''Katemeshi'', also spelled ''katé-meshi'', was a common peasant food in Japan during the Meiji and Taishō periods (1867–1924). Some laborers and farmers subsisted on the dish during this time, whereas wealthier people consumed larger quantities of rice, which was a relatively expensive food compared to the income of some workers. Typical ingredients in the dish included rice, barley, millet, and chopped

daikon Daikon or mooli, ''Radish, Raphanus sativus'' Variety (botany), var. ''longipinnatus,'' is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, root. Originally native to continental East Asia, daikon ...

(a mild winter radish). Variations of the dish were based upon the regional and seasonal availability of foods in different areas of Japan.

History

''Katemeshi'' was a rice dish, peasant food and former

staple food A staple food, food staple, or simply a staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for a given person or group of people, supplying a large fraction of energy needs and ...

Japanese cuisine Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and other ...

that was common during the Meiji and Taishō periods of Japan. During this time, rice was an expensive food for laborers, and some employers fed their workers ''katemeshi'', while feeding themselves with significantly larger quantities of rice and separate side dishes. Some farmers in rural Japan also subsisted on ''katemeshi'', whereas merchants and (former)

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

who lived in cities consumed larger quantities of rice.

Preparation

Typical ingredients in the preparation of ''katemeshi'' included rice,

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...

, chopped

radish root and leaves, and other

greens Greens may refer to: *Leaf vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, spring greens, winter greens, spinach, etc. Politics Supranational * Green politics * Green party, political parties adhering to Green politics * Global Greens * Europ ...

. The use of daikon in the dish was very common. Various additional ingredients were also used in the dish in regional areas of Japan, based upon food availability. In the

Mie prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture to ...

of Japan, potato leaves were used in addition to daikon. In Eastern Japan, white potatoes were used as an ingredient in ''katemeshi'', and in Western Japan, sweet potatoes were used. Edible seaweeds such as hijiki and wakame were used as ingredients in coastal areas. Tofu and okara, which is a leftover pulp by-product from tofu production, were sometimes used in ''katemeshi''. Other ingredients used in the dish in various areas of Japan, when available, included wheat, carrots, turnips, burdock, taro, pumpkin, soybeans, mushrooms, kidney beans, and

adzuki bean ''Vigna angularis'', also known as the adzuki bean , azuki bean, aduki bean, red bean, or red mung bean, is an Annual plant, annual vine widely cultivated throughout East Asia for its small (approximately long) bean. The cultivars most familiar ...

s, among others.

Notes

References

{{reflist, 30em, refs= {{cite book , last=Cwiertka , first=K.J. , title=Modern Japanese Cuisine: Food, Power and National Identity , publisher=University of Chicago Press , year=2006 , isbn=978-1-86189-298-0 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oK-7LOlWNpEC&pg=PA229 , access-date=June 16, 2017 , page=229 {{cite book , last=Partner , first=S. , title=Toshié: A Story of Village Life in Twentieth-Century Japan , publisher=University of California Press , series=Philip E. Lilienthal Books (Paperback) , year=2004 , isbn=978-0-520-93775-8 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SciqAStNYLYC&pg=PA13 , access-date=June 16, 2017 , page=13 {{cite book , last=Rath , first=E.C. , title=Japan's Cuisines: Food, Place and Identity , publisher=Reaktion Books , year=2016 , isbn=978-1-78023-691-9 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LYYlDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT106 , access-date=June 16, 2017 , page=pt106–107 {{cite book , last1=Smil , first1=V. , last2=Kobayashi , first2=K. , title=Japan's Dietary Transition and Its Impacts , publisher=MIT Press , series=Food, Health, and the Environment , year=2012 , isbn=978-0-262-30446-7 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QqJiAgAAQBAJ , access-date=June 16, 2017 {{cite journal , last=Francks , first=Penelope , title=Consuming rice: food, 'traditional' products and the history of consumption in Japan , journal=Japan Forum , volume=19 , issue=2 , date=June 26, 2007 , issn=0955-5803 , doi=10.1080/09555800701330030 , pages=147–168 , s2cid=145398081 {{cite book , last1=von Verschuer , first1=C. , last2=Cobcroft , first2=W. , title=Rice, Agriculture, and the Food Supply in Premodern Japan , publisher=Taylor & Francis , series=Needham Research Institute Series , year=2016 , isbn=978-1-317-50449-8 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RmaaCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT249 , access-date=June 16, 2017 , page=249 {{cite book , title=The East , publisher=East Publications , issue=v. 36, no. 4; v. 37 , year=2001 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N2C6AAAAIAAJ , access-date=June 16, 2017, page=61 {{cite book , last=Ohnuki-Tierney , first=E. , title=Rice as Self: Japanese Identities through Time , publisher=Princeton University Press , year=1994 , isbn=978-1-4008-2097-9 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OeKGjjhNC8EC&pg=PA22 , access-date=June 16, 2017 , page=22 Historical foods Japanese rice dishes Peasant food

History

Preparation

See also

Notes

References