Bento

Abento(弁当,bentō,Kyūjitai: 辨當)is aJapanese-style single-portiontake-outorhome-packedmeal, often for lunch, typically includingriceand packaged in a box with a lid (often a segmented box with different parts of the meal placed in different sections). Outside Japan, similar meals are common in other East and Southeast Asian culinary styles, especially withinChinese,Korean,Singaporean,Taiwanesecuisines and more, as rice is a common staple food in the region. The termbentois derived from theChinesetermbiandang(便當,pinyin:biàndāng), which means "convenient" or "convenience".
A traditionalbentotypically includes rice ornoodleswithfishor some other meat, often withpickledand cooked vegetables in a box.Containers range frommass-produceddisposablecontainers to hand-craftedlacquerware. Dividers are often used to separate ingredients or dishes, especially those with strong flavors, to avoid them affecting the taste of the rest of the meal. A typical divider is green plastic 'sushi grass', known asbaranin Japan, which also works to slow the growth of bacteria.
Bentoare readily available in many places throughout Japan, includingconvenience stores,bentoshops(弁当屋,bentō-ya),railway stations, anddepartment stores. However, Japanesehomemakersoften spend time and energy on carefully preparedbentofor their spouses, children, or themselves. Outside Japan, the termbento boxmay be used (e.g., on English menus for Japanese restaurants).Bentocan be elaborately arranged in styles calledkyaraben("characterbento", typically decorated to look like popular characters fromanime,manga, orvideo games) oroekakiben("picturebento", decorated to look like people, animals, buildings and monuments, or items such as flowers and plants). Contests are often held wherebentoarrangers compete for the most aesthetically attractive arrangements.
There are comparable forms of boxed lunches in other Asian countries such as in China, Taiwan and otherSinophonecommunities, known ashéfàn(盒饭) orbiàndānginMandarin,piān-tonginTaiwanese Hokkien, and in Korea asdosirak. Other Asian countries would either just usebentoas a loanword orhokben, which means "steamingbento". There has also been discussion regarding whatbentomeans for Japanese society and what it represents. Analyses range from a simplesemioticapproach to one that outlines the deeper ideological meanings behindbento.
In Japan, "bento" is written inkanjias弁当. The word itself originates from the ChineseSong dynastyslangterm便当(便當,pinyin:biàndāng), meaning "convenient" or "convenience" (this sense is still used inWudialects such asShanghainese). When the word was imported to Japan, it was written with theateji便道and弁道.In modern times, the term is commonly used in East and Southeast Asia. Inmainland China,Hong KongandTaiwan,bentoremains written as the original name便當(pinyin:biàndāng). In otherSinophonecommunities, bothbiandangandbentoare often interchangeably used.
The increased popularity of bento can be traced back to the 12th century during theKamakura period, when meals of cooked and dried rice calledhoshi-ii(糒or干し飯, literally "dried meal") were developed to be carried to work.Ahoshi-iican be eaten as-is or boiled with water to make cooked rice, and is stored in a small bag. By the 16th century, wooden lacquered boxes were produced, and bento would be eaten duringhanamior a tea party.
In theEdo period(1603–1867),bentoculture spread and became more refined. Travelers and sightseers would carry a simplekoshibentō(腰弁当, "waistbento"), consisting of severalonigiriwrapped with bamboo leaves or in a woven bamboo box. One of the most popular styles ofbento, calledmakunouchibentō("between-actbento"), was first made during this period.Viewers ofNohandkabukiperformances ate specially prepared bento betweenmaku(acts). Numerous cookbooks were published detailing how to cook, how to pack, and what to prepare for occasions likehanamiandHinamatsuri.
In theMeiji era(1868–1912), the firstekibentōorekiben(駅弁当or駅弁, "[train] station bento") was sold. There are several records that claim where ekiben was first sold, but it is believed that it was sold on 16 July 1885 atUtsunomiya Stationin the northernKantō regionof Japan, and contained two onigiri and a serving oftakuan(pickledradish) wrapped in bamboo leaves. As early schools did not provide lunch, students and teachers carried bento, as did many employees.
In theTaishō era(1912–1926), thealuminiumbento box became a luxury item because of its ease of cleaning and its silver-like appearance. Also, a move to abolish the practice of bento in school became a social issue. Disparities in wealth spread during this period after an export boom duringWorld War Iand subsequent crop failures in theTōhoku region. A student's bento too often reflected their wealth, and many wondered if this had an unfavorable influence on children both physically, from lack of adequate diet, and psychologically, from a clumsily made bento or the richness of food. AfterWorld War II, the practice of bringing bento to school gradually declined and was replaced by uniform meals provided for all students and teachers.
