The Development of Japanese Cuisine

The first traces of food to be found in Japan were in the remains of prehistoric settlements scattered across southern Japan. An amazing variety of nutritious foods was discovered ranging from wild animals, such as boars and deer, and all sorts of fish and shellfish to plants, nuts and berries. The various cooking techniques, cutting, crushing, grinding, grilling and boiling, were well advanced and the excavated remains from before 200bc suggest that the Japanese had a varied and balanced diet ideal for their needs. This early culinary sophistication in ancient Japan reveals one of the defining features of Japanese cuisine: an ability to use and develop nature’s bounty for the community.