Daily Nihongo (2003 - 2004)

[torakris]

word for 3/10:

ビンチョウマグロ　（びんちょうまぐろ）　binchou maguro (bean-cho)

ビンナガマグロ　　 binnaga maguro (bean-nah-gah)

トンボマグロ　　（とんぼあぐろ） tonbo maguro (tone-boe)

These are all ways to refer to the Albacore or white tuna. In Japan (like the rest of the world) it is most commonly found in cans, though recently it has seen some popularity in the sushi /sashimi market. Its very soft texture makes it diffilcult to cut and the mild flavor of it's light pink flesh will most likely prevent it from being a star at the sushi bars.

[yellow truffle]

I love tune, oishiii. torakris, thanx for getting to tuna. I was surfing maguro on the web and found some nice illustrations and a comparative analysis between the previously discussed tuna varieties.

The tuna varieties (left to right): hon, minami, mebachi, kihada, bincho

The page in Japanese, or for your english convenience, the BabelFish Translation, or should I say tuna fish translation, lol.

Edited for appropriate crediting.

Edited March 10, 2004 by yellow truffle (log)

[torakris]

word for 3/11:

we have covered the main tuna varieties eaten in Japan, now let's talk about the cuts and some of the ways to eat them.

赤身

akami

The akami is the deep red cut of tuna that has almost no fat. the characters for this consist of 赤　(aka) which means red and 身 (mi) which refers to body but in the case of animals I think of it more as flesh. So we can call it the red flesh of the tuna. Half of a tuna's body will consist of this akami and thus it is probably the most commonly eaten sushi on the planet!

In this picture, the deep red sashimi is the tuna akami (this was my breakfast for New Year's Day )

[torakris]

word for 3/12:

トロ　　とろ

toro (toe-rhoe)

The cut of tuna referred to as toro is the cut from the belly of the fish and this is further divided into two types the ootoro and the chuutoro. Toro is the Japanese word for "melt" and that is exactly what happens to the flesh when it hits your tongue.

Though this is the most prized part of the tuna today it hasn't always been this way, it is only in the past 80 years that this fatty cut has risen in popularity in Japan.

Saturday and Sunday we will discuss the ootro and chuutoro in more detail.

otanoshimi.... (I am looking forward to it)

[torakris]

word for 3/13:

大トロ

ootoro (oh-toe-rhoe)

Probably the most prized of all the cuts of fish for sushi and it comes from the lower belly of te tuna. Ootoro can further be classified into two types:

shimofuri, which translates as "falling frost", this refers to ootoro that has the fat evenly distributed throughout, like this:

http://aikij.com/tuna/fresh/ootoro-haramo.htm

dandara is the type of ootoro that has strips of fat running through the cut, like this:

http://aikij.com/tuna/fresh/ootoro.htm

[torakris]

word for 3/14:

中トロ

chuutoro

The chuutoro is cut from the upper belly and is fattier than the akami but not as fatty as the ootoro, thus it is called chuu which means middle. Chuutoro is suited to sashimi better than the ootoro, when served as sushi the rice helps cut the fattiness.

chuutoro:

http://aikij.com/tuna/fresh/image/setoro-280x.jpg

[torakris]

word for 3/15:

ネギトロ

negitoro (nay-ghee-toe-rhoe)

This is a popular of preparing the odds and ends of chuutoro that can't be made into pretty slices for sushi or sashimi. The tuna is finely minced (usually with two knives going double speed) and then mized with some mince negi (Japanese leek) and minced together a little bit more. This is most commonly eaten as a roll, a gunkan maki or donburi style drizzled with a little wasabi and soy sauce.

negitoro:

http://www.maguroyasan.com/set2.html

[torakris]

before we go any farther let's discuss two very important words (3/16)

寿司　　すし sushi (sue-she)

