Japanese foods- asagohan

[torakris]

What is your favorite Japanese breakfast?

Want to see what the Japanese really eat for breakfast?

http://www.japan-guide.com/topic/0007.html

[jhlurie]

Okay, almost 63% eat bread, but only 20% have Jam? Were these mutually exclusive choices on the survey? I mean that implies that the other 43% used butter or margarine... but the fact that jam appears as its own survey choice and they don't really confuses the issue.

[torakris]

maybe they eat it like my dad, butter it first and then put the jam,

therefore the jam would be a given?

[butterchik]

I love the smell of unagi in the morning.

My fellow Canadian co-worker got into mixing jam with his okayu, much to the disgust of the cafeteria staff.

One particularily hungover morning we were mixing kimchee with rice, then laid slices of bacon on top and picked it up with chopsticks as small rolls.

Must've still been drunk at the time (sake=evil )

[Jinmyo]

One particularily hungover morning we were mixing kimchee with rice, then laid slices of bacon on top and picked it up with chopsticks as small rolls.

There's nothing unusual about that. In fact popping the rice/kimchi/bacon maki onto a sheet of nori and rolling that and eating it by hand is also not unusual.

Kristin, I found the number of 21% for natto a bit strange. I thought that most Japanese outside of Tokyo didn't care for it.

[tissue]

yummmm.... natto.

[Jinmyo]

I like natto too.

Not for breakfast, though it seems because I seldom have it then.

[rcarter]

I rarely take the time to prepare this myself, but I miss my grandmother’s breakfasts of misoshiru, gohan, a little bit of grilled fish and tsukemono. As for Japanese Western style items I miss Japanese yogurt and Pan (Japanese bread). I am not a fan of natto, but it is very popular in Okayama where my mother is from.

[cherrypi]

Ojiya!

[torakris]

21% for natto doesn't really surprise me, it is eaten all over Japan, though it is the most popular in Kanto, Shinshu and Tohoku area (pretty much all the area next to and above Tokyo). The demographics of the survey also showed it was mostly younger people, who might pick up a pack of natto for convenience, no cooking required, sort of like cereal?

I really love himono (dried fish) for breakfast especially ayu (sweet fish) or aji (horse mackeral?)

For those not familiar with himono they are different then the small dried fishes used for making dashi, they are usaully larger fish, normally cut on the belly(but sometimes left whole) and opened out flat, they are then laid out in the sun to dry and are then grilled before being eaten.

[torakris]

this is what himono look like:

http://www.tenpiboshi.com/main/2.html

[butterchik]

One particularily hungover morning we were mixing kimchee with rice, then laid slices of bacon on top and picked it up with chopsticks as small rolls.

There's nothing unusual about that. In fact popping the rice/kimchi/bacon maki onto a sheet of nori and rolling that and eating it by hand is also not unusual.

Which reinforces my belief that there is no such thing as an original flavour/food combination, its all been done before. Particularily when it comes to bacon - goes with everything!

Often in our staff caf we were given barely coddled eggs (in shell) at breakfast - is this common and how are they normally eaten? I would mix mine in with my misoshiro like a straciatella.

[torakris]

One particularily hungover morning we were mixing kimchee with rice, then laid slices of bacon on top and picked it up with chopsticks as small rolls.

There's nothing unusual about that. In fact popping the rice/kimchi/bacon maki onto a sheet of nori and rolling that and eating it by hand is also not unusual.

Which reinforces my belief that there is no such thing as an original flavour/food combination, its all been done before. Particularily when it comes to bacon - goes with everything!

Often in our staff caf we were given barely coddled eggs (in shell) at breakfast - is this common and how are they normally eaten? I would mix mine in with my misoshiro like a straciatella.

I agree with Jin that actually sounds pretty good!!

the barely cooked egg is quite popular, the stores even sell them like that, occasioanlly they are referred to as onsen tamago (hot spring eggs)

[smallworld]

Himono I love, but not for breakfast- I don't have the dexterity to remove all those tiny bones so early in the morning!

