What S In A Japanese Bento Box

The bento tradition can be traced back to 16th century japan when people packed their lunch in a lacquered wooden box for picnics and today bento has become an integral part of japanese culture.

What s in a japanese bento box. What separates it from the ham sandwich and soda many of us carried in a spiderman lunchbox in elementary school is the attention to detail and the balance of the ingredients. The first bento dates back to the 5th century when bamboo was used as boxes to contain food to carry out to the fields for hunting or to the battlefield. The world is derived from the chinese southern song slang term biandang which means convenient since the 13th century it has become a symbol of japanese culture and ideals. Simply plan ahead and make an extra portion of your dinner to include in your bento box the next day.

A bento 弁当 or obento is more than just a lunch box in japan it s its own category of food that you can eat at any time of day. Bento boxes is where you can read about the variety of containers used for box lunches. Bentos can be purchased at supermarkets department stores convenience stores train kiosks and bento shops throughout japan and are sold in. To get some tips on how to prepare a tasty and good looking box lunch turn to preparing and packing bento.

The first documented use of bento as a concept can be traced back to japan s kamakura period 1185 1333 when cooked rice would be carried into work in a small bag. Bento in everyday japanese life discusses the place of different types of box lunches in the lives of the japanese. The first verified historical record of a bento style lunch in japan was during the kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. But it wasn t until the azuchi momoyama period between 1568 1600 that bento as we know it came to being.

Types ingredients put simply a bento or bento box is a japanese lunchbox. Beyond that basic definition though just about anything goes as to what kind of box or container is used as well as what is put inside that box. A look inside japanese bento boxes. Outside japan it is common in chinese including taiwanese and korean cuisines as well as in southeast asian cuisines where rice is the main staple food.

A bento 弁当 bentō is a single portion take out or home packed meal of japanese origin. The bento box has a long history in japan and although modern times have encouraged some weird and wonderful bento inventions and designs the bento box as a concept has been around for centuries. A traditional bento may contain rice or noodles with fish or meat often with pickled and cooked vegetables in a box. A bento is a single portion boxed meal that is usually composed of staple carbs rice or noodles meat or fish and an assortment of pickled or cooked vegetables.