刺身　　さしみ sashimi (sah-she-me)

sashimi-raw fish served with a dipping sauce

sushi-raw fish served with vinegared rice in many forms, such as:

nigiri-fish placed on an oblong shaped piece of rice, occasionally with additional garnishes or nori, scallions, etc

chirashi- scattered rice, 1 or more type of fish scattered on top of rice sometimes with vegetables/eggs/nori/etc

temaki-hand roll usually triangular in shape filled with anything the chef desires in a piece of nori

maki-a simple nori roll of normally one or two ingredients, cut into bite size pieces

futo-maki-"fat" roll consisting of many ingredients rolled in a piece of nori and cut into pieces

discuss your favorite sushi and sashimi here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=19857

[torakris]

word for 3/17:

鉄火巻き　てっか巻き

tekka maki

This is probably the most popular roll of sushi. It is a thin roll that constists of one strip of tuna in the middle.

picture and directions for making your own:

http://www.icubed.com/~yasu/makitutorial.htm

[prasantrin]

word for 3/17:

鉄火巻き　てっか巻き

tekka maki

Do you know anything about the etymology of the word 'tekka maki'? I'm just wondering why the 'ka' is the kanji for fire.

Also, for sushi, I know the 'su' is 'kotobuki' but what is the 'shi'? And how did it come to mean vinegared rice with toppings?

My kanji-reading abilities are not so great but I can usually figure out meanings of Japanese words but some of the food-kanji is really strange to me!

[torakris]

word for 3/17:

鉄火巻き　てっか巻き

tekka maki

Do you know anything about the etymology of the word 'tekka maki'? I'm just wondering why the 'ka' is the kanji for fire.

I just KNEW someone was going to ask that question!

tekka in Japanese means red-hot iron (though it can also mean gunfire and sometimes words and guns in general) this is from the characters tetsu meaning iron or steel and ka meaning fire. Testu is the same character used in the iron chef title, in Japanese it is called ryouri no testu jin 料理の鉄人, ryouri meaning food,cooking, cuisine; tetsu meaning iron and jin meaning person).

Anyway back to the tekka maki, knowing that it meant red hot iron I assumed it was maybe an imagery name, doing some searching I discovered I was way off.

Back in the pre-war days a lot of men worked in tekkaba (iron/steel making factories) and apparently since their hands were quite soiled when it came time to eat lunch they didn't want to eat regular onigiri as their hands were dirty. The vendors ho sold them their lunches came up with the idea of wrapping the onigiri fillings with nori and cutting them into bite size pieces. Originally these contained kampyo (gourd) and other such fillings but soon maguro became the most popular. They were then given the name tekka maki as tehy were born out of the tekkaba.

[torakris]

Also, for sushi, I know the 'su' is 'kotobuki' but what is the 'shi'? And how did it come to mean vinegared rice with toppings?

My kanji-reading abilities are not so great but I can usually figure out meanings of Japanese words but some of the food-kanji is really strange to me!

from the unusual Americanized sushi thread

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=13210&st=0

I can help a little on the etymology.

There are actually 3 different ways to write sushi

鮨and 寿司(my computer can't make the 3rd one)

The first one and the one my computer can't make are rarely used nowadays and are taken directly from the Chinese.

The second one 寿司 is the one used most commonly today.

This is comprised of 2 characters the first meaning happiness (kotobuki) and the second meaning to manage, to look after, or to control (tsugasadoru).

Putting it all together, it basically a way to control another's happiness.

The reading of the characters as sushi is actually a play on words. Su meaning vinegar and shi meaning skill of the hand ( the characters used for these two words are completely different, thus a play on words)

Does this make any sense?

[ankomochi]

Anyway back to the tekka maki, knowing that it meant red hot iron I assumed it was maybe an imagery name, doing some searching I discovered I was way off.

Back in the pre-war days a lot of men worked in tekkaba (iron/steel making factories) and apparently since their hands were quite soiled when it came time to eat lunch they didn't want to eat regular onigiri as their hands were dirty. The vendors ho sold them their lunches came up with the idea of wrapping the onigiri fillings with nori and cutting them into bite size pieces. Originally these contained kampyo (gourd) and other such fillings but soon maguro became the most popular. They were then given the name tekka maki as tehy were born out of the tekkaba.

