ingredients

Butter shortages in post-modern Japan.

Did you know that mirin used to a a high class, expensive beverage rather than a cooking ingredient?

A new article in the Japan Times about bamboo shoots, a quintessential springtime vegetable.

About a trend in Japan towards growing delicious artisanal rice - article in The Japan Times.

This month's Japanese Kitchen column in the Japan Times is about "kanbutsu", traditional dried food products.

While it is possible to substitute other types of rice for Japanese rice (see: Looking at rice) sometimes a Japanese dish just isn't right unless you use Japanese-type or japonica rice.

Whenever I write about Japanese rice, I always get asked about the best brands to get, whether rice grown in Japan is worth the extra cost, and so on. Here's what I recommend, depending on where you live.

A little musing on chicken.