I need help with identifying Japanese food.

9 comments

1. I hope this place is suitable to ask this kind of questions, if not, may I know where can I ask before this post is locked?

2. Hi OP, hopefully I can help a bit. It looks like you got a good bundle of beer snacks and cooking ingredients. Disclaimer: I am not Japanese.

   Picture 1 (clockwise): starting from the box it looks like rolled up wheat gluten which you can add as topping in soups. Youkan is a dessert usually made of red bean paste and agar agar which you can eat on its own. The beige tray packaging says miso walnut which I’m not familiar with but could be a snack. The black and red packets are soup powders to add to your cup ramen for extra flavour; black packet is black pepper flavour and red is red pepper. The fish packet is sachets of dashi powder with sardine flavoring which you can use like stock powder. The green packet is probably dried seaweed which you can also add to soups. The small yellow packet looks like dried black fungus that you can rehydrate and add to dishes.

   Picture 2: Starting from the top center packet, l believe are bonito shavings which you can use as toppings or soup stock, small yellow packet is snack that’s made of sea scallop lining flavored with soy sauce butter. Green packet looks like dried seaweed but different from the first type. This would not usually be added in soups and more for sprinkling on top of noodles. The tray with the black circle looks like a savoury snack made of fried eel, the big bag at the bottom left is full of fried/grilled eel and the center packet looks like a snack of tempura baby shrimp.

   I’m also on mobile so formatting might look a bit odd.

3. You bought all of this without knowing what they are?

4. using Google lens/translate would also help – just od one package at a time and take your time going around the package- there may even be a website link that can be translated

5. It’s so good to be adventurous. I like to look for a vegetable I don’t recognize in a Chinese shop in Victoria BC Chinatown. I just asked the grocer, ‘What is it and how should I cook it? ‘ They always smile and give good advice.

6. Dried unagi is gonna be delish👍

7. Yup that is definitely food that is Japanese. You’re welcome OP, have fun!

8. MrSnappyMcSnap-san has already given a detailed explanation,
   In addition, I’ve tried categorizing your bunch of Japanese food and groceries based on their uses.

   **Category 1. Mainly used as ingredients for soup**
   シャキシャキ 糸わかめ
   うず巻ふ
   きくらげ
   **Category 2. Mainly used for flavoring soup**
   カップラーメンが旨くなる魔法の粉　ブラックペッパー味
   カップラーメンが旨くなる魔法の粉　レッドペッパー味
   **Category 3. Mainly used as soup stock, called dashi**
   ほんだし いりこだし
   **Category 4. Used for flavoring meal, espacially Japanese food**
   きくらげ
   花かつお
   糸青のり
   **Category 5. Eat it as is, for sweets**
   ようかん
   味噌くるみ
   **Category 6. Eat it as is, for snacks and appetizers**
   焼きあなご
   あなご煎餅
   ほたて貝ひも
   小エビの天ぷら
   I hope for your meals to be even better.

9. My grandma would love this lineup.How about making some miso soup?