Italian cuisine is admired and appreciated all over the world for its richness of flavors, the freshness of the ingredients and the link with local traditions, so much so that it has had a significant impact on the world gastronomic scene: Italian restaurants can be found in every corner of the planet and UNESCO has recognized the cultural and gastronomic value of Italian cuisine, declaring the “Mediterranean Diet” as a world heritage site.
Our cuisine is also appreciated in Japan and is called itameshi (イタメシ). This word, formed from the union of Ita (Italy) and meshi (dish), means Italian dish, and indicates the cuisine that combines the characteristics of Italian dishes with Japanese ones.
The first Italian restaurant in Japan was opened in Niigata by Pietro Migliore from Turin, a circus artist who, due to an injury, had to leave his artistic career and, finding himself without a job, decided to dedicate himself to catering, inaugurating, in 1881, his restaurant which called Italia-ken (Italy house). For years the city of Niigata has been the ambassador of our country’s gastronomic culture.
Since then, numerous Italian restaurants have opened in Japan, especially in large cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, in which Japanese chefs, today more than ever, create dishes taking inspiration from Italian cuisine and using the techniques of traditional Japanese cuisine. Some dishes have been completely changed, such as the Naporitan spaghetti, which has very little of Neapolitan flavor! To prepare them you need a few ingredients: spaghetti, onion, green peppers, mushrooms, sausage and ketchup, which is added at the end; the pasta is cooked until it becomes very soft, to resemble the consistency of noodles and the use of ketchup is due to the fact that it costs less and has a much longer shelf life than tomato sauce. This is one of the most famous Itameshi dishes, so much so that an anime character has been dedicated to it: a Neapolitan fairy born to fill everyone’s stomach and heart.
Pizza, another iconic Italian dish besides spaghetti, is widely spread in Japan and is one of the most popular dishes. Pizzerias sometimes use a base made with mochi for the dough, so as to obtain a more chewy and crunchy effect. In addition to the tomato sauce, ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, cheese, karasumi (dried fish roe) and seafood are added and it is seasoned with Tabasco.
Furthermore, there are restaurants that offer exclusively regional dishes, such as I-lunga which offers Piedmontese agnolotti del plin on its menu, at the La primula restaurant you can taste Friulian cialsons and L’asse offers Lombard cuisine.
One of the most famous restaurant chains specializing in Italian fusion cuisine is Saizeriya, its premises are characterized by the colors of the Italian flag and images of Italian landscapes are displayed on the walls. On the menu there are many varieties of pasta, different types of pizza, the olive oil used to season the food is imported from Italy as is the wine. The bond of this restaurant chain with Italy is so strong that in 2016, following the earthquake in Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche and Umbria, Saizeriya showed solidarity by donating 100 yen for each plate of pasta all’amatriciana sold and delivering to mayor of Amatrice the sum of 100 million yen, i.e. 900 thousand euros.
Immersing yourself in the culinary experience of Japanese restaurants is much more than a simple meal, it can be a journey into various cultures and traditions but it is important to never forget to demonstrate, with an ancient ritual, respect for the food and gratitude and appreciation towards the work and dedication of those who cooked it saying Itadakimasu!