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are a type of Japanese rice cracker. They come in various shapes, sizes, and flavors, usually savory but sometimes sweet. Senbei are often eaten with
green tea Green tea is a type of tea that is made from '' Camellia sinensis'' leaves and buds that have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process which is used to make oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China, and since the ...
as a casual snack and offered to visiting house guests as a courtesy refreshment. There are several types of traditional Japanese ''senbei''. They can be baked or deep-fried and sometimes sweetened. Aside from rice, wheat flour or starch can be used. Some varieties even use foods other than grains, such as ''sakana senbei'' (fish-senbei), ''renkon senbei'' ( lotus root senbei) and ''hone senbei'' (bone-senbei). ''Senbei'' have several variations, including '' Nori''-wrapped, '' Arare'', ''
Olive no Hana is one type of bite-sized Japanese rice cracker (''arare'') which is made by Uegakibeika Co. Ltd. in Hyōgo Prefecture in Japan. It is an assortment of crackers which has many savory flavors, squares of edible kelp (''kombu'') and dried, th ...
'', Soy nut, and wet. Thin rice crackers (薄焼きせんべい ''usuyaki senbei'') are popular in Australia and other countries. In China, the same characters used to write ''senbei'' are read jiānbǐng ( zh, t=, s=煎饼, p=jiānbǐng, labels=no); the term instead refers to a crepe and is more similar in preparation to '' okonomiyaki'' among Japanese foods. In Japan, ''senbei'' are hard and crispy, and are bite-sized snacks rather than street-food meals. However, crackers similar to Japanese ''senbei'' can be found in China today and their modern Chinese name is zh, t=, s=仙贝, p=xiānbèi, labels=no, which reflects the Japanese-language pronunciation of "senbei" (煎餅).


Preparation

''Senbei'' are made from
glutinous rice Glutinous rice (''Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose ...
which has been steamed for 15 to 20 minutes before being pounded into dough. After several days of refrigeration, the dough is cut into shapes. ''Senbei'' are usually cooked by being baked or grilled, traditionally over charcoal. While being prepared they may be brushed with a flavoring sauce, often one made of
soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...
and '' mirin''. They may then be wrapped with a layer of nori. Alternatively they may be flavored with salt or "salad" flavoring, among others.


History

Sweet ''senbei'' (甘味煎餅) came to Japan during the Tang dynasty, with the first recorded usage in 737 AD, and still are very similar to Tang traditional styles, originally often baked in the
Kansai area The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolita ...
, of which include the traditional "roof tile" ''senbei''. These include ingredients like potato and wheat flour or
glutinous rice Glutinous rice (''Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose ...
, and are similar to castella cakes, distinctly different from what most people would consider as ''senbei'' today, though traditional ''senbei'' such as this can still be found, e.g. ''Iga meibutsu katayaki'', in
Iga Iga may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Ambush at Iga Pass, a 1958 Japanese film * Iga no Kagemaru, Japanese manga series * Iga, a set of characters from the Japanese novel '' The Kouga Ninja Scrolls'' Biology * ''Iga'' (beetle), a gen ...
City. What Japanese commonly refer to as ''senbei'' nowadays were popularized by a teahouse in Sōka city in the Edo period, which spread salty soy sauce flavored ''senbei'' throughout Japan. Modern ''senbei'' versions are very inventive and may include flavorings which can range from kimchi to wasabi to curry to chocolate.
Kansai The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshu, Honshū. The region includes the Prefectures of Japan, prefectures of Nara Prefecture, Nara, Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Osaka Prefectur ...
''senbei'' tend to use glutinous rice and are lightly seasoned and delicate in texture (''saku saku''). Kantō ''senbei'' were originally based on ''uruchimai'', a non-glutinous rice, and they tend to be more crunchy (''kari kari'') and richly flavored.


Types

* Age senbei (fried senbei) * Atsuyaki senbei (thick senbei) * Kometsubu senbei (grains of rice senbei) * Nori senbei (seaweed senbei) * Nure senbei (wet senbei) * Satou senbei (sugar senbei) * Salad senbei (salad flavored senbei) * Usuyaki senbei (thin senbei) * Zarame senbei (granulated suger senbei)


See also

* ''
Bakauke is a Japanese snack food. It is a thin banana-shaped senbei with various flavours added. It is manufactured by Kuriyama Beika (栗山米菓) of Niigata Prefecture is a prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefect ...
'', a brand of ''senbei'' * Sōka, Saitama, a famous ''senbei'' city


References

{{Authority control Japanese snack food Rice crackers Wagashi Beika Japanese cuisine terms