Bento: Japanese lunch in a box. Bento: tasty and healthy art for children and adults What is included in a bento in nature

What is the difference between bento and our boutiques? The fact that it is a well-chosen and balanced meal, and even allows you to express your individuality - that is, the exact opposite of a unified fast food. The very best bento are, of course, those made at home by loving wives and mothers. The Japanese say: "Show me your bento and I'll tell you what kind of wife you have." Of course, with the help of bento, husbands can show off their wife's talents to colleagues, but the main field of activity of a Japanese woman is bento for children. This is where mothers try to surpass others and themselves!

But bento can be not only traditional. The West, as always, takes the best and most interesting from the East and Asia and twists it a bit in its own way. How can this be useful to us? Well, first of all, this way the food looks prettier, and therefore more appetizing. Secondly, in one such bento you can organically pack several tasty and healthy dishes, instead of one. And thirdly, this is a very good idea for children's treats at a holiday or picnic trips with large companies. The classic bento consists of rice, fish or meat and a side dish of pickled or fried vegetables.

When preparing bento, the Japanese consider it important to observe the proportion of 4:3:2:1. This means 4 parts rice, 3 parts side dish, 2 parts roasted or raw vegetables, and 1 part pickled vegetables or dessert. However, today all sorts of deviations from the classical canons are allowed. Masters are ready to use new products and unusual combinations, giving a traditional meal an extremely attractive look. A beautifully designed box causes a special delight in children.




By the way, bento boxes can also be different - in one case it is a simple plastic box made in a factory way and bought in a supermarket, and in the other case it is a real work of art made of wood and varnished. The homemade bento is packed on top of the box in a traditional furoshiki scarf that, when unfolded, turns into a mini tablecloth - steles anywhere and eat homemade food!

A real Japanese hostess always cooks bento for her family and friends herself, therefore the selection of bento components and their serving are one of the signs of a good wife / mother, and besides, in this way you can once again express your love and care for the dearest people.

For the first time in Japanese history, "bento" appears in the Kamakura period (1185-1333), when cooked and then dried rice "Hoshi-i" (hoshi-i, or, literally - "dried food") is most widely used. Such rice-nosily with you in a small purse and on occasion it could be thrown into boiling water, thus obtaining boiled rice, or eaten directly, if it was already completely unbearable. Further, in the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1600), the first bento boxes appeared, which, in principle, have not changed much over the centuries, and now they began to eat bento on Hanami or as a snack with tea.

If you want yourself and your loved ones to look forward to dinner, try to cook something special - let the ingredients be very simple, but when served skillfully, the simplest dish becomes a work of art. And if it is made with soul Start with a simple bento and move on to more complex options gradually. When you try to do something difficult on the first try, you may be disappointed, because it is unlikely that you will be able to master this art the first time. Set aside time to make bento.

To be honest, I was going to collect a bento for this post - a Japanese lunch to go - from simple products that are available on any continent, without Asian specifics, but to be beautiful. But I suffered a shameful defeat in front of myself)) I occasionally collect boxes for a child in kindergarten or when we go somewhere far away, but I don’t know how to make bento according to all the rules. Moreover, I actively do not like embellishments and attempts to fashion something out of food that is not food, I just fundamentally disagree with this.

In Japan, there are special editions dedicated to harmonious and interesting bento, and household and cooking magazines always have advice on how to change the architecture of the set for a change. Modern bento's don't have to be cute and childish, faces and flags are mostly just for toddlers. Of course, I would like to see the family in which it is customary to cook and take such beauty with them.

The culture of bento in Japan is very developed - you can buy a box with a ready-made lunch at any store or stall, order fresh or frozen delivery, buy an exclusive local bento at the station, or from a restaurant chef. Many people have lunch at work with what they brought from home - it's cheaper and more practical, and the mistress of the house gets up early and collects everyone who leaves in the morning and comes in the evening. A distinctive feature of bento is just a little bit: a spoonful of one snack, a piece of another ... The components are usually prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator, they just need to be put together in time and harmoniously. They put what they like in the bento, it can be a plate of spaghetti or a sandwich, but there are some general rules.

