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A or rice paddle is a large flat spoon used in
East Asian cuisine This is a list of Asian cuisines, by region. A cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, usually associated with a specific culture or region. Asia, being the largest, most populous and culturally diverse continent, ...
. It is used to stir and to serve
rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
, and to mix
vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to et ...
into the rice for
sushi is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is " ...
. ''Shamoji'' are traditionally made from bamboo, wood, or
lacquer Lacquer is a type of hard and usually shiny coating or finish applied to materials such as wood or metal. It is most often made from resin extracted from trees and waxes and has been in use since antiquity. Asian lacquerware, which may be ca ...
, and nowadays often from plastic. The ''shamoji'' is dipped in water frequently during use to prevent rice from sticking to it. Some expensive plastic ''shamoji'' have non-stick surfaces. Metal is rarely used, as this is more likely to cut rice grains or to damage the ''
hangiri In Japanese cuisine, a , also known a sushi oke, is a round, flat-bottomed wooden tub or barrel used in the final steps of preparing rice for sushi. Traditional ''hangiri'' are made from cypress wood bound with two copper Copper is a chem ...
'' wooden tub traditionally used for mixing. It is said to have been first devised by a monk on
Itsukushima is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. It is popularly known as , which in Japanese means "Shrine Island". The island is one of Hayashi Gahō's Three Views of Japan specified in ...
, Hiroshima Prefecture. The word is an example of
nyōbō kotoba was a cant that was originally used by Japanese court ladies during the Muromachi era, and subsequently spread and came to be thought of as a general women's language. It consisted primarily of a special vocabulary of words for food, clothing, an ...
, being derived from the first part of , plus the suffix.杓文字(しゃもじ) - 語源由来辞典
/ref> Modern rice cookers may include a ''shamoji'' in the box, usually made of white plastic. ''Shamoji'' are also used to crush vegetables, such as
garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...
and cucumbers, as cleavers are used in Western cuisine. The ''shamoji'' has also been a symbol of unity between the mother and wife in Japanese society. In one tradition, it was passed down from one generation to the next to symbolize the family duties that were handed down.


See also

*
List of Japanese cooking utensils The following items are common Japanese cooking tools used in preparing Japanese cuisine. For a list of general cooking tools see the list of food preparation utensils. Knives *''Deba bōchō'': kitchen carver for meat and fish *'' Fugu hiki'', ...


References

{{Japanese food and drink East Asian food preparation utensils Japanese food preparation utensils