Nikkei Cuisine: Japanese Food the South American Way

120 Pages·2014·11.09 MB·English

by  Hara

DEDICATION
To Dr G, I owe you everything.
CONTENTS
What is Nikkei cuisine?
SMALL EATS
SUSHI, TIRADITOS & CEVICHES
RICE & NOODLES
SOUPS & HOTPOTS
MAINS
VEGETABLES, SALADS & TOFU
DESSERTS
MASTERING THE BASICS, SAUCES, MARINADES & CONDIMENTS
Specialist Nikkei ingredients
Equipment
Directory of suppliers
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index
WHAT IS NIKKEI CUISINE?
Nikkei is derived from the Japanese word ‘nikkeijin’, which refers to
Japanese people who migrated overseas and their descendants,
including me and my family. Nikkei cuisine, therefore, is the cooking of
the Japanese diaspora. Japanese migrants have found themselves in a
variety of cultures and contexts but have often maintained a loyalty to
their native cuisine. This has required local adaptation: the so-called
Nikkei community has embraced a new country’s ingredients and
assimilated these into their own cooking using Japanese techniques. So,
Nikkei cooking is found wherever in the world Japanese immigrants and
their descendants are. But, for historical reasons, two countries have had
substantially more Japanese immigrants than most of the rest of the
world – Brazil and Peru. And it is these South American countries that
are particularly noted for their Nikkei cooking.
Brazil has the largest Japanese population of any country outside Japan
and it was there that my grandparents migrated and where I was born.
Since their arrival, the Nikkei have made a tremendous contribution to
agriculture, introducing a number of Japanese fruit and vegetable stocks
to Brazil, as well as greatly improving the cultivation of native varietals;
work that still continues. On arrival, the Nikkei had to adapt to a
predominantly meat-worshipping nation but, because of the large
numbers of migrants, they were quick to set up artisan production of tofu,
soy sauce, miso (fermented soya beans) and even udon noodles to
satisfy the needs of the newly arrived community. Peru has a smaller
Nikkei population than Brazil, but since both it and Japan have a Pacific
coastline (on opposite sides of the ocean) they share many fish species.
With a stronger native agriculture and food heritage, Peru has been the
crucible for creating a vibrant Nikkei cooking culture. Peruvian Nikkei
dishes often use the maritime abundance brought to the coastline by the
Humboldt Current, as well as the unique aji peppers, lime, corn and
yucca, not to mention the more than 3,000 varieties of potatoes.
So, it is fair to say that in Brazil the Nikkei greatly improved agricultural
methods and introduced the wider population to authentic Japanese and
Nikkei cuisines in restaurants, which now outnumber both the Brazilian
barbecue eateries known as churrascarias and even the pizzerias.
Japanese street-food is also hugely popular in Brazil thanks to the Nikkei
community who serve their own versions of deep-fried gyoza (pastéis),
yakisoba and takoyaki (fried octopus balls) to name just a few. In
contrast, in Peru the Nikkei massively expanded the repertoire of Pacific
fish used and improved the methods of preparation of popular national
dishes, for example ceviche. They also introduced novel ways of
preparing fish such as the tiradito – sashimi-style raw fish served with a
citrus leche de tigre sauce.
Japanese migration to South America – a potted history
After 300 years of almost total isolation from the outside world, the Meiji
Restoration in 1868 saw an opening up of Japan to migration both in and
out of the country. This major modernisation of Japanese society not only
ended the feudal system, which had been in place for hundreds of years,
but also had some adverse effects on the economy particularly in rural
areas. In addition, after the Sino-Japanese (1894–95) and Russo-
Japanese (1904–05) wars, Japan had difficulty reabsorbing its returning
soldiers and large numbers of Japanese citizens decided to search for a
new life overseas. The government of Japan, in fact, entered into
agreements with other nations, including Brazil and Peru, to encourage
and support the emigration of its own nationals.
Japanese emigration began in the 1870s, and over the next 50 years
around one million citizens emigrated. Major destinations were Brazil,
Hawaii and Manchuria (taking around 25% each), with the rest heading
all over the world – 4% ending up in Peru. Most Japanese in Hawaii
migrated there before it was annexed by the USA and from there many
moved on to California. The emigrants were, on average, better educated
than those who remained and many left home with dreams of riches in
the Americas. In South America, the opportunities available were in
farming – for sugar in Peru, and coffee in Brazil. The first vessel, the
Sakura Maru, arrived in Callao, Peru in 1899. Nine years later in Brazil,
the first 781 Japanese men, women and children arrived in Santos
aboard the Kasato Maru. This later influx was intended to solve the
coffee farming manpower crisis caused by the abolition of slavery in
Brazil in 1888. In Japan, campaigns advertising opportunities in Brazil
promised great gains for all willing to work on coffee farms. The long trip
from Japan to Brazil – it took 52 days from Kobe to São Paolo – was
subsidised by the Brazilian government. These were powerfully attractive
to Japanese workers seeking a better life outside of their home country.
However, the newly arrived workers would soon discover harsher
conditions than they had anticipated, akin to those endured by the newly
liberated slaves. Even though Japanese immigrants had lived in frugal
conditions in Japan, these could not compare to what awaited them in
Brazil.
According to Tomoo Handa’s book The Japanese Immigrant – a History
of their Life in Brazil, by 1912 over 60% of Nikkei had left the farms to
move to the cities in search of better living conditions and work in
professions more similar to their own. Many settled in the São Paulo
neighbourhood of Liberdade and set up what were later to become the
many restaurants in this area. Most of the Japanese migrants to Peru
and Brazil imagined their stay as temporary – a way to achieve prosperity
before returning home. However, the advent of the Second World War
and the demise of Japan resulted in most of them considering South
America as their permanent home.