The Japanese and corn

[torakris]

Since Hiroyuki suggested in the Pizza threa:

But, I must say that I am not yet fully satisfied. Maybe this topic deserves a thread of its own. How about the title "Uses of Corn in Japan"?

Here's the thread!

Why does almost every salad I get in this country have corn on it?

Why is corn soup always the soup of the day?

Why do people look shocked when I say I don't like corn on my pizza?

[Jason Perlow]

Yeah this is weird. I frequently get Japanese baked goods such as the little pizzas from Sunmerry and they have corn on it. Combined with mayo no less!

I actually like them, but I prefer to be slightly inebriated first before having one.

[torakris]

a typical salad:

http://www.marutomo.co.jp/recipe/index2/030418/sarada.jpg

Japanese corn bread:

http://pan.tea-nifty.com/pan/2007/01/post_ceff.html

[AmyDaniel]

I like corn a lot on my...rolls! And...Japanese pasta!! I also like mayo on these foods!

Really, I like it - it provides interesting textural contrast, I find. Plus, I just like corn.

[Pan]

a typical salad:

http://www.marutomo.co.jp/recipe/index2/030418/sarada.jpg

Japanese corn bread:

http://pan.tea-nifty.com/pan/2007/01/post_ceff.html

←

I don't think I'd like that salad, but the bread looks really yucky to me.

[Sobaicecream]

I guess I've been in Japan long enough that I've started to forget what is supposed to shock/surprise me. Is corn in salad really that strange?

I will admit it: I don't mind corn on my Pizza Hut pizza. I wouldn't request it as an extra topping, but if the pizza came with corn, I'd eat it.

I'd like to point out though that the few times I've gone out for Neapolitan-type pizza in Japan (with the wood-fired oven, etc.), I've never seen corn as a topping. And the same really goes for corn topping on anything in a semi-decent restaurant: you don't see it.

I don't know much about the treatment and preservation of corn, but I kind of have the feeling that the kind you find in conbini salads, instant soups, and delivery pizzas are long-lasting and cheap and are a good filler (just ask any dog-food maker).

One thing that never stops surprising me is how expensive vegetables in Japan are. So for whatever reason that corn is cheaper, I would venture a guess that that's the reason it's everywhere.

[Yuki]

I like the combination of mayo and corn, they are common in western style bun in Hong Kong. What is better than a fluffy bun with almost melting mayo, corn, and ham?

Is corn soup like a cream shop or more like the texture of creamed corn? The version I know is like really thin creamed corn and my mom likes to crack an egg in it..........

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

At most of the Japanese restaurants I go to here in California (mostly in the Bay Area and Central California), the salads that come with the meals have corn in them, often with a mayonnaise and miso dressing. Since I'm not fond of the dressing, I almost never eat them.

[torakris]

A couple weeks ago a friend and I went to a really nice Indian restaurant that recently opened here in Yokohama and we ordered their special lunch set, the first thing they set down in front of us was a salad of shredded cabbage and corn....

[torakris]

Japan is the largest and most consistent importer of corn in the world. The United States satisfies nearly all of Japan's demand. During fiscal year 2003, Japan imported 14.5 million metric tons (571 million bushels) of U.S. corn

from here:

http://www.grains.org/grains/corn.html

The Japanese really do like their corn......

[torakris]

what about corn ramen?

http://2turbo.zive.net/nudle/019_1.jpg

they even have it in the instant versions

http://terasan.okiraku-pc.net/food/tumami/...awari/0040.html

[torakris]

If you order a steak or hamburger steak in most lower priced restaurants, like family restaurants you will inevitably find corn on your plate as well:

http://www.saizeriya.co.jp/menu/grand/img/item_074.jpg

[rcarter]

I have also found corn in fried rice and rice pilaf.

[Pumpkin Lover]

What is better than a fluffy bun with almost melting mayo, corn, and ham?

I completely agree with this statement!

