Cooked rice is the staple food of Japan.
Rice is cooked without seasoning, so is eaten it with side dishes. The rice varieties eaten in Japan are different from those overseas, so please try it once.
It is also customary to eat hot rice with raw egg and soy sauce. At Japanese-style accommodations, this is a standard breakfast menu.
What is Rice and can I eat it?
Materials of Rice
Rice
The materials of “Rice with Raw Egg” are rice, egg and soy sauce. The raw material for soy sauce contains wheat flour. Protein is not left after being decomposed during the brewing process.
| Gluten-free | Low-gluten | Wheat-free | Low FODMAPs | |
| for Vegetarian |
| Restaurant | Food supermarket | Convenience store |
Rice is a staple food of Japanese people
Cooked rice is the staple food for Japanese.
Whether it’s Japanese food, Western food, or Chinese food, most Japanese eat rice with a main dish. At Western restaurants, we can usually choose bread or rice.
Rice cultivation began in Japan 2,300 to 2,500 years ago. Since then, the Japanese have lived on rice.
You may not buy cooked rice, but if you need it, you can get rice that can be cooked in the microwave in 3 minutes at a food market or a convenience store.
One of the simple ways to eat rice is “Rice with Raw Egg”.
If you don’t have a habit of eating raw eggs, you may be surprised. You will be worried if it’s okay to eat raw eggs. But don’t worry. Japanese eggs are strictly quality controlled so that they are not contaminated by bacteria.
The expiration date is printed on the eggs sold at food markets. This is often 14 days after packing, and this is the deadline for “eaten raw”. Actually, there seems to be data that it is okay to eat raw for about 2 months.
“Rice with Raw Egg” is a very simple dish in which raw eggs are mixed with soy sauce and eaten with the rice.
Japanese are accustomed to eating so it doesn’t feel strange, but people who don’t have a habit of eating raw eggs may look strange. Please try it while you are in Japan where you can eat raw eggs.
Try to eat Rice and Rice with Raw Egg!
How much ?
- Rice : $1～2 when you get at a food market.
- Rice with Raw Egg : Not on the restaurant menu
Where can I eat Rice and Rice with Raw Egg?
Most restaurants have rice, except those that only sell noodles or curry. You can also get cooked rice that can be cooked in the microwave at food markets and convenience stores.
There are few places that serve “Rice with Raw Egg” as a menu (there is a specialty restaurant at Haneda Airport). Please eat at breakfast at your hotel.
Precautions when eating Rice
None
Japanese writer’s comment for Rice
Rice is a seed of Gramineae plants, Oryza sativa. In Japan, seedlings are planted in spring and harvested in autumn.
The seed coat and germ are removed from the harvested seeds and sold as rice. Cooked rice is made by washing and cooking it.
There are more than 500 varieties of rice, about half of which are actually cultivated in Japan. The most popular varieties are “Koshihikari”, “Hitomebore”, “Hinohikari”, and “Akitakomachi”.
Every household in Japan has a cooking utensil called a rice cooker. If you set the rice that has been washed with water, you can make delicious rice in less than an hour.
When it comes to high-end models, it cooks delicious rice with the optimum condition of heat according to the variety of rice.
Recently, the number of people living alone has increased, and in order to save time when cooking rice, more people are buying rice that can be cooked in the microwave in 3 minutes.
