JAPANESE CARTOON FOOD: 50 UNFORGETTABLE RECIPES

As well as being a land characterized by an immense food culture , with its gastronomic tradition and many unique specialities, Japan is also certainly the home of manga and cartoons, anime and videogames, comics and animations which have become famous throughout the world among fans of every age.

The delicious dorayaki from “Doraemon” © @istimewa

Have you never noticed how much importance is given to food elements in Japanese animated series? An army of strange and colorful dishes , often enjoyed voraciously by the protagonists: a myriad of typical dishes from the land of the Rising Sun, which have become fundamental elements of the respective plots, capable of evoking the stories and characters to the spectator or reader, making the everything more realistic.

Preparing ebi fry in “Tari Tari” © Itadakimasu Anime!

Let's set off on a rather unique culinary tour of Japanese animated series : a dive into our childhood or adolescence through the dishes eaten by the protagonists of our favorite cartoons and manga. This list contains 50 recipes and gastronomic curiosities, how many do you remember?

1. Ramen : in addition to being one of the most well-known Japanese dishes in our nation, ramen is also Naruto's favorite dish from the "Naruto Shippuden" manga.
2. Cream of vegetable soup : a delicious vegetable soup often enjoyed by the characters of the manga "The Secret World of Arrietty".
3. Ochazuke : the "poor" dish par excellence, leftover rice to which water or tea is added: it is represented in "Princess Mononoke" by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, when Jigo offers a bowl to Ashitaka during their first meeting.
4. Inari sushi : a fried tofu dumpling filled with rice and is found in the manga "Gourmet Girl Graffiti".
5. Sushi : the most famous Japanese dish in the world is present in numerous manga; in particular in “Great Teacher Onizuka” (1997-2002), Onizuka gives a wonderful monologue on the most suitable tuna for making spectacular sushi.

The ramen from “Naruto Shippuden” © Anime Food Tumblr

6. Chocolate cornet : in the series “Lucky Star” produced by Kyoto Animation in 2007, the brilliant blue-haired Konata explains what is the most correct way to eat this specialty, which is, among other things, her favorite dish.
7. Tamagoyaki : a delicious omelette rolled and cut to form rounds with an almost rectangular shape: it is not easy to make this recipe and you can imagine it from the difficulty of Saya, protagonist of the manga "Blood-C".
8. Takoyaki : tasty batter-fried meatballs enclosing a small piece of octopus, they are so famous that they even gave their name to the manga "Takoyaki Mantoman".
9. Katsudon : one of the most substantial dishes in Japanese cuisine. It is a bowl made up of rice, breaded and fried pork, eggs and vegetables: Yuri Katsuki's favorite dish from the manga “Yuri!!! on Ice”, who can only enjoy it when he wins his ice skating competitions.
10. Bento box : Japanese version of the lunch box, contains mainly rice and fish and is present with a peculiar bunny shape in "My Friend Totoro".

Saya's tamagoyaki in “Blood-C” © Moe Sucks

11. Salmon with bechamel : a simple slice of salmon accompanied by white butter, bechamel and vegetables; it is often enjoyed by the characters of the manga "Porco Rosso: The Last Romantic Hero", by Hayao Miyazaki (1992).
12. Onigiri : the very famous rice balls wrapped in nori seaweed and containing fish or vegetables are omnipresent in many manga and are often cooked by Brock in "Pokemon".
13. Yaki Dango : sweet rice and water balls particularly loved by Mrs. Anko, the teacher at Konohagakure Academy, in “Naruto”.
14. Taiyaki : it is a fish-shaped cake filled with the famous anko , the red bean jam. In “Yami from To Love Ru” it is the dish that Rito Yuuki presents to Yami, making it his favorite dish from then on.
15. Ebi Fry : In episode seven of the anime series "Tari Tari", there is a brief but perfect example of how ebi fry is typically served, accompanied by a small bowl of miso soup and a generous portion of white rice .

