japanese instant noodles are handled. etc. is inevitably limited.

I can't say anything about the price, but Korean products tend to be the center of handling, and Japanese ingredients are sometimes set a little higher than Korean ingredients.

4 : Other Asian shops

Korean food stores are often expanding in urban areas, but there is still a limit.

Korean food stores are a relatively new Asian food store in Europe, and there are many traditional Chinese food stores and other Asian food stores in Germany and Europe.

Asian shops can be found not only in urban areas, but also in regional cities, and even people living in rural areas can easily access them.

There are overwhelmingly more stores than Japanese or Korean food stores, and there are large stores and Asian wholesalers in the whole area, so you can get various large and small products, foods, and ingredients. increase.

There are not only Chinese shops, but also Asian shops such as Vietnamese, and there are a wide variety of products that are completely unfamiliar to Japanese people and ingredients that we do not know the purpose of use.

There are relatively many Japanese foods, but among them, there are foods, sweets, and snacks produced in Asian countries by manufacturers you have never seen or heard of, so it's like a bit of a treasure hunt. element comes out.

The price is not very high, and in many cases it is cheaper than Korean or Japanese food stores. Other cases can also occur.

The best way to avoid mistakes here is to buy foods and seasonings that you know.

5 : Online shop

Online shops are a great way to access Japanese food ingredients, even if you live in the countryside or find it difficult to visit a physical store.

Our online shop also handles a variety of Japanese food ingredients, so you can shop without worrying about time or place.
In addition, if you spend 50 euros or more at our company, we can deliver free shipping within Germany. No need to worry about time and effort.

We have a wide range of products from general household use to commercial use, so please check it out and use it as a help for your home dining table.

WasaKanae
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鰹節

4 Japanese Foods and Ingredients That Are Hard to Get in Europe

People who come to Europe as expatriates, people who find a job locally, people who get a working holiday visa, people who come to study or do research, people who come with their husbands or wives, or people who marry their European lovers. Japanese people from various backgrounds live in various countries in Europe, such as those who come to immigrate and, of course, those who come to Europe on vacation.

Food is a problem that every Japanese living in Europe worries about. The eating habits of Japanese living abroad are very different from those of Europeans.

However, due to this difference in eating habits, it is often the case that you cannot find the ingredients you used to buy in Japan even when you go to your local supermarket. Also, it is not uncommon to find the same ingredients, but when you buy them, the taste is completely different from that of Japan. Let's take a look at the hard-to-find ingredients and things with different tastes that Japanese people face in Europe.

Difficulty in procuring ingredients for many Japanese overseas

The number of Japanese residents in each country and the degree of expansion of Japanese companies vary from country to country. Compared to other European countries, the UK, Germany, and France have a relatively large number of Japanese companies operating in them, and as many Japanese people live there, it is easy to access Japanese foods.

On the other hand, as you go to Eastern Europe, the number of Japanese residents will decrease, and the demand for Japanese food will decrease, so the amount handled will decrease and the difficulty of procurement will increase. There are similar foods in Chinese and Korean brands, but this time I will exclude them and talk about Japanese brand foods.

 

Hon mirin and cooking sake

Hard-to-find condiments that are surprisingly hard to come by are hon-mirin and cooking sake, which are often used in making Japanese food. You can find mirin-style seasonings in Asian shops and Japanese food stores, but you won't find hon mirin very often.

There is a reason for this, since Hon mirin and cooking sake contain alcohol. Both hon mirin and cooking sake have an alcohol content of around 14% and are taxed.

Also, depending on the country, there are regulations on the sale of food containing alcohol, and it is necessary to obtain a separate permit to sell alcohol. For example, in Sweden, beverages with an alcohol content of 3.5% or more cannot be sold in supermarkets, and products with alcohol content of 3.5% or more can only be sold at a state-run store called Systembolaget . However, Systembolaget is a shop that sells liquor for drinking, so it does not handle food for cooking.

