Table of Contents:
Short, Short Histories
Ingredients
Types
How To Serve (And Eat) It
Alternate Routes to Ochazuke
Cultural Facts
References
Short, Short Histories
Though it might seem like it,
ochazuke is not an invention of dorm cooking (so far as I know). Nor was it the invention
of a medieval-ish wizard trapped in an alternate form of Australia (those who have read The Last Continent know what I'm talking about).The origin, as one explanation goes, began with the common person. That is, ochazuke was just something people did at home (like tomato or mustard sandwiches, I guess). They'd put the two ingredients together and add a little nori on top. From there, it just grew in psychological weight until it was considered a dish in its own right. But that's not the only explanation out there...
Another origin story says that the dish was something that developed out of busy employees needing to eat while at work. The Genroku period (1688 to 1704) being the place in time where the ochazuke vendor began.
(And, on a related note, there's a story that the legendary Basho (1644 to 1694), who obviously lived a good chunk of his life in the Genroku period, liked ochazuke.)
Ingredients
What do people generally add to it? Weeeellll, let's have a rhetorical question first: what do you put in a sandwich? S'right. All you can really pin it down to is "food", and if you want to be a purist, "savory food", save for pb&j sandwiches and the random dessert sandwich.
To actually relate what I have read to you, the interested reader/internet surfer (or whoever you may be), there are a number of books that say people only add one other ingredient -- and yes, they tend to disagree on what that ingredient is. Two books said to put some of nori on top, and a third said to use some fish. A fourth book seemed to say that hamanatto -- cooked, fermented, soaked and dried soybeans -- is part of a complete ochazuke.
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| Garden fresh is always best. Except for, y'know... cheese and stuff. |
But to further loosen the sense of a definitive definition of ochazuke, let's semi-backtrack to the liquid aspect of it. Looks like any kind of steeped green tea will do, both bancha and sencha are common, but I found several books that say you don't even have to use green tea. The replacement? Fish stock. And one book said the traditional tea for ochazuke is matcha, which doesn't seem like it would've been the food of the common man.
Types
And while we're focusing on ingredients, there are different names for certain types of ochazuke. (I assume they were named after the ingredient(s) added into it). To give examples, there's nori chazuke, tai chazuke (tai is sea bream here) and tsukemono chazuke. Considering the propensity of humanity for naming things and getting creative with food, I wanna say that there are probably other types out there, I just haven't come across them yet.
Though the details yet elude me, know that there are kinds of ochazuke out there connected to different parts of Japan. Thus I, the self-styled authority, have spoken!
How To Serve (And Eat) It
It's acceptable to eat your ochazuke hot or cold. The thing is to have it cold in summer and hot in winter, just like soba. As for the ratio, it's about what you'd do for boxed cereal and milk (or milk substitute, if that's what'cha do). To consume your ochazuke, eat the solids then drink the liquid. (Dunno 'bout you, but I'd probably end up bobbing for rice with my chopsticks, if I didn't drink down the tea/broth once in a while). A definite side dish, or so it looks to me, is tsukemono (漬物) -- though one book said Western pickles work too.
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| Isn't this a chopstick no-no? |
Now, onto when to eat it. Again, differing sources. While I've seen an emphasis on it being something for later in the day (aka not breakfast), it depends on who you talk to. People describe it as a snack or light meal, and it can be served at the end/near the end of a meal -- even a fancy one, if you use fancy ingredients.
So why not eat it whenever you want! Especially after a meal of fatty foods, with pickled cucumber -- that's a tradition, or so I'm told.
Alternate Routes To Ochazuke
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| Two roads diverge in Mauchline, in Scotland. |
The second alternative, which does involve some personal work, is to get yourself some instant ochazuke -- possibly called ochazuke no moto (though I saw one place say furikake) -- as produced by companies like Nagatani-En (famous for its instant ochazuke). This means you buy a packet specifically designated as ochazuke flavoring, put the packet's contents on some rice (previously cooked and placed in a bowl), and add hot water or tea (sources vary). However, these packets, while they come in different flavors like wasabi and salmon, tend to be supremely unhealthy.
Cultural Facts
First up, the common perception of ochazuke in Japan today. Descriptive words you might see should you start your own ochazuke research adventures include homey, country and comfort food. "Just Between Me and You Volume IV" likened ochazuke to chicken soup. It's seen as something that cures colds as well as hangovers.
Zooming in on Kyoto -- where the word for ochazuke is bubuzuke --, I've found several traditions concerning ochazuke. One tradition was/is this: the dish is offered to guests at the meal's end, not so much as a course as a message: go home. I've read that today, in Kyoto if someone wants his or her guest to leave, he or she asks if the guest wants ochazuke, and the guest is supposed to take the hint and make his or her goodbyes. Another tradition in Kyoto is to eat ochazuke for breakfast.
Over on this side of the Pacific it's supposed to be popular among Japanese-American families.
References
For food researcher-ists and other interested parties:
"Seductions of Rice"; Jeffrey Alford, Naomi Duguid; 2003 (sorry about this one, but I did use the information, I think).
"The Kinfolk Table: Recipes for Small Gatherings"; Nathan Williams; 2013
"The Essence of Japanese Cuisine: An Essay on Food and Culture"; Michael Ashkenazi, Jeanne Jacob; 2000
"The Essence of Japanese Cuisine: An Essay on Food and Culture"; Michael Ashkenazi, Jeanne Jacob; 2000
"Dining
Guide to Japan: Find the right restaurant, order the right dish, and
pay the right price!"; Front Cover Boye Lafayette De Mente; 2011
Gurunavi: Japan Restaurant Guide: Ochazuke
"Origin"; Cid Corman; 1963
"Wisdom of the Last Farmer: Harvesting Legacies from the Land"; David Mas Masumoto; 2009
"Asian Pickles: Japan: Recipes for Japanese Sweet, Sour, Salty, Cured, and Fermented Tsukemono"; Karen Solomon; 2012
Gurunavi: Japan Restaurant Guide: Ochazuke
"Origin"; Cid Corman; 1963
"Wisdom of the Last Farmer: Harvesting Legacies from the Land"; David Mas Masumoto; 2009
"Asian Pickles: Japan: Recipes for Japanese Sweet, Sour, Salty, Cured, and Fermented Tsukemono"; Karen Solomon; 2012
You made it! By the way, if you're a dedicated fact-verifier and you spot something, make sure to send me a comment so I can make the post even better.
