Chazuke

Ochazuke

Chazuke (茶漬け, ちゃづけ) or ochazuke (お茶漬け, from (o)cha 'tea' + tsuke 'submerge') is a simple Japanese dish made by pouring green tea,^[1] dashi, or hot water over cooked rice,^[2] roughly in the same proportion as milk over cereal, usually with savoury toppings.

Common toppings include Japanese pickles^[1] (tsukemono), umeboshi, nori (seaweed), furikake, sesame seeds, tarako and mentaiko (salted and marinated pollock roe), salted salmon, shiokara (pickled seafood), scallions^[1] and wasabi.^[1]

Chazuke provides a good way to use leftover rice as a quick snack because this dish is easy to make. It is also known as cha-cha gohan.

This dish first became popular in the Heian period, when water was most commonly poured over rice,^[3] but beginning in the Edo period, tea was often used instead.^[4][5]

In Kyoto, ochazuke is known as bubuzuke. When a Kyoto native asks if a guest wants to eat bubuzuke, it may really mean that the person has overstayed and is being politely asked to leave.^[6]

Since the 1970s packaged "instant ochazuke," consisting of freeze-dried toppings and seasonings, have become popular.

• 
  Chazuke with umeboshi and chicken filet
• 
  Close-up of the same dish

References

1. Seductions of Rice - Jeffrey Alford, Naomi Duguid. p. 213.
2. Dining Guide to Japan: Find the Right Restaurant, Order the Right Dish, and Pay the Right Price - Boye Lafayette De Mente. pp. 104-105.
3. Tale of Genji 21, 27, 47, 51, 54; Pillow Book 186: "If a man that's so drunk can't help staying overnight with me, I won't serve him even a hot water rice."
4. Morisada Mankoh (Ch.4) attributes the origin of tea-rice to Edo during Meireki years, which became popular in Kansai area during Genroku.
5. "OCHAZUKE". Japan-Marche.jp. 26 September 2015. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
6. "Travel Info Bubuzuke". Machiya Residence Inn Kyoto. 2016. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2016.

External links