In this way, depending on the country, it is difficult for retailers to sell hon mirin and cooking sake due to the influence of regulations, and the liquor tax is imposed, so the price is also high, making it difficult for retailers to sell.

On the other hand, mirin-style seasonings have an alcohol content of less than 1% , so they are not subject to liquor tax and are inexpensive, making them easy to handle in European supermarkets.

 

Bonito

It is commonly used as an accompaniment to tofu and okonomiyaki, or as a soup stock.Katsuobushi is a standard ingredient in rice balls, and katsuobushi is a familiar product that is treasured by Japanese people, but it is also difficult to obtain in Europe. .

Those of you who have been to or lived in Europe may have noticed that you never see katsuobushi, but why is there no katsuobushi in Europe in the first place?

Katsuobushi contains a carcinogenic substance called "benzopyrene," which adheres to katsuobushi during the production process and exceeds the EU standards. Japanese people may be surprised and wonder if katsuobushi, which they have been eating for many years, is bad for their health.

Katsuobushi is available in some parts of Europe, but the foods sold are products that meet EU standards. Katsuobushi is such a complicated matter, but there is one interesting incident in the story of katsuobushi in the EU .

Expo Milano 2015 was held in Italy. Japan saw the Milan Expo as a great opportunity to promote Japanese food in Italy and Europe, and aimed to promote Japanese food on a large scale. However, katsuobushi will be caught in the food import regulations introduced above. Therefore, the Japanese government negotiated with the EU and others, and was granted a special exception that it could only be used as a special measure for consumption within the Milan Expo site.


For Japanese people, katsuobushi is one of the basic seasonings that can be bought at any supermarket, but katsuobushi, which is indispensable for making dashi, is a food that Japan and the EU are moving together nationally.

 

sliced ​​or minced meat

shredded meat

Sliced ​​and shredded meat is a popular ingredient for Japanese people who appears in various dishes for those who cook, such as ginger-grilled pork, gyudon, and stir-fried dishes.

However, in fact, meat cut like this is rarely seen in European supermarkets. In Europe, when we talk about meat, we tend to think of it as steak, stewed dishes, or minced meat such as hamburgers and meatballs, and there are no dishes that use sliced ​​or shredded meat.

Supermarkets and butchers have slicers, so if you ask the clerk, you may be able to get sliced ​​meat. In some cases, the meat is not sliced ​​or shredded as intended, and pork is not mixed with Muslim halal meat (is the meat made in an Islamic certified manner?).

If you go to a store that sells Japanese ingredients or an Asian shop, you can buy it, but there are different difficulties than the ones introduced above.

Mirin and katsuobushi can be purchased online as long as they are available, but the difficult part about meat is that both thinly sliced ​​and shredded meat are fresh foods, so they cannot be purchased online.

If you can't buy it in your living area, it's very troublesome, but you can only buy a home slicer and cut the meat yourself.

 

pickles

Pickles go very well with rice, but in Europe, the staple food is potatoes and bread, so Japanese pickles are hard to find.

You can still find takuan and gari for sushi, but pickled cucumbers and shibazuke are much more difficult to find.

In addition, there are many types of pickles, from major pickles to those that are not widely distributed in certain regions, but it is rare to find such local pickles in Europe.

For example, Takana-zuke is a relatively popular pickle in Kyushu. Takana pickles are familiar to Japanese people because they are topped with pork bone ramen and other dishes, but for those from Kyushu, it is one of the pickles that they usually eat. However, takana pickles are hard to find in Europe, as they are only available in some places such as London.

Pickles are so-called " acquired taste " foods in English. In other words, it becomes a food that you get accustomed to eating and feel delicious, and it is rare for foreigners to feel that it is delicious immediately after eating it for the first time.

Since it is the kind of food that you gradually come to like after eating it a few times, you can hardly expect demand from Chinese and Koreans. is.

WasaKanae
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ドイツで簡単に料理できる日本食7選

7 Japanese Foods You Can Easily Cook in Germany

When living away from Japan, there are times when you really want to eat Japanese food.

