Japanese and Australian Culture: Food and Cuisine

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Recommended: Food as a reflection of culture

Food and cuisine is one of the most important and influential aspects of how a country's culture is shaped and by looking at how this has been accomplished, it is clear to see direct links between dishes and aspects of Japanese and Australian Culture. REFERENE By researching a meal from each country, Okonomiyaki and Damper, connections are made and analysed between identity, culture and the communication.
Cuisine is a big factor in the identity of a culture and many people will list food as a factor that makes a country what it is, even using Damper for an example, many people see it is an Australian classic and part of Australia's history. Analysing these two iconic recipes, we can begin to view what kinds of communication is used and by looking at this, the history and the shaping of culture we gain a deeper understanding of the impact and importance of food in both Australia, Japan and around the world. Through this analysis it is hoped that a better understanding of these topics is acquired and an in depth reflection is produced.
Both Okonomiyaki and Damper are fairly old and traditional recipes, today they are recognised as dishes famous to their respective countries. Damper is stodgy Australian bread, traditionally cooked over an open fire. It was originally cooked with plain sugar, no butter and only water. According to the historian Bronwick, William Bond invented Damper in the 19th century, yet the origin is still debatable because Aboriginal Australians were also known to make 'bush breads'.
Okonomiyaki on the other hand, is a type of savoury pancake that is translated into "what you like, grilled". Okonomiyaki is a dish that has evolved over the years, first starting in the Edo period (1683-1868) where it was named f...

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...pings’. The word topping comes from the west and that is probably because toppings on okonomiyaki were a slightly later development. The actual structure of this recipe is in steps (with English numbering characters) and it uses a great deal of Kanji, yet also uses plain form for all verbs. Again, English numbering is used along with katakana. The katakana words include things like ‘bowl’ ‘frypan’ ‘mayonnaise’ and ‘cabbage’. Etc. These Katakana words are directed from western words, most likely because they have been adopted from other countries. Mayonnaise is a good example of this was supposedly added in later. A possible reason that the word bowl is in katakana is that in Japanese cooking and eating, many specialised bowls are used. Much of the Kanji is used is in verbs and okonomiyaki itself. The way that the recipe is written, keeps the wording fairly simple.

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