1. Classical proportions: this is rice in this volume, next to the protein component (meat, fish, chicken), then vegetables.

2. Do not put hot components. Combine them so that everything can be eaten at room temperature, or evenly heated.
3. Food should not be wet, not greasy and keep its shape well. Everything needs to be cut into pieces that can be conveniently picked up with chopsticks or a fork, for one bite.
4. Hygiene! Clean hands, disinfected utensils, if it's summer in the yard - Japanese women wrap bento bags with dry ice or frozen gel.
5. A classic Japanese bento should be harmonious in color. It should contain, if not all the colors of the rainbow)) then exactly a combination of the main

Interestingly, the change in bento design is already perceived by the Japanese as "new bento", even if the food is the same.

Special instagram bento :)))

Layout options for 1 and 4 people

They write that it is very easy to do. Haha!

Sandwich ideas: dessert bread with cocoa, fresh figs, whipped cream. Or three salads: beets with coconut, pickled peppers, green kale with ricotta, white cream cheese and yogurt without sugar.

These grape buters wounded me in the very heart)) True, this is not at all practical, and it is doubtful tasty.

Bento, or bento, is a traditional Japanese lunch packed in a box; occupies an important place in Bento is prepared for those who will have lunch at work, at school or on the road.

There are varieties of bento for special purposes, such as soraben, a lunch box served on an airplane, and ekiben, a packed lunch for train travelers. Charaben is a children's bento. Among the ready-made bento are quite expensive, with exotic ingredients, or designed for children and connoisseurs of kawaii - with products in the form of anime characters or cute animals.

Bento boxes

Some Japanese restaurants sell bento, but what sets it apart from a regular meal is its portability. Usually, although not always, bento is designed for one person. Bento boxes are also interesting - they can be beautiful lacquered boxes (jubako), a real work of art, but more often they are plastic containers with a lid or disposable boxes. There are jubako in several tiers, with many branches. They are designed for special occasions: holiday picnics or a visit with your own food.

Sticks and wrap

In addition to onigiri, not all bento dishes can be eaten with your hands - chopsticks are pushed under a ribbon or elastic band that holds the box closed. The ceremonial jubako is tied into furoshiki, a large square of cloth that is usually used to wrap gifts and offerings. Furoshiki plays the role of an elegant wrapper, but also covers her knees so as not to stain clothes while eating.

Bento composition

A standard daily bento includes a serving of rice, protein foods (meat, fish, or tofu), and boiled or pickled vegetables. Steamed rice with a small red umeboshi (pickled plum) in the center resembles a Japanese flag with a red circle on a white background. - rice balls wrapped in seaweed - also a favorite dish of many as part of a bento.

When choosing bento products, consider their ability to hold room temperature. Traditionally, a bento meal is not chilled and does not require refrigeration. Bento items should be placed in the box when they have cooled to room temperature. This way they stay fresh longer.

How to make bento. Recipe Options

Here are a few variations of a typical bento that anyone can make:

Bento 1. Steamed rice and pickled plums in the center. Chicken cutlet katsu, cut into pieces. Vegetable salad namasu. A small portion of oden - stewed vegetables with spices.

Bento 2. Steamed rice. Salmon fillet teriyaki. Boiled broccoli florets. Blanched green beans with ponzu sauce.

Bento 4. Somen noodles. Edamame - boiled young green soybeans.

Bento 5. Curry with rice sprinkled with tonkatsu - crispy fried dough drops.

Bento 6. Steamed or fried white rice. Gyoza (Japanese dumplings) and a separate small container with sauce. Steamed vegetables. Tsukemono pickles.

Bento 7. Makizushi rolls. Tsukemono.

As you can see, any food is good for a bento, as long as two conditions are met. First, the dish should be stored and eaten at room temperature. And secondly, you can carry it with you.