However, even if you try to eat what you like at a local Japanese restaurant, it is often expensive or there is no menu in the first place.
This article is especially recommended for those of you who want to solve the problem by cooking yourself.

Introducing Japanese food that is easy to make in Germany

From now on, I will explain Japanese food and familiar dishes that can be cooked relatively easily when making Japanese food in Germany.

There are parts that can be used as a reference when cooking in countries other than Germany, so I would appreciate it if you could read it to the end.

curry

<a href="https://pixabay.com/en/users/melvinchia-129854/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=244291">By Melvin Chia</a> href="https://pixabay.com/en/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=244291">Image from Pixabay</a>

First of all, there are many people who like it from children to adults, and it is an excellent curry that can be made ahead of time.
The main ingredients used in curry, such as onions, carrots, potatoes, and meat, can be purchased at any supermarket in Germany.

Just because these are German vegetables doesn't mean they taste much different from Japanese vegetables, and it doesn't matter.
Curry roux is hard to find in supermarkets, but you can basically buy it at Japanese food stores, so it's a good idea to go look for it at your nearest store.


Also, British-style curry powder is sold in the spice section of supermarkets, and if you use it, you can make something similar to Japanese curry, so if you don't have a Japanese grocery store nearby, try it. Isn't it good to see it?

Fried rice


Fried rice is not exactly a Japanese food, but it is introduced here as a familiar dish.
All basic ingredients such as vegetables and eggs can be purchased at German supermarkets.

Some people may want to make more authentic fried rice.
German supermarkets don't sell the ingredients for chicken stock and the paste for Chinese food that are used in that case, so I recommend looking for a Japanese food store.

Okonomiyaki


If you want to make okonomiyaki in Germany, you can get all the ingredients at the supermarket except for the okonomiyaki sauce.

The basic ingredients are flour, eggs, cabbage, zucchini or potatoes (substitute for yam), bouillon (substitute for Japanese-style dashi), and add pork or bacon, potato chips instead of fried balls, etc., to your liking. Isn't it easier than you think?

And the must-haves are mayonnaise, green laver, and bonito flakes.

Of course, you can buy mayonnaise in German supermarkets, but Japanese mayonnaise and German mayonnaise taste quite different, and you can't buy green laver and bonito flakes.
So when you buy your favorite sauce at a Japanese food store, it's a good idea to look for it together.

In addition, many Japanese food stores sell okonomiyaki powder, so if you are particular about that, it would be a good idea to buy this as well.

Stir-fried eggplant and minced meat with miso


This dish is easy to make and delicious, and above all, it goes well with rice.
Of course, you can buy eggplant and minced meat in German supermarkets.

When adding ginger, some supermarkets sell ginger itself.

Miso is not often sold in supermarkets, but you can buy it at Japanese food stores.
Sake and mirin are basically not sold at supermarkets, so you need to go to a Japanese food store, but white wine can be substituted for sake, so why not try it?

Oyakodon

I think there are many people who love oyakodon and want to eat it even when they are abroad.

Main ingredients such as chicken, onions, and eggs are easily available at supermarkets.
As with eggplant and minced meat stir-fried in miso, mirin is rarely available at most Japanese grocery stores, but you can substitute with sake and sugar.
That said, sake is only available at Japanese food stores, so in the end, you either buy it at a Japanese food store or don't use it in the first place.

And the handling of soy sauce is increasing considerably even in German supermarkets.
So it's probably possible to buy it at a nearby supermarket, so please look for it.

Pork cutlet


In Germany, there is a German-style cutlet called schnitzel, but there is no tonkatsu sauce here, and I think some people want to eat Japanese tonkatsu.

The pork used for tonkatsu should be the same meat used for schnitzel.
However, unlike Japan, tenderloin is often not available or available in small quantities, so loin is the main ingredient.
Flour and eggs are prepared at supermarkets, but bread crumbs may not be available depending on the supermarket.
In that case, you can use shavings of hard or dry bread.
If you really want bread crumbs but can't find them in supermarkets, Japanese food stores often carry them, so it's worth trying to find them.

cooked rice


It may come as a surprise to some, but takikomi gohan is relatively easy to make, and you can enjoy a variety of variations.

