FOOD Terminology Which Can Be Most Helpful: Anago - Conger eel Ayu - A small river fish, or sweet fish; a delicacy of western Japan Dengaku - Lightly grilled tofu (see below) coated with a bean paste Dojo - Small, eel-like river fish, or loach Fugu - Pufferfish (also known as blowfish or globefish) "Genghis Khan" or Jingisu khan - Mutton and vegetables grilled at your table Gohan - Rice Gyoza - Chinese fried pork dumplings Kaiseki - Formal Japanese meal consisting of many courses and served originally during the tea ceremony Kamameshi - Rice casserole topped with seafood, meat, or vegetables Kushiage (also kushikatsu or kushiyaki) - Deep-fried skewers of chicken, beef, seafood, and vegetables Maguro - Tuna Makizushi Sushi - vegetables, and rice rolled inside dried seaweed Miso - Soybean paste, used as a seasoning in soups and sauces Miso-shiru - Miso soup Mochi - Japanese rice cake Nabemono - Single-pot dish of chicken, beef, pork, or seafood, stewed with vegetables Natt∂ - Fermented soybeans Nikujaga - Stew of beef, potato, and carrot, flavored with sake (see below) and soy sauce; popular in winter Oden - Fish cakes, hard-boiled eggs, and vegetables, simmered in a light broth Okonomiyaki - Thick pancake filled with meat, fish, shredded cabbage, and vegetables or noodles, often cooked by diners at their table Ramen - Thick, yellow Chinese noodles, served in a hot soup Sake (also Nihon-shu) - Rice wine Sansai - Mountain vegetables, including bracken and flowering fern Sashimi - Raw seafood Shabu-shabu - Thinly sliced beef quickly dipped in boiling water and then dipped in a sauce Shochu - Japanese whiskey, made from rice, wheat, or potatoes Shojin-ryori - Japanese vegetarian food, served at Buddhist temples Sh∂yu - Soy sauce ShΔmai - Steamed Chinese pork dumplings Soba - Buckwheat noodles S∂men - Fine white wheat vermicelli, eaten cold in summer Sukiyaki - Japanese fondue of thinly sliced beef cooked in a sweetened soy sauce with vegetables Sushi (also nigiri-zushi) - Raw seafood placed on top of vinegared rice Tempura - Deep-fried food coated in a batter of egg, water, and wheat flour Teppanyaki - Japanese-style steak, seafood, and vegetables cooked by a chef on a smooth, hot, tableside grill Tofu - Soft bean curd Tonkatsu - Deep-fried pork cutlets Tonkotsu - Pork that has been boiled for several hours in miso, shochu, and brown sugar Udon - Thick white wheat noodles Unagi - Grilled eel Wasabi - Japanese horseradish, served with sushi Yakisoba - Chinese fried noodles, served with sautéed vegetables Yakitori - Charcoal-grilled chicken, vegetables, and other specialties, served on bamboo skewers Yudofu - Tofu simmered in a pot at your table