Exactly when the Japanese began growing and eating
wheat is not known, but what is clear is that, like many
other foods and products, it probably made its way through
China along the trade route known as the Silk Road.
What is also clear is that to this day, many of the ways
Japanese use wheat have been inspired by uses from outside
the nation’s borders. Noodles in Japan reflect
a strong Chinese influence, including the quick, popular
and cheap Ramen that is slurped up by the Japanese and
by college students worldwide. The same goes for the
growing popularity of pan and other breads, which have
been adopted and adapted from western sources, particularly
in the wake of the American occupation after World War
II (Ishige 77-79).
Next: Wheat Consumption in Japan |
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| Wheat growing next to urban area in Japan. Photo
by N. Larzalere. |
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