And, this is so gross, but I love the dehydrated corn in instant ramen. There's something about the texture that I like.

[lovebenton0]

I love corn in salads, a bit of almost crunchy texture and sweetness. Mmmm. The roll with corn looks a bit odd, but probably just because I've never seen it before. Is the corn/mayo added to the roll after baking? Looks that way to me. Not that different really from other filled breads. And served with ham? That sounds good too.

Do you eat corn on the cob in Japan? Either grilled or boiled?

[torakris]

I love corn in salads, a bit of almost crunchy texture and sweetness. Mmmm.  The roll with corn looks a bit odd, but probably just because I've never seen it before. Is the corn/mayo added to the roll after baking? Looks that way to me. Not that different really from other filled breads. And served with ham? That sounds good too.

Do you eat corn on the cob in Japan? Either grilled or boiled?

←

the roll usually has the mayo and corn added before cooking.

The one thing the Japnese do really well with corn is grill it with a layer of soy sauce, delicious!!

http://ultrabob.typepad.com/photos/photos/tomorokoshi.jpg

the grilled corn in that picture is going for 400 yen ($4) a pop! not too bad considering that in the supermarkets they go for about 200 yen ($2) a piece...

and a note on names, you will notice two names for corn in Japan, the Japanese pronunciation of the English corn コーン (koon pronounced more like cone but with a long o) and toumorokoshi とうもろこし .

Toumorokoshi seems to be used for corn that is still on the cob, while koon (corn) is used for the kernels, so it would be a corn salad rather than a toumorokoshi salad,

[Hiroyuki]

Here's the thread!

Why does almost every salad I get in this country have corn on it?

Why is corn soup always the soup of the day?

Why do people look shocked when I say I don't like corn on my pizza?

←

Thank you, torakris, for starting this thread. And, 15 posts already! I wonder what's happened to you all. Is this topic so interesting?

Probably most Japanese think that all those uses of corn that you may find strange are American in origin just like they think that sponge cakes topped with whipped cream and strawberries are American Christmas cakes.

This is no wonder, because a number of corn products have been introduced into Japan from the United States, especially since World Word II, such as corn flakes, popcorn, canned corn, corn potage soup, and mixed vegetables.

Here is a photo of some of the corn products that I happen to have at home at the moment:

I find the mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, and green beans) particularly useful. I often put them in potato salad, macaroni salad, and so on.

I'd like to emphasize the color effect of corn. Its vivid yellow literally adds color to the dish,... doesn't it?

[torakris]

I currently have no corn products in my house.....

I make a trip to Costco every month with my neighbors and there are a couple of them that buy the 8 pack of S&W corn (large cans, not Japanese sized), and they buy this EVERY month....

I have also seen corn on okonomiyaki:

http://www.ajinomoto.co.jp/recipe/conditio...ages/701751.gif

[Hiroyuki]

I made Neapolitan spaghetti, using some of the mixed vegetables shown in my previous post, plus canned tuna, slices of onion, additional corn from the corn can shown in the photo, and a lot of tomato ketchup. I also made potato salad using the rest of the mixed vegetables, ham, and tart Japanese mayo.

No photo of this supper, because I'm sure you don't want to see it. Besides, I have already used 86% of the total disk space allotted to me. I have to think twice before uploading a photo from now on. (I want to take a picture of our osechi and upload it in the near future.)

[torakris]

yakisoba and corn:

http://mochi.blogs.com/happylife/images/DSCF0254.JPG

[Hiroyuki]

I am tempted to ask, "How is corn used in other countries (the United States, Canada, New Zealand, etc.)?"

[Rachel Perlow]

Generally, corn is used as a vegetable side dish, hopefully as sweet summer corn on the cob. But I usually keep a bag of frozen corn in the house. Actually, I used to use it more than I do now. But then I've been using a lot less frozen vegetables than I used to, trying to be more seasonal, and having discovered a wider variety of fresh produce to enjoy (I'd never had dark leafy greens like kale and collard before I joined an organic produce co-op (um, which I no longer participate in since...), discovering Han Ah Reum and other Asian stores with produce for significantly less than at the supermarket.

