Cuisine
Japanese cuisine, which often is served raw or only lightly cooked, is noted for its subtle and delicate flavours. Perhaps the best-known dish worldwide is sushi— cooked, vinegared rice served with a variety of vegetable, sashimi (raw seafood), and egg garnishes and formed into various shapes; in addition, sashimi is commonly served on its own. Also popular inside and outside Japan is tempura, usually consisting of portions of seafood and vegetables dipped in a rice-flour batter, deep-fried, and served over steamed rice, and various dishes made with tofu (soybean curd); tofu may be served on its own or in preparations such as miso soup (made from fermented soybeans). Other notable dishes include sukiyaki and its variation shabu-shabu (which both involve cooking meat and other ingredients in a shallow pot at the table) and various noodle preparations, including soba (made from buckwheat and often served cold) and udon (made from wheat and usually served after quick-frying on a hot grill or in hot broth).
Japan is renowned for its green tea, much of it cultivated on or near the slopes of Mount Fuji in Shizuoka prefecture. Sake, a brewed alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice, is also especially associated with Japan, where typically it is served heated in small porcelain cups. Beer production in Japan dates to the mid-1870s, and several brands have become well known throughout the world. Japan also produces a variety of distilled beverages, notably whiskey.