Tokujo vs. Jo vs. Nami in Sushi, Yakiniku, and Tonkatsu
If you have dined at restaurants in Japan before, you may have noticed that the name of some dishes on the menu has such prefixes as Tokujo (特上), Jo (上), and Nami (並), say,...
Category: Trivia
Dried Sardine: Chirimen Jako vs. Shirasu vs. Iriko
Iwashi (イワシ/鰯), referred to as “sardine” in English, is one of the most commonly used fishes in Japanese cuisine or Japanese food culture. Especially the dried young sardine called Chirimen Jako (ちりめんじゃこ) or Shirasu...
Mentai vs. Mentaiko: What’s the Difference in Meaning?
Have you ever heard of Karashi Mentaiko (辛子明太子)? The food is of Korean origin. But now, it has become a specialty of Fukuoka Prefecture in Japan. For the unfamiliar, Karashi Mentaiko is a delicacy made...
Taraba-Gani is a Crab (Kani) or Not
Several days ago, on June 22, the day known as Crab’s Day in Japan, I saw a news headline titled “Taraba-Gani is a Kani (Crab) or not” on Yahoo Japan News. Although I didn’t...
Gomasio is classified as Furikake or not
As “Goma (ごま, 胡麻)” means sesame and “Sio (塩)” means salt in Japanese, the seasoning “Gomasio (ごま塩, 胡麻塩)“, also written as Gomashio, consists of parched black whole sesame seeds and salt. Featuring the color...
Somen vs. Udon noodles: What is the Difference?
When it comes to the noodles commonly eaten during the summer season in Japan, Somen (そうめん) is a long-time favorite, widely enjoyed in many households, where the boiled noodles are chilled and typically served...
Okonomi Sauce vs. Takoyaki Sauce vs. Yakisoba Sauce
As you may already know, Otafuku Sauce (オタフクソース) and Bull-Dog Sauce (ブルドックソース) are Japanese companies well known for their brown sauces. These two makers produce and sell sauces commonly used in Japan, which include...
Abekawa Mochi: Shizuoka’s Specialty Wagashi Sweet
In the previous entry, I wrote about Kinako Mochi. But after posting the article, the sweet Mochi dish reminded me of Shizuoka’s specialty Wagashi confection called Abekawa Mochi (安倍川もち). Abekawa Mochi (安倍川もち) Abekawa Mochi...
