Japanese Food Quiz

1. Sushi rice is seasoned with vinegar, salt, and sugar. What is the Japanese name for the short-grain rice used?

1. Basmati rice
2. Jasmine rice
3. Koshihikari
4. Shari (sushi rice)

2. What is the difference between sashimi and nigiri?

1. Sashimi has rice, nigiri does not
2. Sashimi is cooked, nigiri is raw
3. Sashimi is raw fish only, nigiri is fish on a hand-pressed rice ball
4. They are the same thing

3. Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup. Which of these is NOT one of the four main ramen broth styles?

1. Dashi (fish stock)
2. Miso
3. Shoyu (soy sauce)
4. Tonkotsu (pork bone)

4. Tempura is a Japanese cooking technique in which food is:

1. Fermented in miso
2. Grilled over charcoal
3. Lightly battered and deep-fried
4. Simmered in a sweet soy sauce

5. Miso is a fundamental ingredient in Japanese cooking. What is it made from?

1. Dried seaweed and bonito flakes
2. Fermented rice vinegar
3. Fermented soybeans (often with grain)
4. Ground sesame seeds

6. Which Japanese city is most famous for its street food culture, including takoyaki (octopus balls) and okonomiyaki?

1. Kyoto
2. Osaka
3. Sapporo
4. Tokyo

7. Wagyu beef is renowned for its exceptional quality. What gives it its distinctive marbling and flavour?

1. A high degree of intramuscular fat from specific Japanese cattle breeds
2. It is cooked at lower temperatures
3. The cattle are fed only grass
4. The meat is aged for a minimum of 6 months

8. Matcha is a form of green tea used in Japanese tea ceremonies and cooking. What makes it different from regular green tea?

1. It is fermented before processing
2. It is made from older tea leaves
3. It is processed with salt
4. The whole tea leaf is ground into a fine powder

9. Umami is often called the fifth basic taste alongside sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Which Japanese scientist identified it in 1908?

1. Jiro Ono
2. Kikunae Ikeda
3. Shizuo Tsuji
4. Yukio Mishima

10. What is tonkatsu?

1. A fermented soybean dish
2. A grilled pork skewer
3. Breaded and deep-fried pork cutlet served with shredded cabbage
4. Pork ramen

11. Onigiri are a staple Japanese convenience food. What are they?

1. Dumplings filled with pork
2. Fried rice cakes with soy sauce
3. Rice balls wrapped in nori, often with a filling
4. Sweet red bean buns

12. Dashi is a fundamental Japanese stock used as the base for miso soup and many sauces. What are its main ingredients?

1. Chicken carcass and ginger
2. Kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
3. Mushrooms and soy sauce
4. Pork bones and vegetables

13. Soba noodles are made from which grain?

1. Buckwheat
2. Corn
3. Rice
4. Wheat

14. Gyoza are Japanese dumplings. How do they differ from their Chinese counterpart, the jiaozi?

1. They are always steamed
2. They are filled with sweet red bean paste
3. They have a thinner wrapper, more garlic and ginger, and are typically pan-fried
4. They use a thicker wrapper and are always boiled

15. Yakiniku refers to which style of Japanese dining?

1. A conveyor belt sushi restaurant
2. A multi-course formal kaiseki meal
3. Cooking in a hot pot at the table
4. Tableside grilling of thin-sliced meat and vegetables over charcoal

16. Natto is a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans. It is notorious for its:

1. Bright blue colour
2. Extreme sweetness
3. Intense spiciness
4. Strong smell, slimy texture, and stringy consistency — divisive even among Japanese people

17. Kaiseki is considered the pinnacle of Japanese cuisine. What type of dining experience is it?

1. A communal hot pot dinner
2. A fast, affordable ramen meal
3. A multi-course, seasonal haute cuisine experience
4. An all-you-can-eat sushi buffet

18. Fugu is a famous and extremely expensive Japanese delicacy. Why does it require specially licensed chefs to prepare?

1. Certain organs contain tetrodotoxin — a potentially lethal poison — that must be carefully removed
2. It is an endangered species requiring special permits
3. It must be aged for months without spoiling
4. Its texture becomes rubbery if prepared incorrectly

19. Tamagoyaki is a type of Japanese omelette often found in bento boxes and sushi restaurants. What makes it distinctive?

1. It is cold-set with gelatin
2. It is deep-fried in tempura batter
3. It is filled with rice
4. It is rolled into a rectangular log of layered egg sheets, slightly sweet and savoury

20. Japan has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other country in the world. Which city has the most?

1. Fukuoka
2. Kyoto
3. Osaka
4. Tokyo