For example, when using dashi, if the dashi comes in a pack for simmering, open the pack, mix the contents with rice, add soy sauce and other ingredients you want to add, and cook. You can make takikomi gohan.
Of course, you should be able to reproduce it with a granule type, so please try it.


However, dashi soup stock is basically not available in German supermarkets, so you need to purchase it at a Japanese food store.

If you don't use dashi, you can also make cooked rice using tomato whole.
In this case, using bouillon instead of dashi makes it more delicious, and you can also add parsley, vegetables, etc., or add cheese if you like.

There are many other recipes for takikomi gohan, so I think it would be fun to find and devise them yourself.

summary

So far, we have introduced Japanese food that can be prepared relatively easily in Germany.
I would be happy if I could help you cook more happily.

If you don't have a Japanese food store in your neighborhood, or if you want to save the trouble of looking for a Japanese food store, we recommend using our online shop.

Our Germany-based online shop also carries soy sauce, mirin, and various other Japanese food ingredients, ranging from table-sized to commercial use.

WasaKanae
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実はドイツで料理するのが難しい日本食

Japanese food that is actually difficult to cook in Germany

I think that there are many people who study abroad in Germany for work or study abroad, but one of the things to be concerned about when living abroad like that is the diet.

I want to prepare the same Japanese food as when I was in Japan for my family. Although I live in Japan, I think there are many opportunities to prepare Japanese food.

Recently, there have been more and more opportunities to see Japanese restaurants and Japanese ingredients in Europe, including Germany.

Even so, the number of Japanese food ingredients that can be purchased in Germany is still limited, and in some cases, the prices are nearly double what they are available in Japan.

Some of them are sold in any supermarket in Japan, but it is not uncommon to find them nowhere in Germany.

Japanese food and Japanese ingredients that are difficult to cook in Germany

As mentioned above, even if you try to get Japanese food ingredients, the prices are higher than in Japan, the quality is different compared to what you buy in Japan, and you can't find them anywhere. There are some Japanese foods that are difficult to make for various reasons.

Below, I would like to introduce Japanese food that is difficult to cook in Germany.

1. Beef bowl

<a href="https://pixabay.com/en/users/takedahrs-12657/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=4162800">takedahrs</a> by <a href ="https://pixabay.com/en/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=4162800">Image from Pixabay</a>

Thinly sliced ​​beef is indispensable for making beef, but in the first place in Europe such as Germany, thinly sliced ​​meat is rarely sold at supermarkets.

If you want thinly sliced ​​meat, you can either use a meat slicer to slice the meat sold on the market, or ask the staff at a butcher shop to slice it thinly for you.

However, when having a meat sliced ​​at a butcher shop, the staff does not usually receive orders to slice the meat thinly, so there are many cases where it is difficult to convey to the staff and the meat is not sliced ​​as thinly as you thought. it seems like.

Other than that, Japanese food that we usually eat often uses thinly sliced ​​meat, so I think it's harder to make those dishes compared to when we're in Japan.

2. Seafood dishes

Except for a part of the northern part, Germany hardly faces the sea, and it is a country where it is difficult to obtain fresh fish compared to Japan.
Therefore, it is not possible to easily buy raw fish at supermarkets like in Japan.

Fish is sold at supermarkets and other places, but most of it is frozen.
Of course, there are places that sell raw fish, but the price is still higher than in Japan, so it's hard to get your hands on it.

In this way, it is possible to make dishes using seafood, but it is difficult to get them, the taste and freshness are not good, and the prices are high. It can be difficult.

3. Seaweed

I think it's common to have wakame seaweed in miso soup, but seaweed, including wakame, is not as common as it is in Japan.

Recently, it seems that wakame can be purchased cheaply at supermarkets, but the taste is a little different from the Japanese wakame that we are used to eating.