Japanese bento benefits

Many of us enjoy picnics in nature, hiking in the woods and parks, and all-day walks. But not everyone wants to carry heavy thermoses, grills, disposable utensils and bags of food and feel like a draft horse rather than a vacationer. For such occasions, a Japanese bento is perfect, as the entire meal fits in one compact package. You can focus on the surrounding beauties, and not lug heavy backpacks and bags. Moreover, the problem of the garbage remaining after eating is not worth it, because all the food is suitable for consumption without a trace, so you will only need to throw away the box if it is disposable.

Bento (弁当 bentō) is a Japanese term for a single serving packaged meal. Traditionally, a bento includes rice, fish or meat and one or more types of chopped raw or pickled vegetables in one box with a lid. Boxes can vary in shape and method of manufacture - from simple, mass-produced, to piece-work containers, made of rare woods, lacquered, which are real works of art.

And if it’s simple, then this is food that is beautifully laid out and packaged in a beautiful box, which is very convenient to take with you. Like everything Japanese, this is a very peculiar area, I'm not afraid of this word, art, as some bento look like they are works of art. In Japan, they are sold in stores ready-made and packaged. And every housewife considers it her duty to learn how to make bento.

But bento can be not only traditional. The West, as always, takes the best and most interesting from the East and Asia and twists it a bit in its own way. We can also pack our bento for our work as lunch or for our children at school, in which instead of rice and fish there will be pancakes with cottage cheese or chicken Kiev. It doesn't matter what you decide to make your dinner out of, the main thing is that it complies with the 5 main rules of bento. How can this be useful to us? Well, first of all, this way the food looks prettier, and therefore more appetizing. Secondly, in one such bento you can organically pack several tasty and healthy dishes, instead of one. And thirdly, this is a very good idea for children's treats at a holiday or picnic trips with large companies.

Some bento look like this:

In this post, we will talk about simpler and very tasty options. For example, these are:

So, 5 basic rules for compiling bento for every day:

• Food must be delicious. The simplest and one of the most important rules.
• Healthy within reason and nutritious. You can eat sweets and other junk food at any time of the day, but lunch should be tasty, healthy and nutritious, because it is our fuel for the rest of the day. This is the second main rule!
• Neat and appetizing in appearance. One of the fundamental principles of bento, like all Japanese cuisine, is that the appearance of the food is as important as the taste.
• Simple and quick to prepare. Because you already have too much time for everything else. Even for those who love to cook, the daily hours at the stove and the production of culinary masterpieces take too much time and effort. And the process is not a joy, and the result. Therefore, give yourself one day off for creativity, and leave simplicity and functionality for working days. Build your meals with simple, healthy and delicious ingredients.
• Food doesn't have to be expensive. Making takeaway meals at home is a great way to save money. Since even if it seems to you that the cost of a business lunch is very cheap, it can be a good option several times. But even the cheapest set lunch in the end for a month will cost you a pretty penny. And did I already say that it is much more useful than any business lunch?

And one more rule of bento - everything that you have packed must be eaten within a few hours. That is, if you brought lunch with you, you should eat it at lunch, and not at 16:00 for tea. Therefore, you should prepare your dinner from such products that either do not spoil at room temperature, or they can be eaten cold and the common dish will not lose its taste from this.

Great for picnics:

• Proteins that stay tasty and safe at room temperature. Hard-boiled eggs, fried or boiled chicken, deli meats (ham, jamon, etc.)
• Steamed, chilled or raw vegetables that will not wither (carrots, asparagus, cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, etc.).
• Carbohydrates that remain tasty and safe at room temperature. It can be bread, cooked and well-packaged rice, or other grains. Pasta with sauces or dressings not based on mayonnaise.
• Dry products. Nuts, dried fruits, seeds, crackers or crispbread.
• Canned products. For example, jam or pickles.

If you are preparing lunch for work, you can safely take with you in separate containers what you can and even need to eat chilled. For example, tuna salad or vegetable salad. And also, since we are not in Japan and do not have to follow all the rules, you can take with you what you can warm up. Of course, if you have a microwave at work. Soup can be brought separately, and the second can be beautifully packaged in a container.

