I Want to Be a Matcha Man! Trivia Quiz

Gyoza are the Japanese version of Chinese jiaozi, dumplings made by wrapping a meat or vegetable filling in thinly rolled dough, and then sealing the edges by pinching them together. They are a relatively recent import, as they were brought to Japan from northeastern China during WWII; their Japanese name also comes from Mandarin. Compared to their Chinese counterpart, gyoza have thinner, generally machine-made wrappers, and a stronger garlic flavour. The filling is made of ground meat (most often pork) with cabbage and various flavourings; cabbage is also the main ingredient of the vegetarian version.

Gyoza have a distinctive half-moon shape. The most popular cooking method combines pan-frying and steaming. First the dumplings are pan-fried on the flat side, creating the crispy, browned skin that can be seen in the photo; then water is added to the pan, which is covered with a lid, so that the upper part of the dumplings is steamed. Gyoza are traditionally served with a dipping sauce (tare) that may also contain chili oil. In Japan, these dumplings are sold frozen or ready to eat in supermarkets, and are commonly found on restaurant menus - often as a side dish.

Along with sushi, ramen is among the most globally popular of Japanese dishes. However, it is a relatively recent introduction to Japanese cuisine, having come from China in the early 20th century: the dish's name was borrowed from the Mandarin Chinese "lamiàn" (pulled noodles). The word ramen refers to a dish of wheat noodles - which come in a variety of shapes and sizes - served in a flavourful broth with a wide range of toppings. Ramen has become so deeply rooted in Japanese culture that almost every region of the country has its own version of it. It is estimated that over 24,000 ramen shops are found across the country - over 5,000 in Tokyo alone. In Yokohama, in whose Chinatown the dish originated, a ramen museum opened in 1994.

There are four components to a bowl of ramen: broth, tare (flavouring sauce), noodles, and toppings. The three main kinds of tare are shio (salt-based), shoyu (soy sauce-based), and miso (with fermented soybean paste). The broth can be a clear stock (chintan) or a creamy, rich bone broth (paitan), the best-known of which is tonkotsu, or pork-bone broth. Popular toppings are chashu (thinly-sliced braised or barbecued pork), seasoned boiled egg, green onions, kamaboko (sliced fish cake), and various kinds of pickles and seaweed. The quintessential comfort food in cold weather, ramen also comes in a chilled version, known as hiyashi, for the summer months.

The earliest form of sushi, called narezushi, consisting of fish fermented in boiled rice, was created thousands of years ago. Modern-style sushi is much more recent in origin, having reportedly been invented by chef and restaurateur Hanaya Yohei in 1824. His creation, nigiri-zushi (hand-pressed sushi), is the one people will most readily associate with the iconic (and trendy) dish. Nigiri consists of a small, oblong mound of vinegar-seasoned rice pressed between the palms of the hand (as its name suggests), with the topping draped over it. In some cases, the topping is bound to the rice by a thin strip of nori seaweed.

Nigiri toppings range from thin slices of raw fish (such as tuna or salmon) or cooked fish and seafood, to sweet egg omelette (tamagoyaki) and pickled vegetables. Like other kinds of sushi, nigiri is served with shoyu (soy sauce) for dipping, wasabi (Japanese horseradish), and gari (sweet pickled ginger) to cleanse the palate between different sushi courses. Unlike other types of sushi (especially the rolled ones), nigiri tends to eschew Western-style ingredients such as cream cheese, smoked salmon, or avocado.

Like other popular Japanese dishes, tempura is a foreign import, though not a recent one. This dish of vegetables or seafood dipped in a light batter and deep-fried was introduced into Japan in the 16th century by Portuguese Jesuits. The dish developed from a traditional Portuguese dish of battered and deep-fried vegetables - known as "peixinhos da horta" (little fish from the garden) - traditionally eaten during Lent. Indeed, the word tempura comes from the Latin "tempora", a term referring to the times of fasting and abstinence in Catholic doctrine.

Tempura batter is made of soft wheat flour mixed with eggs and iced water, sometimes with the addition of baking powder, baking soda, or carbonated water to increase lightness. The characteristic airy, fluffy texture of tempura is obtained by mixing the batter for a very short time to prevent wheat gluten from developing. Vegetables and seafood are cut in thin slices or strips before dipping in the batter, then deep-fried in hot oil. Although most people are familiar with prawn or shrimp (ebi) tempura, other kinds of fish or seafood and a wide range of vegetables are also used to make this popular dish, which - in spite of its foreign origin - has become so deeply ingrained in Japanese culinary tradition as to be considered "washoku" (native food) rather than "yoshoku" (Western-influenced food). Tempura is usually served with salt or a dipping sauce, or used as part or other dishes - such as noodle soups or rice bowls (donburi).

Sashimi is even more of an acquired taste than sushi, as it is almost always made with thinly sliced raw fish or meat. Although Japanese people have been eating raw fish for centuries, the idea of serving it in small, beautifully arranged pieces is believed to have come from China around the 13th or 14th century. For obvious reasons, sashimi is made with the freshest fish available, and often served as the first course of a formal meal to prevent the palate being affected by other tastes.

As shown in the photo, the slices of raw fish are draped over a the serving plate in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement that also includes garnishes - such as thinly shredded daikon (white radish), thinly sliced carrot or cucumber, herb leaves and flowers. Sashimi is usually served with soy sauce for dipping, wasabi paste, and gari (sweet pickled ginger). A variation on sashimi is tataki ("pounded"), which involves quickly searing the outside of the fish, leaving it raw inside. If made with meat, sashimi is often lightly cooked to avoid the risk of food poisoning; horse or beef, however, are usually served raw with ponzu citrus vinegar or grated garlic.