Asian supermarkets sell kelp and hijiki, but they are more expensive than buying them in Japan.

salmon roe

Since salmon roe is used as a sushi ingredient, many people may think that salmon roe is a uniquely Japanese food.

However, there is a theory that the word salmon roe originally meant "fish egg" in Russian, and that it was introduced from Russia in the Meiji era and became popular from the Taisho era to the early Showa era.

For that reason, salmon roe is available at Russian markets in Germany, so it's by no means impossible.

However, salmon roe is also sold at ordinary supermarkets, but the price is high and the taste is quite different from that of Japan.

It would be nice if there was a Russian market nearby, but if not, it may be quite difficult to taste salmon roe dishes like in Japan.

By the way, I used to buy salmon roe in a small bottle and make my own soy sauce marinated salmon roe.

The basic ingredients are soy sauce, mirin, and sake, which are difficult to obtain in Germany and have few varieties, so I tried making them.

However, even though I made it according to the recipe, the taste was completely different from the Japanese salmon roe pickled in soy sauce.

mayonnaise

Although mayonnaise is not a cooking ingredient, it is a versatile condiment that can be used to cook many different Japanese dishes.
Of course, mayonnaise can be bought normally in Germany, so it is not particularly difficult to obtain.

Since mayonnaise originated in France, it is of course common in Europe, and it is a common seasoning all over the world.

However, Japanese mayonnaise and German mayonnaise are quite different in taste.
German mayonnaise is much sweeter than Japanese mayonnaise, and it seems that Germans sometimes feel quite sour when eating Japanese mayonnaise.

Unlike overseas mayonnaise, Japanese mayonnaise uses only egg yolk instead of whole egg when making mayonnaise, and it seems that the vinegar used is also rice vinegar.
As a result, it has a milder and creamier taste than the ones from overseas.

You may need to be careful when trying to make dishes based on the taste of Japanese mayonnaise.

When making Japanese food that uses mayonnaise, we recommend purchasing Japanese mayonnaise.

Burdock

In Japan, burdock is a root vegetable ingredient used in common Japanese dishes such as pork soup and kinpira burdock.
However, there are almost no dishes using burdock in countries other than Japan.

It may be well-known that during the Pacific War, when the Japanese army gave prisoners of war from the enemy country burdock dishes, they were forced to eat tree roots.
Eating so much burdock may have seemed strange to foreigners, especially Westerners.

As you can see, burdock is a food unique to Japan, so I don't think you will ever see burdock in Germany.

For the time being, there is something called Western burdock in Germany, but the taste and cooking method are completely different from Japanese burdock, and it seems that it tastes like asparagus.

summary 

As we have seen, the food situation in Japan and Germany is quite different, so there are some dishes that are easy to make in Japan but difficult to make in Germany, and even if they can be made, they take time and money. I hope you understand.

Especially in Germany, there are few places facing the sea, so seafood is quite scarce.

You may miss Japanese fresh seafood quite a bit while in Germany.

WasaKanae
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ヨーロッパで知名度は低いが高評価の日本食4選

4 Japanese foods that are not well known in Europe but are highly rated

When I live in Europe, my friends and work colleagues sometimes tell me that they want to try Japanese food.
However, what can be troublesome at times like this is when the phrase "If possible, I would like to eat something other than the famous one in Europe" is added.

I wrote this article for those who want to meet such expectations.

4 lesser-known Japanese foods that are highly rated when cooked

Even if you say this, you may not have a very good image of what is famous and what is not known to Japanese people who are used to Japanese food in the first place.

When it comes to Japanese cuisine, sushi is of course famous, but conversely, sushi is too famous, and there are parts of other Japanese cuisine that are not well known.
Therefore, I would appreciate it if you read this article and think, "Speaking of which, this happened."