How to make a bento for every day?

To get started, write down a list of your favorite foods and foods that you would like to eat every day. Then divide the sheet into 5 columns: proteins, carbohydrates, combined foods, vegetables, fruits, and sweets. And write in each of the columns at least 3-4 dishes or individual products in each category.

After that, make yourself lunches from the selected products for a few days in advance. The finishing touch - choose a convenient and roomy box for your lunches. In addition to the standard shape, you can use small silicone cupcake liners so that one dish does not mix with everything else. For example, you can put tzatziki or hummus in there, or something else that you would not want to mix with the main dish.

Bento examples

Bento #1

Collect sandwiches with your favorite ingredients and add fresh vegetables to the box!

Bento #2

Ingredients: boiled ham, cheese, grapes, prosciutto, whole grain bread and greens mix.

Bento #3

Braised cabbage with baked potatoes, herbs and a piece of hard cheese in the shape of an angel. And even better and faster, do not stew cabbage, but take Brussels sprouts (it’s more convenient), cut in half and coat with olive oil. Put it on a baking sheet and send to bake or under the grill. As a result, it turns out to be tastier, with less fuss, it keeps well in the refrigerator and is very tasty even when cold. How to bake potatoes, I think you know. With cheese, you don’t have to dodge like that either, but if you like, you can use any aluminum cookie cutters.

Bento #4

Boiled rice, asparagus, green peas, scrambled eggs, lightly salted salmon and tomatoes. You can add a couple of drops of wine vinegar to the asparagus for flavor.

Bento #5

This bento contains pieces of broccoli (in boiling salted water for two to three minutes), fried dumplings (ravioli is fried in the original), fennel (you can replace it with any other favorite vegetable or root vegetable) and meatballs. I think that just fried pieces of meat or poultry will also work.

Enjoy your meal!

Bento (弁当) is a one-on-one meal that is taken with you or a kind of “dry ration” common in Japanese cuisine. Traditional bento includes rice, fish or meat, pickled or boiled vegetables. Typically, products are packaged in a box-shaped container. Food boxes are produced in a variety of ways, from simple mass-produced disposables to handmade lacquerware.

Bento boxes are available in many places throughout Japan, including convenience stores, bento shops (Bento-ya, 弁当屋), train stations, and department stores. However, true Japanese housewives often spend their time and energy preparing bento for their spouses, children, and themselves.

Kiaraben bento 1

Kiaraben bento 2

Kiaraben bento 3

Bento can be made in a style called kyaraben (bento character). Kiaraben bento are usually designed as popular characters from Japanese cartoons (anime), comics (manga), or video games. Another popular style of bento is the “oekakiben” (oekakiben or “picture bento”). This bento is decorated in the form of people, animals, buildings and monuments, or objects such as flowers and plants. Competitions are often held in which the organizers choose the most beautiful, most liked Bento.

Oekakiben 1

Oekakiben 2

There are similar forms of dry rations in the Philippines (Baon, Baon), Korea (Dosirak, Dosirak), Taiwan (Bindan, Biandang) and India (Tiffin, Tiffin). In addition, Hawaiian culture has adopted localized versions of bento with local flavors added after more than a century of Japanese influence on the islands.

Story:
The origin of bento can be traced back to the end of the Kamakura period (1185-1333), when boiled and dried rice called “hoshi-ii” (hoshi-ii, 糒 or 干し飯, literally meaning “dried food”) was invented. Hoshi-ii rice was eaten both in normal and boiled form. It was kept in a small bag. During the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1600), wooden lacquered boxes were made, similar to those made today, bento was eaten during hanami or tea parties.