The onigiri prepared by Brock in “Pokemon” © Censored Games

16. Gyoza : typical Japanese dumplings present in their version with meat filling in "Amaama a Inazuma", where Tsumugi and her father learn to cook them.
17. Karē Pan : Bundles of fried dough filled with minced meat and curried vegetables, can be found in “Kuroshitsuji,” when the demon butler Sebastian performs a cooking show with his curry doughnut .
18. Karē Raisu : Japanese-style bowl of white rice accompanied by a stew with a curry sauce; in the manga “Shinya Shokudou” it is said that this dish is much better the day after preparation: try it!
19. Shabu-Shabu Hot Pot : composed of meat and vegetables, it is the "sharing dish" par excellence: a bowl of broth is placed in the center of the table and the diners can cook the various ingredients in it. In episode 778 of “Detective Conan,” the gang rests after a long day of investigation with a delicious feast of homemade shabu-shabu .
20. Omurice : fried rice with chicken and wrapped in an omelette: episode 4 of the first season of the Netflix series based on the manga “Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories” is dedicated to omurice , a dish loved by both protagonists of the story.

The meat gyoza from “Amaama a Inazuma” © Itadakimasu Anime!

21. Sukiyaki Hot Pot : in sukiyaki , a close relative of shabu-shabu , vegetables and thin slices of meat are cooked in a sweet soy sauce broth: the specialty is found in episode 2 of "Kuragehime", during which Tsukimi and her friends enjoy a dish prepared by Kuranosuke Koibuchi.
22. Pocky : biscuit sticks, covered in chocolate in various flavors and colours: the scene in "Ga-Rei Zero" in which Yomi and Kagura play the pocky game , which consists of eating one of these sweets together, is famous.
23. Ramune : sweetish and fizzy drink that requires a certain skill to be opened: through the bottle opener you have to push the glass ball contained in the cap inwards, thus making the drink fizzy. In the manga “RahXephon's”, an anime TV series directed in 2002 by Yutaka Izubuchi, Ayato shows his friends the trick to opening these bottles.
24. Japanese Parfait : ice cream cups adorned with fruits of all kinds; in the manga “Working!!” Kyouko is often spoiled with this dessert by Yachiyo Todoroki, the faithful servant: on average the protagonist eats about five Parfaits a day.
25. Hamburgers : a dish that is not exactly Japanese, it is faithfully represented in many forms, recipes and versions in as many rather famous manga, including "Cowboy Bebop", "Ranma ½" and "One Piece".

The famous Pocky in “Ga-Rei Zero” © Subaru Sumeragi - Zero Chan

26. Sake : alcohol widely used in Japanese cuisine, obtained from the fermentation of rice, water and koji spores: it is the favorite drink of Roronoa Zoro, the swordsman of "One Piece", who cites training and drinking sake among his favorite hobbies .
27. Nikuman : sandwiches stuffed with pork, cabbage and shiitake mushrooms and steamed: Goku, protagonist of "Dragon Ball", often gorges on them.
28. Daifuku : soft rice balls ( mochi ) filled with anko , the sweet bean paste: many remember them for being Bunny's favorite treats in “Sailor Moon”.
29. Gyudon : typical bowl of rice with beef in teriyaki sauce: it is cooked by Sōma Yukihira to train for his shokugeki - cooking competition - against Ikumi Mito in the manga “Shokugeki no Soma”.
30. Okonomiyaki : savory pancakes made of water, cabbage, flour and eggs, seasoned to taste: they are faithfully represented in "Kiss Me Licia", where the father himself is the owner of an inn who often cooks them for the customers.

The daifuku in “Sailor Moon” © Chrisa1984 YouTube

31. Shiro gohan : simple bowl of rice that Goku literally loves in “Dragon Ball”: maybe that's why he named his son Gohan?
32. Dorayaki : Japanese dessert that is very reminiscent of pancakes, made up of two overlapping discs inside which anko is inserted: it is the favorite dish, among others, of Doraemon, the big blue robot cat protagonist of the manga of the same name.
33. Mochi : sweet and chewy balls of glutinous rice which is then steamed and pressed: Goku in “Dragon Ball” eats plenty of it, sometimes even mixing it with ramen!
34. Beer : many people love this drink, but probably never as much as Fairy Cana from the "Fairy Tail" manga: her power in fact seems to derive precisely from the large quantity of alcohol she consumes.
35. Jidohanbaiki : the omnipresent Japanese distributors, can be found in almost every street of a Japanese city and are obviously also represented in many manga, such as "Maison Ikkoku" (seinen manga series and then film from the 80s) in which Godai buys some hot coffee in one of these machines.