Oden


When it comes to winter staples in Japan, it's oden.
Just because you can buy oden anywhere in Japan, especially if you go to a convenience store, doesn't mean it's famous in Europe.
If you serve hot oden with a strong taste, you will be very happy.
In Europe, there is no culture of sharing a large plate or hot pot dish among multiple people, so Europeans who see oden for the first time may be confused about how to eat it, but many people like the gentle taste of dashi. It's a taste that can be.

The main ingredients for making oden are your favorite ingredients (carrots, radishes, sausages, etc.), sake, mirin, and dashi stock.
The ingredients are available at European supermarkets, but carrots and sausages can be purchased anywhere.
Although daikon radish is a popular ingredient in oden, it varies by country and region, and it is not always as easy to obtain as it is in Japan.
Sake, mirin, and dashi stock are available at Japanese food stores, so please look for them.
The taste will be less, but you can make it without mirin and sake, so if you can't buy it in your neighborhood or it's expensive, please try it.

Meat and potatoes


Nikujaga is one of the staples of Japanese home cooking.
Nikujaga is said to have originated from British beef stew, but that doesn't mean it's famous in Europe.
The taste is also quite different from beef stew because it uses Japanese seasonings.

Carrots, potatoes, onions, beef, soy sauce, mirin, and sake are often used in nikujaga.
Carrots, potatoes, and onions can of course be bought at supermarkets, but beef is rarely sliced ​​or chopped like it is in Japan, so you will have to cut and use what looks delicious.

Recently, European supermarkets have been selling soy sauce more and more, so there is a high possibility that you can buy it at your local supermarket.
As for mirin and sake, you need to go to a Japanese food store instead of the supermarket in your neighborhood to find them, just like the oden.

Ginger grilled pork


This is also a standard dish in Japan, but it is not well known overseas.
But as expected, meat dishes, everyone jumps.

The ingredients are pork, onion, ginger, mirin, sake, and soy sauce.
Like beef, thinly sliced ​​pork isn't sold very often, so it might be delicious if you cut it yourself or try making it with a thicker piece of meat on the bone.

Onions can of course be bought at supermarkets, but ginger is often not available, so if you don't have it in the vegetable section, go to the spice section and you will often find powdered ginger, so look for that as well. Try it.

Mirin and sake must be purchased at a Japanese food store, and soy sauce is often available at your local supermarket, so please look for it.

chirashi sushi


Isn't this sushi? You might think so, but it's not as well-known as regular sushi, so I'll introduce it here.
Chirashizushi is a dish with a high degree of freedom as long as you prepare the base sushi rice and eggs, so you can add ingredients that your partner likes.

The basics are rice, sushi vinegar, eggs, seaweed, and any other ingredients you like.
As for rice, it is difficult to buy Japanese rice at supermarkets, but rice for risotto is easily available, so if you don't mind buying rice for risotto at a supermarket, if you like Japanese rice, buy it at a Japanese food store.

Even if vinegar is sold at supermarkets, sushi vinegar is basically not available. Uka
Of course, you can also buy shinoko at Japanese food stores.

You can buy eggs at supermarkets, but seaweed is sometimes sold at supermarkets, so if you can't find a supermarket, buy it at a Japanese food store.
You can basically choose the other ingredients as you like, but shiitake mushrooms and shrimp are often included.

Supermarkets sell mushrooms, but they rarely sell shiitake mushrooms, so try looking for Japanese food stores.

Some supermarkets sell frozen shrimp, so if you have them, you can buy them.
However, from my experience, European frozen shrimp often smell so bad that even if you put them in sake, you can't get rid of the smell, so please be careful about that.
There are many other things such as salmon and cucumbers, so please try to find them yourself.

summary

These are the 4 Japanese foods that are not well known to Europeans but are highly rated.
What do you think?
If you look at it this way, mirin and sake are needed quite often when making Japanese food, so it might be better to buy them for the time being.
Online shops are very convenient for those who don't have a Japanese grocery store in their neighborhood, or who have a poor selection of products.

Our Germany-based online shop carries mirin, sake, and various Japanese food ingredients ranging from table size to commercial use, so please take a look.

WasaKanae
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