During the Edo period (1603-1867), bento culture spread and became more sophisticated. Travelers and sightseers could carry a simple “koshibento” (koshibentō, 腰弁当, “bento belt”) with them, consisting of several onigiri wrapped in bamboo leaves or placed in a wicker bamboo box. One of the most popular styles of bento called "makuno-uchi bentō" (makuno-uchi bentō, literally means "between-act bento") was first prepared during this period. People who came to Noh and Kabuki theaters ate specially prepared bento between acts (maku). Numerous cookbooks have been published that describe how to prepare and pack bento, and what to cook for special occasions like Hanami and Hinamatsuri.

During the Meiji period (1868-1912), "ekibento" or or "ekiben" (ekibentō, 駅弁当 or ekiben, 駅弁, "train station bento") appeared on sale. There are several records that state that ekiben was first sold on July 16, 1885 at the Utsunomiya train station and included two onigiri and a serving of takuan wrapped in bamboo leaves.
Students were not provided with lunch, students, teachers and many school staff took bento with them. European-style bento also appeared during this period.

During the Taisho period (1912-1926), aluminum bento boxes became a luxury item due to their ease of cleaning and their silvery appearance. Likewise, the movement to abolish the practice of drinking bente in schools has become a social issue. The disparity in income spread during this period, following the export boom during World War I and subsequent crop failures in the Tohoku region. The bento often reflected the student's wealth, and many wondered if this had an adverse effect on the children both physically, due to the lack of an appropriate diet, and psychologically, from poorly made bento (as students compared their bento) or the high cost of food. After the Second World War, the practice of bringing bento to school gradually began to fade away, and standard meals appeared in school canteens for all students and teachers.

Bento regained popularity in the 1980s with the rise of microwave ovens and convenience stores. In addition, expensive wooden and metal boxes have been replaced in most stores with inexpensive, disposable polystyrene boxes. However, even handmade bento boxes are back on store shelves.

Bentos are still used by workers today as dry rations, taken by families on day trips, by schoolchildren on picnics and on sports days. Homemade benta are wrapped in furoshiki cloth, which acts as a pouch and table mat.

Bentu made it to Taiwan in the first half of the 20th century from Japan and remains very popular to this day.

Airports also offer ekiben: a bento filled with ingredients from local cuisine, for passengers waiting for a plane or during a flight.

Noriben

Sake Bento

Hinomaru bento

Kamameshi Bento

Makunouchi Bento

Shokado Bento

Bento types:
Shokado Bento (Shōkadō Bento, 松花堂弁当) is a traditional black lacquered bento box.
Chuka Bento (中華弁当) is a bento filled with Chinese food.
Kamameshi Bento (釜飯弁当) is sold at train stations in Nagano Prefecture. It is cooked and served in a clay pot. The pot is kept as a souvenir.
Makunouchi Bento (幕 の 内 弁 当) is a classic-style bento that includes rice, pickled ume fruit (umeboshi), a piece of fried salmon, a cooked egg wrapped in a roll (tamagoyaki), etc.
Noriben (海苔弁) is a very simple bento with nori seaweed (seasoned with soy sauce) topping boiled rice.
Sake Bento (鮭弁当) is a simple bento with a piece of fried salmon.
Shidashi Bento (仕出し弁当) is prepared in restaurants and served to order at lunchtime. This bento is often eaten at gatherings, parties or funerals. Usually includes traditional Japanese food such as tempura, rice, pickled vegetables. Shidashi bento with European food is also available.
Tori bento (鳥弁当) - bento with rice and chicken pieces cooked in sauce. The meat is placed on top of the rice. This bento is popular in Gunma prefecture.
Hinomaru bento (日の丸弁当) is a bento consisting of only white rice and an umeboshi plum placed in the center. The name was taken from the Hinomaru (which means "sun circle"), the Japanese flag, which has a white background and a red circle in the center.

Other:
Hokaben (ホカ弁) is any type of bento purchased to take away from bento shops. Freshly cooked hot rice (hokahoka) is usually served with side dishes.
Hayaben (早弁), a bento consumed before lunch or sometime after lunch.
Ekiben are bentos sold at railway stations (EKIs) or on trains. There are many types of ekiben. Many of them are inexpensive and filled with food.
Soraben are bentos sold at airports for in-flight meals.