Most Popular Japanese Food You Must Try

The most popular Japanese food is loved all over the globe today - but do you know all of them? Most importantly, have you tried all of them? In this article, we cover the 7 top Japanese food that we urge you to try if you haven’t already!

most popular Japanese food sushi — Image from Eiliv-Sonas Aceron

Over the last few decades, Japanese people have contributed a lot to the food industry. With the revolutionary change in our technology-enriched lifestyle, Japan has also introduced delicious, and unique cuisines for food lovers.

Many people today love to eat the food and enjoy the lovely atmosphere of Japanese cuisines. They recommend their loved ones to visit and enjoy the most popular Japanese foods. Sanraku is one of the best Sushi and Japanese restaurant offering a variety of Japanese food and delicious dishes at three locations in the United States.

Whether you visit Japan for your vacations and holidays, move there to settle your job or business, or go with friends, family, or business partners, here are the top-recommended seven popular and famous Japanese dishes you must try during your personal or official visit to Japan.

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Udon
Tempura
Sushi
Shabu-shabu
Unagi or Eel
Sukiyaki
Miso Soup
Most Popular Japanese Food Dishes

Udon

There are several different noodles, but udon of them are the main noodles enjoyed in Japan. Udon noodles are one of the most popular Japanese food. They are chewy, thick, and prepared with flour and special brine water.

This kind of noodles can be offered to the guests in many ways. For example, mixed into hot pots, tasty tentsuyu soup, tempura udon soup and more. Udon soup noodles include various dishes like;

Kitsune udon is, usually known as fox udon, is commonly has a topping of aburaage fried tofu.
Tempura udon that is topped with battered kinds of sea fish, shellfish, prawns, and vegetables.
Chikara udon, commonly known as power udon, has a topping of grilled mochi rice cakes.

Tempura

Tempura is the slices of fish, prawns, meat, or vegetables covered in special batter and fried deep until they are crunchy, crispy, and a light to dark brown. If you love crispy food and want to eat something fried, you will enjoy and fall in love to taste tempura. It is one of the most popular Japanese food today!

They are deep-fried but do not have an oily texture. Battered foods are made from fish and meat in the UK, but tempura is made from small seafood such as prawns and vegetables like pumpkins, green beans, sweet potatoes, and daikon radish mooli.

A small dish of Tetsuya sauce can be served for dipping purposes with tempura. The sauce is made with soy sauce, sugar, and ginger. Tempura can also be served on rice dishes or special noodles soup.

Sushi

Sushi is one of the most popular Japanese food that Japanese people love. It is served in different ways, so the prices vary as well. The price of the conveyor belt sushi is so reasonable for visitors that it is around 100 yen per plate. Another traditional form of sushi is Edomae sushi, where visitors enjoy a calm, quiet place to enjoy and eat sushi.

Sushi is usually served with a piece of raw fish or shellfish and is commonly eaten with soy sauce. Japanese people love to eat sushi with chopsticks, but it also is enjoyed with your own hands.

If you want to eat sushi with soy sauce, you must know one thing. Turn the piece of fish and apply the sauce to it. The sauce must never apply to the rice.

Sushi is perhaps the most popular Japanese food due to its unique and creative creation. Every piece of rice is mixed with a dash of vinegar and then mixed with various other ingredients such as different kinds of seafood and vegetables.

Different sushi names such as Nigiri, Oshi, Temaki and Maki sushi are because of various shapes and ingredients used to prepare it. In the West, Maki sushi such as Kani roll sushi or salmon skin rolls is very famous in city centre restaurants.

Shabu-shabu

Shabu is a traditional Japanese hot pot dish in which many kinds of meats, kinds of seafood, vegetables, tofu, and noodles are used to prepare it. Among the local people, it is one of the most popular Japanese food.

You pick a piece of meat or vegetable and dip it in the hot water pot. Once cooked, it is dipped in a special sesame sauce and some rice. Rice is not part of Shabu but can be served as a side dish.

Unagi or Eel

Unagi is a kind of fish usually found in the rivers of Japan. It is commonly served in high-class Japanese dining. You can find many casual restaurants and cuisines in Japan, where Unagi is their speciality.

Unagi Japanese eel — Image from makafood

In many unagi restaurants, skewers are put on and grilled with a special sauce and soy sauce, sugar, sake, and mirin. Unagi is very good for digestion. Moreover, Unagi is eaten usually in summer to prevent summer heat as one of the most popular Japanese food.

Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki is a hot pot dish usually eaten and enjoyed in the fall and winter. This sweet yet savoury dish became famous in Japan around the 19th century. Typically, the Japanese prepare sukiyaki by first adding beef slices to a hot nabe pot, and then sukiyaki broth is added.

Sukiyaki broth is made from soy sauce, mirin rice wine, sugar, and sake. Moreover, it also includes tomatoes, different vegetables, proteins in meat, green onions, tofu, mushrooms, and noodles.

The word sukiyaki means cook whatever you like. If you want to enjoy this most popular Japanese food at its peak, you must prepare it with your fellows or dining mates. Sukiyaki is a delicious dish with a bowl of rice as a side dish that will keep you warm from the inside out during chilly days of winters.

Miso Soup

Miso soup is not served as a main dish but is being served as a side dish in most meals and with many main dishes in meals. This specific soup has great taste and huge health benefits for those who love this soup. Traditional Japanese people love to have soup in their diets daily.

This miso soup is made from a miso paste of fermented soybeans and a fish stock. When you drink this traditional soup, you will find pieces of onion, tofu, vegetables, and seaweeds. Not all vegetables are used in their preparation, but potatoes, radish, and carrots are usually used during the preparation of the delicious miso soup.