Water Hardness and Cuisine

While dashi is perhaps the most prominent and compelling case, soft water has a positive effect on many other aspects of Japanese cuisine. For example, rice cooked in soft water is fluffy, moist and attractive, whereas that cooked in harder water can be dried out, due to the effects of the calcium it contains. Simmered meat dishes also benefit from soft water, as it draws out the umami contained in the meat. Harder water, on the other hand, can cause the meat to be tough and lend it a bitter, astringent taste.