Speaking of poisoning, fugu sashimi - made from the flesh of the potentially lethal pufferfish - is highly prized, but may only be prepared by licensed chefs, who use special knives to cut the fish into thin, translucent slices.

Not to be confused with tonkotsu (pork-bone broth), tonkatsu is the Japanese answer to wiener schnitzel or cotoletta alla milanese. In fact, this very popular dish is a type of "yoshoku", a food imported from outside rather than rooted in Japanese tradition. The name of the dish means "pork cutlet"; if made with chicken, beef or other meat, it is simply called katsu. The origin of both name and dish lie in the French "côtelette de veau", a breaded veal cutlet fried in butter that was introduced in Japan in the late 19th century. Côtelette became "katsuretsu" in Japanese, shortened to "katsu".

Like its European counterparts, tonkatsu is dipped in egg, then coated in panko breadcrumbs (which produce a lighter, crisper crust) prior to deep-frying. It is then sliced (as shown in the photo) and served with shredded cabbage and a thick sauce similar to Worcestershire sauce - as well as rice, pickles (tsukemono) and miso soup. Tonkatsu has become a staple of Japanese cuisine, generating a host of variations such as tonkatsu sandwich (katsu sando) or tonkatsu curry (katsukare).

Sukiyaki is one of the many nabemono (hotpot) dishes that are enjoyed in Japan during the winter season. Like other iconic Japanese dishes, it originated during the Meji era (1868-1912), when eating meat, eggs and dairy became more widespread due to the influence of foreign cultures and cuisines. It consists of thinly sliced beef, vegetables and other ingredients (such as tofu, as shown in the photo), slowly cooked at the table in a shallow cast iron pot in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar and mirin (sweet rice wine). The ingredients are traditionally dipped in beaten raw egg after cooking, and eaten with steamed rice.

There are two regional styles of sukiyaki. The Kanto style (from eastern Japan) is similar to other Asian hotpot dishes, in that the sauce is first heated in the pot, and then the ingredients are added and simmered together. In the Kansai style of western Japan, the meat is placed in the pot first, and then almost cooked before the sauce and other ingredients are added. A similar dish to sukiyaki is shabu-shabu, which uses paper-thin slices of meat cooked individually at the table by dipping in boiling water or dashi stock.

Though edamame are often erroneously regarded as a separate legume species, the name (meaning "stem bean") denotes green, immature soybeans boiled or steamed in their pods, then served with salt and garlic, or other condiments. In Japan they are a popular side dish, snack or appetizer, often served as an accompaniment to alcoholic drinks such as beer or shochu (a clear, distilled beverage). Edamame can be served as pods and eaten with the fingers, or as beans, which are picked up with chopsticks (easier said than done).

Because of their high nutritional value and low calorie content, edamame have also become popular in the West, where they can be found roasted or made into a dip (like hummus) as well as fresh or frozen. In China, where soybeans have been grown for thousands of years, edamame are referred to a "maodou" (fur peas). In Japan, where they were probably introduced in the Middle Ages, they are also used as an ingredient of both savoury and sweet dishes.

Unlike ramen noodles, which were introduced from China, udon are traditional Japanese noodles made with wheat flour. As the photo shows, they are characteristically thick and white, with a pleasingly chewy texture. Udon are cooked in boiling water before being used in dishes: during the winter months, they are generally served hot in soup or as part of a hotpot, while in the summer they are served chilled with various accompaniments. There are, however, modern variations that involve stir-frying the noodles with meat, vegetables and soy sauce (yaki udon), or topping the noodles with spicy, Japanese-style curry (kare udon).

Udon come in a wide range of sizes and thicknesses, as well as many regional varieties. Common toppings for udon in broth include tempura or other fritters, sliced fish cake, deep-fried tofu, green onions (scallions), eggs and seaweed. Cold udon are often served with cold dashi broth or soy sauce. The dish in the photo, called zaru udon, consists of chilled noodles served on a bamboo mat with a chilled dipping sauce, shredded vegetables and wasabi.

An ancient food, probably originating in the 6th century AD, mochi is a rice cake made with a particular variety of glutinous, short-grain rice called mochigome. The rice is steamed first, then pounded into a paste - sometimes with the addition of sugar, cornstarch and other ingredients - before being shaped. Due to the chemical structure of the rice, mochi has a characteristically chewy, gel-like consistency. The preparation and consumption of mochi are an important New Year tradition in Japan, when it is also used to make edible decorations (kagami mochi). On the other hand, pink-coloured confections filled with red bean paste (sakuramochi) are eaten to welcome the arrival of spring and the blooming of cherry trees.

While in the past the preparation of mochi was an important cultural event that involved whole communities, now mochi is made mainly with sweet rice flour (mochiko), mixed with water and cooked on the stove or in a microwave. In modern Japan, mochi is used for a wide range of sweets, both traditional (wagashi) and contemporary, such as mochi donuts or ice cream-filled mochi. The powdered matcha green tea that appears in this quiz's title is frequently added to mochi for both colour and flavour. Similar sweets made with glutinous rice flour are found in many other parts of Asia; mochi is also very popular in Hawaii, whose cuisine has been strongly influenced by Japanese cuisine.