Japanese Food Glossary

...an ongoing list of the food I mention

ebi - shrimp.
gobō - burdock root.
hamachi - yellowtail. Also called inada. In the winter, when more fatty, it is called buri.
ika - squid.
irori - central hearth.
izakaya - Japanese pub. Like at a tapas bar, people generally order a succession of little dishes, which they share.
kani miso - crab guts, mostly the reproductive organs. Commonly eaten on sushi and pizza.
kinako - toasted soybean flour.
maguro - tuna.
mentaiko - salted, chili-seasoned fish eggs.
mugi-cha - roasted barley tea, usually served cold in the summer.
myōga - a kind of ginger, cultivated mainly for its buds. Thinly sliced, it adds a gingery, herbal flavor without the spicy bite of ginger root. A small amount of grated ginger root is a suitable substitution, although the younger the ginger the better.
nigari - a natural coagulant used to make tofu, derived from seawater.
nigiri-zushi - the type of sushi most commonly eaten today. A finger of vinegared rice is smeared with wasabi and topped with a piece of raw fish, shellfish, cephalopod and, occasionally, unfortunate items like corn, hamburger and mayonnaise.
okayu - rice porridge.
saba - mackerel.
shiso - officially known as perilla or beefsteak plant in English, unofficially known as "that leaf they serve you with sashimi." Red shiso leaves are used to color and flavor umeboshi. Green shiso leaves can be chopped up and added to rice, salads and pasta. The flavor is somewhat like a mix of basil and mint, so those two herbs can be substituted for shiso if necessary.
tako - octopus. Osaka is the birthplace of takoyaki, pieces of octopus covered in batter and fried into round little balls, which are smeared with a sweet sauce and sprinkled with various savory toppings.
tamago - egg.
taruzake - sake stored in casks made of Japanese cedar.
toro - tuna belly. The middle section, chuutoro, is especially prized.
tsukemono - Japanese pickles.
tsuyu - sauce made with dashi and soy sauce, often used for dipping cold noodles.
unagi - eel. Often grilled and basted with a sweet sauce, eel is usually eaten in the summer because, as a rich source of protein and Vitamin A, it is thought to counteract the exhausting Japanese heat.
uni - sea urchin.