Bento regained popularity in the 1980s with the help of themicrowave ovenand the proliferation ofconvenience stores. In addition, the expensive wood and metal boxes have been replaced at most bento shops with inexpensive, disposablepolystyreneboxes. However, even handmade bento has made a comeback, and they are once again a common, although not universal, sight at Japanese schools. Bento are still used by workers as a packed lunch, and by families on day trips, school picnics, and sports days. Homemade bento are wrapped in afuroshikicloth, which acts as both a carrying bag and a table mat.
In Japan, it is common for mothers to make bento for their children to take to school. Because making bento can take a while, some mothers will prepare the ingredients the night before, and then assemble and pack everything the following morning before their children go to school.It is often a social expectation of mothers to provide bento for their children, to create both a nutritionally balanced and aesthetically pleasing meal.This activity is expected of the mother and emphasized by society at large,and is common in nursery school institutions.
The traditional bento that is eaten at school or at work is most often prepared by the mother or the wife. However, bento can also be bought atkonbini(convenience stores) or from street vendors who appear on street corners at lunchtime. For those in a hurry who spend their lunch time aboardShinkansenbullet trains,ekibenare available in train stations.
Osechi, an assortment of foods eaten around theJapanese New Year, is typically arranged in a multi-tieredjūbakobox, similarly to bento.
The slang termhayaben(早弁), literally "early bento", refers to eating a bento before lunch and having another lunch afterward.
The Chinese word for boxed meals ishéfàn(盒饭), thoughbiàndāngas a re-borrowing from Japanese may also be used. There are numerous regional styles, ranging fromNortheastern Chineseboxed mealsto theHong Kong"two dishes with rice" boxed meal.Packed meals would traditionally be carried in boxes known asshíhé(食盒, "food box").Shíhéranged from basic styles to elaborate, multi-tiered designs.
Thebentomade its way toTaiwanin the first half of the 20th century during the Japanese colonial period and remains popular to the present day.The Japanese name was borrowed intoTaiwanese(piān-tong) andHakka(phien-tông). A modern Taiwanese bento always includes protein, such as a crispy fried chicken leg or a piece of grilledmackereland marinated pork chop, as well as side dishes.Taiwan Railway Bentois a well known bento dish manufactured and distributed by theTaiwan Railways Administrationat major railway stations and in train cars. It is estimated that, with five million boxed meals sold per year, annual revenue from bento distribution amounts to 370 millionNTD(approx. 10 millionUSD).
In Korea, similar packed lunch boxes are calleddosirak, and they may be homemade or store-bought. They are similar to Chinese and Japanese variations.Dosirakis usually made with a few different vegetable and meat side dishes, often including a type ofkimchi.
In Singapore, such packed lunch boxes are often acculturated and localised with cuisines slightly different to Japan. These may include roasted pork (similar tochar siu) andsoy eggs, as well asfried rice.It has been a common method of meal preparation within Singaporean cuisine as early as the start of the 20th century, intensifying during theJapanese occupationand cultural influences in subsequent decades with Japanese-style bento also being common in the country today.
In 2021, the Singapore Food Tech Event showcased how bento of the future might look like for asustainable food system.
Many scholars have written about the bento since the late 20th century. The foundation of their approach is based on the idea that food can carry many different meanings.
In the 1970s,Chie Nakaneused ekiben as a metaphor for group organization in Japan. By comparing this variant of bento to groups in Japan, she considered how different organizations in Japanese society often include identical components so as not to depend on any other groups for their success.In 1984, Ŏ-ryŏng Yi used bento to present tendencies towardsreductionismin Japanese culture;all the food in a Japanese-style lunch box is only able to be reduced to fit in a little boxdue to it being Japanese food, as it naturally lends itself to being tightly packed.Roland Barthes, on the other hand, used a symbolic approach to describe the lack of acentrepiecein Japanese food. He described the distinct contents of a bento box as a multitude of fragments or ornaments that are combined to beautify each other.Joseph Jay Tobin in 1992 discussed how the meticulous assembly of individual bento boxes has been aided by the reinterpretation of Western goods, practices, and ideas through a process he classified as domestication.