But anyway, back to corn. The frozen corn I primarily use in soups and when I want to make corn bread with fancy additions.

Hmm, another reason I don't use convenience corn as much is that we pig out on fresh New Jersey corn in the summer, you just don't want it as much the rest of the year when you get such good corn on the cob. Which begs the question, how sweet is the corn on the cob you get in Japan? In the summer, I can get multiple ears of corn for a dollar (3-10 for $1 depending on sales and availability), and it is very sweet. Now, in winter, I suppose they're more expensive, having to be shipped to NJ and all. I checked, fresh corn is not available at all at my local supermarket (Shop Rite), but I also check freshdirect.com (which delivers in Manhattan) and they have corn on the cob for $0.59 per ear. I'm sure it isn't as good as our summer corn, but if you really want it... Anyway, the only way to get corn on the cob at Shop Rite is frozen.

I was thinking that a lot of Japanese foods are sweet, which may be why the Japanese love the addition of corn to most everything. Opinions?

[torakris]

I am tempted to ask, "How is corn used in other countries (the United States, Canada, New Zealand, etc.)?"

←

I think Rachel answered it well, it is used mostly as a side dish or maybe for adding to soups or breads. I also make a couple of salsa like dishes with it.

The corn on the cob here is really hit or miss, you never know when you are going to get a good one and price doesn't seem to make a difference, some of the more expensive ones I have splurged on have been the worst. It isn't much different than buying in a supermarket in the US. Growing up in Ohio we used to buy our corn off the back of pick-up trucks for like 12 -15 for $1 and it was good! I miss that really fresh corn.....

corn on the cob in Japan is rarely served piping hot (the way I like it) rather it was probably boiled (over boiled) hours before and is generally cold by the time you get to it and because of the price it is probably broken into thirds. Except for the soy sauce grilled corn at roadside sides I have never seen corn on the cob served whole.....

[Hiroyuki]

Thanks you two. Thanks to your posts, I'm beginning to realize the general sentiment for corn of the American people. Corn on the cob! Right! When I go to the supermarket with my kids in the summer, they sometimes ask me to buy it. It costs at least 100 yen per ear (usually 150 yen or even higher). If you are lucky, you may be able to buy it for 50 yen per ear once or twice when it's season.

I was thinking that a lot of Japanese foods are sweet, which may be why the Japanese love the addition of corn to most everything. Opinions?

I guess you're right. Corn does adds flavor to the dish, as well as color, as I mentioned in my previous post. But the biggest reason is that it's cheap, I think.

[jhlurie]

The big thing with Corn, at least in our part of the world, is that it's easily and VERY cheaply available fresh, on the cob, as Rachel says somewhere in that rather detailed post. It's pretty much the default state you can buy it in the American Northeast and Midwest.

There's also access to a much wider variety of types of corn. There are hundreds (maybe thousands) of varieties, although for the most part only a farmer would even know the difference between a Hyland and a Pioneer, an heirloom Hickory King from a Country Gentleman, or a home garden variety of Silver Queen from Pearl White. Mostly the layman knows that there's sweet corn and not-so sweet corn, There's yellow, white and occasionally hybrids. In truth that's a huge oversimplification (even within sweet corn there are major types--sugary, sugary enhancer, and supersweet), but most people don't have to know, or care about that. Here, for example, is a small list of just some of the most common varieties.

Little known to even most Americans is how much corn is grown for other than eating. Corn meant for animal feed is a huge crop, as is corn grown inevitably to be boiled down into corn syrup. Fancy blue, brown and red corns are grown for making fancy kinds of corn flour or cornmeal. Certain varieties are grown specifically for the creation of "popping" corn. It's the largest agricultural crop in our country, by a very large margin, although I believe that in recent years soybeans have become a lot more common.