It's interesting! I had no idea Tekkaba was the origin of the word Tekka maki. Thank you to people who worked at Tekkaba!

There is an interesting article on NY Times about Japanese language. It has nothing to do with FOOD, but I thought you might find it interesting to read. It's about the difference between China and Japan, how they express foreign words. The article appeard on 3/17/04 NYT in International section, written by Norimitsu Onishi.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/17/internat...sia/17ASIA.html

[torakris]

word for 3/18:

切り落とし or 切落し

kiriotoshi (key-rhee-oh-toe-shee)

The word actually means to cut down in straight motion and this is the name given to the odds and ends of the fish that can't be cut into sushi/sashimi slices. Packs of these are sold in the supermarkets at much cheaper prices than a block, it is great for negi-toro, or for salad style preparations and for topping with yamaimo/nagaimo (mountain yam). This parts can be quite sinewy and if you find yourself with a pack that seems to have one sinew too many it is a great time for negitoro.

kiriotoshi:

http://www.uomaru.co.jp/shop_item/53.jpg

[torakris]

word for 3/18:

卒園　　そつえん sotsuen (sew-tsu-en) graduation

卒園式　　そつせんしき sotsuenshiki (sew-tsu-en-she-key) graduation ceremony

In Japan the new school year starts from April, thus graduation ceremonies are held around the middle of March. Graduation (as well as entrance) ceremonies are huge over here, most fathers take the day off as the festivities can go on for a long time. Even kindergartens and day care centers have ceremonies that would rival most high/college school graduations in the West. My daughter's kindergarten graduation ceremony took place yesterday lasting close to two hours, with singing of the national anthem, the school song and about 5 others including Auld Lang Syne (in Japanese of course) then speeches by the principal, the principal of the local elementary school, the head of the Parent's Association, etc. Then the 182 children received their diplomas one by one. They would walk up onto the the stage and when their name was called they responded with a very firm and clear "hai" (yes) and walked over to the principal, the two then bow to each other, the child takes one step forward and the principal hands out the diploma with two hands (it is a large rectangular sheet of paper) the child then reaches out their right hand and grasps the right side and then reaches out the left hand to grasp the left side. Once it is in both hands they take a step backwards, they child and principal both bow to each other again, then the child turns around to face the audience and everyone claps, they then leave the stage and the process begins over again with the next child.

The ceremonies then continue into the indivual classrooms were there are lots of pictures, hugging and crying. After the ceremonies at the school the families go off to their favorite restaurants to celebrate further with lunch.

My daughter Julia

Her graduating kindergarten class (Julia is second row from the back, second from the right)

[torakris]

word for 3/20:

中落ち

nakaochi (nah-kah-oh-chee)

This is a very tender part of the tuna, usually scraped (often with a spoon) from the middle bone. You will often see this as nakaochi-don, a donburi with a bunch of this piled on top served with wasabi and soy or it can be minced up into negi-toro.

http://www.uomaru.co.jp/shop_item/52.jpg

[torakris]

to continue with the different cuts of tuna.....

word for 3/21:

マグロのカマ

maguro no kama (mah-goo-rhoe-noh-kah-mah)

this is the tuna collar and of course the best way to eat it is grilled! Either with just salt or with a soy based sauce.

this is called maguro no kama-yaki (マグロのカマ焼き） and the type that is seasoned with just salt is sometimes called maguro no kama shio-yaki (マグロのカマ塩焼き）, where shio means salt.

start drooling now:

http://www.fnw.gr.jp/7rinhonpo/koretabe/kamayaki.htm

[torakris]

word for 3/22:

まぐろのかぶと焼き

maguro no kabuto-yaki (mah-goo-rhoe-noh-kah-boo-toe-yah-key)