I eat Japanese-style breakfast only a few times a year- while at a ryokan or after an all night drinking binge (that's when I order Yoshinoya's breakfast set with natto, raw egg and grilled salmon). The serving is just way too big for breakfast, and it takes so long to prepare.

Miso soup can be a great breakfast, we usually have that when camping- goes well with wienies roasted in the camp fire.

I was surprised to see that cereal wasn't even mentioned in the breakfast survey- I LOVE cereal! But it's just not popular here, especially amoung adults.

A big bowl of genmai (brown rice) flakes topped with raisins and sliced almonds is my favourite breakfast.

[torakris]

here is another breakast survey that really shows the popularity of bread over rice:

http://www.intage.co.jp/express/01_04/mark...ket/index2.html

[Wimpy]

My Japanese grandmother usually made me the following bfast when in Tokyo (she is now unfortunately bed ridden, in final stages of Parkinson's, bless her generous soul):

1) rice

2) natto with one raw quail's egg

3) grilled lightly salted fish (buri or sanma) or shio-jake

4) home made pickles (cucumber usually)

5) miso shiru (with wakame and those tiny slimly brown mushrooms)

My grandparents of course favored the super thick cuts of toast bread with Hokkaido butter and jam. I guess they kept up with the times, and my bfast was an anachronism!

[helenjp]

I was sure there was a thread on this, but where???

Today's Asahi newspaper carried a survey on who eats breakfast, and what is most popular. There were some surprises - no surprise that bread is the most popular, BUT beverages of any type come a fair way down the list. Do people munch on a pastry at home and then pick up a can of cold tea at the station???

Here are some of the results:

- more people skip breakfast for lack of appetite than lack of time

- men become breakfast converst in their 50s - but nearly 1/4 of men in their 20s skip

- only 19% of people think that elementary and JHS schools should provide breakfast for those who need it.

Popular breakfast foods among 3070 interviewees

Breads (1861 people)

Milk or dairy (1640)

Rice (1381) More would eat rice if they didn't have to cook it...

Coffe, tea (1348)

Eggs (1023)

Miso soup (953)

Salad (860)

Fruit (849)

Natto (701)

Pickles (521)

Nori (377)

Fish (337)

Juice (260)

Cereal (208)

Meat (202) This would include sausage, ham, bacon

Supplements (194)

Soup other than miso soup (154)

Noodles (48)

Frozen foods (46)

Instant foods (23)

Other (215)

So our year-round menu of toast, yogurt with fruit, and tea is pretty ordinary fare here in Japan - and it's my Japanese husband's preferred menu, not my choice!

[raji]

Can't tell you how many times I just grab something out of the conbini, whether it be a sandwich or actual breakfast pastry, can't tell you how many of my friends did the same....

[Hiroyuki]

Ours is classic: rice, miso soup, one shusai such as grilled fish, pickles, furikake, and so on. I, for one, almost always have two packs of natto, and after breakfast, drink a cup or two of strong green tea. My children both usually have a cup of milk with (not after) breakfast, which is something Japanese of my age didn't do at home in childhood. We used to drink milk after breakfast.

[Kuma]

Mostly I had Toast, eggs & fruit with some breakfasts at Mr Donut. *eek*

I would absolutely eat Natto & Rice for breakfast if I were living in Japan as a resident. (and you're right... one pack is not enough for me too)

[torakris]

Helen, I merged the thread with the existing one.

I guess our breakfast or bread, yogurt, fruit and coffee/milk/water is more common than I thought.

I wonder how big the differences are between those in the cities and those out in more isolated areas?

[helenjp]

You found it! What a hero!

Country breakfasts...I often wonder whether the length of urban commutes isn't the biggest factor in breakfast food choices here - people eat dinner late, and then of course they're out of appetite and time to eat in the morning. Sounds as if lots of people would eat a Japanese breakfast if somebody else cooked it (and washed the dishes), and they had more time to eat.

[Hiroyuki]

I can't find any relevant information about the differences between urban and rural areas in breakfast options, but I don't think there are big differences. If there are, this is probably because of the fact that houses in rural areas are bigger and families are larger.