The sandwich in a frame from “Ponyo on the Cliff” © Itadakimasu Anime!

36. Fraisier cake : cake made with whipped cream and strawberries also worn as a cute dress by Sailor Moon in some episodes of the manga series.
37. Nabeyaki udon : it is a soup of udon (typical large Japanese noodles), mushrooms, vegetables, meat and fish, cooked and served in individual terracotta pots: it is present in manga such as "Doraemon" or "Maison Ikkoku", where the protagonists they have real feasts.
38. Okayu : present in episode 19 of the "Fruit Basket" manga, it consists of a simple but tasty porridge based on rice and water.
39. Purin : it is a simple creme caramel, present in "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time", a 2006 sci-fi/romantic film by Mamoru Hosoda in which the protagonist goes back in time to prevent his sister from eating the portion that had been advanced for her.
40. Sandwich : an international dish that everyone knows, present in many manga such as, for example, "Ponyo on the Cliff", a series in which it is eaten on the way home from school.

Sukiyaki in “Kuragehime” © Itadakimasu Anime!

41. Siberia cake : cake made up of two slices of sponge cake, inside which anko , the famous azuki seed jam, is spread: it can be found in "Kaze Tachinu", when the protagonist buys this cake in a small shop and decides to donate it to some hungry children.
42. Tonkatsu : delicious panko-breaded pork cutlet featured in “Your Name”, where Taki Tachibana brings one with him during his journey to find Mitsuha.
43. Wafu steak : it is the Japanese-style beef steak, seasoned with soy sauce, garlic and mirin , rice wine: it is a real delight for lovers of meat and of the manga "Inuyasha" (Rumiko Takahashi, 1996), in which it is often possible to find it.
44. Paradiso Restaurant : it is not the name of a dish but that of a manga in which Italian cuisine is the protagonist. The most recurring elements of the narrative? Lasagna and spaghetti, what questions!
45. Papico : typical Japanese ice cream, contained in a sort of "double pack" and consequently often shared, half by one, by the characters of some manga.

The somen of “Nichijou” © @anime_foods via Twitter

46. Nagashi Somen : very fun practice which consists of trying to catch somen , cooked spaghetti, with chopsticks as they go down a bamboo slide; this scene is present in "Nichijou", where the protagonist Annaka often tries, failing miserably and getting quite a few laughs.
47. Tempura : typical Japanese dish, a stir-fry of vegetables, fish or meat served with rice; it is often eaten by Goku and other characters in “Dragon Ball GT”.
48. Melonpan : sweet rolls flavored with melon, typical not only of Japan but also of other countries on the Asian continent, are Shana's favorites from the manga “Shakugan no Shana”, a light novel in 25 volumes by Yashichirō Takahashi.
49. Tea ceremony : the important ritual of this ceremony in which matcha tea is served is faithfully represented in "Hyouge Mono", where the protagonist Sasuke Furuta is madly in love with the precision of the steps, the aesthetics of the objects used and their zen component .
50. Cocktails : Chisato, the career woman protagonist of "Love is Like a Cocktail", an anime written by Crystal Na Yosuke in 2015, has a little secret: she is crazy about cocktails and every evening she is delighted by delicious and colorful drinks lovingly prepared from her husband.

Zoro, the swordsman from "One Piece" trains by drinking sake © Tumblr @yukishirockstar

Are your mouths watering too? Why not try to replicate the dishes from the Japanese animated series in real life too? In any case: bon appetit, or rather, どうぞお召し上がりください, Dōzo omeshiagarikudasai !

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Salty Food Box - €25.00

 

Food Box Izakaya - €25.00

Matcha Lovers Food Box - €25.00

Food Box All Day - €40.00

Wooden Toys Nigiri set brown/yellow - €3.00

B-Side Dog Shiba bones stickers - €3.50

Ankle Socks Sumo - €6.00

New Tenohamame - €5.00