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| Alternative names | ochazuke,cha-cha gohan,bubuzuke |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Japan |
| Main ingredients | rice,green tea ordashi |
| Variations | instant ochazuke |
Chazuke (茶漬け, ちゃづけ) orochazuke (お茶漬け, from (o)cha 'tea' +tsuke 'submerge') is a simpleJapanese dish made by pouringgreen tea,[1]dashi, or hot water over cookedrice.[2] Common toppings includetsukemono (pickled vegetables),umeboshi (pickledume),nori (seaweed),furikake,sesame seeds andtarako (salted and marinatedpollockroe), saltedsalmon,shiokara (pickled seafood),scallions, andwasabi.[1]
Chazuke provides a way to useleftover rice as a quick snack because it is easy to make. InKyoto,ochazuke is known asbubuzuke.[3] Since the 1970s, packaged "instant ochazuke", consisting offreeze-dried toppings and seasonings, has become popular.
This dish first became popular in theHeian period of Japan, when water was most commonly poured over rice,[4] but beginning in theEdo period, green tea (particularlybancha andsencha) became a popular substitute due to its aroma and mildumami flavor.[5][6]
It is said that the direct ancestor of today's chazuke is a method of eating that was adopted by servants (apprentices) who were employed by merchants at that time so that they could finish their meal very quickly during their work. At that time, the servants spent most of their day working, and their meal times were controlled by their superiors, so this form of eating naturally arose. Pickles were almost the only side dish that the apprentices were allowed to eat freely in the simple meals, and they were often piled up in huge bowls. Since there was still no technology to keep cooked rice warm as it is today, chazuke was a convenient way to enjoy cold rice and to finish a meal quickly.
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From theGenroku period, "chazukeya" appeared as restaurants serving chazuke, and they were widely popular as fast food for common people. TheEdo Meisho Zue, a travel guide written in the late Edo period, mentions chazuke restaurants plainly, suggesting they were common at the time.
