Italian Connection
One such culinary chimera that originated from the post-World War II era is the Itameshi style of cuisine. This unique culinary hybrid is responsible for intertwining the rich traditions of Japanese and Italian cuisines, creating a distinctive and delectable fusion. The resultant dishes were as unique as they were delicious. Driven by curiosity and a deep-rooted commitment to their culinary traditions, the Japanese embraced this new influence, embarking on a journey of flavour exploration with Italian ingredients and cooking techniques.
Italian soldiers, serving as ambassadors of their rich heritage, introduced Japanese locals to various aspects of their culture, including their tantalising cuisine. This marked the beginning of a culinary fusion that would later be known as Itameshi. Dishes like Japanese-style pasta, (where miso, soy sauce, bonito flakes, and seaweed are fused seamlessly) and Japanese style pizzas became the flag-bearers of Itameshi cuisine.
Interestingly, a recent food festival at the Sheraton Grand Pune Bund Garden Hotel’s restaurant NUVO introduced Itameshi cuisine for the first time in India. They did this with dishes such as matcha tiramisu, a delightful twist on the classic Italian dessert infused with Japanese matcha green tea powder, a tempura-style fried caprese salad, a sake risotto, and avolcano crab roll jazzed up with Italian chili sauce.
Desi Tadka
Equally popular as the Chinese cuisine borrowed ramen soup in Japan is katsukaré. This scrumptious dish, also called ‘katsu curry’, is made up of a pork cutlet called tonkatsu that is doused in a mild, sweetish-tasting thick curry sauce and served with a portion of Japanese rice.
The second part of its name is a clear give-away of its desi origins. Apparently, in the late 18th century when the Indian subcontinent was under colonial rule by the British Empire, curry was simultaneously introduced to Japan. It would take a few more decades for the Japanese Navy and Army to make curry a staple to feed the troops. This slowly infiltrated to the general population who took a mighty shine to our spicy, turmeric and cumin-redolent curry. Today, kare restaurants abound almost everywhere in Japan serving their own unique version of a borrowed dish. An Indian soul in Japanese garb, one could even say.
Culinary borrowings
● The tempura style of cooking was adapted from a Portuguese cooking style. The use of wheat flour is substituted in Japan with rice or corn flour
● The Castellan sponge cake traces its roots back to a time when Dutch traders lived during Tokugawa shogunate era
● American sandwiches and hamburgers turned into Japanese sandos and hambagu with softer breads and buns holding forth sweeter, often soy sauce and ginger-flavoured meats
● The classic French mayonnaise today is famous in Japan as kewpie mayonnaise
● The Itameshi style of cuisine intertwines the rich traditions of Japanese and Italian cuisines
● The Japanese-style pasta has miso, soy sauce, bonito flakes and seaweed
● The matcha tiramisu is a delightful twist on the classic Italian dessert infused with Japanese matcha green tea powder
● The Japanese katsukare or ‘katsu curry’ is inspired by the Indian curry