The kabuto is the traditional helmet worn by the samurai and the dish of kabuto-yaki refers to the cooked whole head of the fish. Tuna is not the only fish this is done to, but it is by far the most popular, the price can average about $100 per head, of fish!

the following fish head is slow cooked in an oven for 4 hours.......

http://www.misakikan.com/images/kabutoyaki.jpg

[torakris]

word for 3/23:

マグロのステーキ or　マグロステーキ

maguro no suteeki (mah-goo-rhoe-noh-sue-tay-key) or maguro suteeki

Maguro steak

This usually is a block or bite size pieces of tuna that have been seared aon both sides and served with some type of sauce, anything from soy based sauce to cream to tomato.

one version of maguro suteeki:

http://home.c06.itscom.net/maruko/02recipe...omisakifuu.html

[torakris]

word for 3/24:

マグロのユッケ　or　　マグロユッケ

maguro no yukke (mah-goo-rhoe noh you-kay) or maguro yukke

This is a tuna version of the Korean dish of yuke (yukwe and 100 other spellings) that normally uses raw beef. This became really popular a couple years back and it is still a popular izakaya menu item and easily made at home.

http://www.ja-aichi.or.jp/pearlrice/5minutes/2003/no02.html

[torakris]

word for 3/25:

マグロのカルパッチョ

maguro no karupaccho (mah-goo-rhoe-noh-kah-rhue-pah-choh)

Tuna carpaccio

This is sort of the preparation style of the moment, different from the yuke style preparation, this is usually slices topped with a thin dressing and maybe some other vegetables. It can be either "western style" with olive oil and vinegar of juices or "japanese style" with more Japanese type flavorings. Mayonnaise is another common topping.

one style of tuna carpaccio:

http://www.fishing-v.co.jp/original/cooking/magukaru.html

[torakris]

word for 3/26:

まぐろの山かけ

maguro no yamakake (mah-goo-rhoe-noh-yah-mah-kah-kay)

This is a very popular dish of usually cubed pieces of maguro covered with grated mountain yam (nagaimo/yamaimo/etc) and often soy, wasabi, nori (laver) or other toppings.

yamakake:

http://www.iscb.net/mikio/200304/0424.htm

[sizzleteeth]

here is the first word: 

??????

itadakimasu (ee-tah-dak-kee-masu)

This is said before eating a meal, it is an expression of appreciation for the food and translates as "I will recieve".

I've have read that the tradition of saying Itadakimasu originated from an old Jodo Shinshu tradition (Shin Buddhists - followers of Shinran) as a way to express gratitude for their meal because it embodies the spirit of Namo (bowing).

In order to sustain your life you must take other life, the lives of plants and animals and it is thought to be absurd to think that you simply have the "right" to do this. 2 of many reasons one might bow is to either show gratitude for a good deed or to show shame for something done wrong - though obviously it is also a sign of respect. Saying Itadakimasu is the spirit of both feeling grateful and sorry at the same time. Grateful for the sacrifice made, showing respect for those who have sacrificed and being sorry for being so selfish as to sacrifice the life of another to sustain your own. Though to live there is no other choice.

I cannot confirm this - but ever since I read it I have thought of it this way - and makes it mean that much more. I've seen this translated as simply as "Let's Eat" and as complicated as "I humbly receive this meal with sincerest of gratitude."

Edited March 27, 2004 by sizzleteeth (log)

[Mayhaw Man]

Torakris-

How do you say Happy Birthday in Japanese?

In english we say HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

And I hope that you are having one.

[torakris]

Thank you for the birthday wishes, I spent the day with my family and parents wandering all of the Minato Mirai area of Yokohama even takingteh brand new Minato Mirai subway line into China Town. Then my in-laws took us to a Chinese restaurant for dinner, I am not sure why though since my MIL knows that I hate Japanese-Chinese food......

well since you all asked,

word for 3/27:

誕生日おめでとう

tanjoubi omedetou (tahn-joe-bee oh-may-day-toe)

Happy Birthday