Japanese Chinese cuisine
Japanese Chinese cuisine or Chūka is a style of Japanese cuisine served by Chinese restaurants popularized in Japan in the late 19th century and more recent times. This style of food is different from modern Chinatown Chinese food in Japan which is considered "authentic Chinese food", e.g. Yokohama Chinatown. The Shippoku style of cooking displays heavy influence from Chinese cuisine. Many of these Chinese dishes were introduced to Japan by Chinese immigrants, others were brought in by returning Japanese soldiers from the Japanese invasion and colonization of China. Overview. is the adjective for "Japanese" style "Chinese" dishes , or the restaurants in Japan which serve them. Chuka dishes originated in China, but have become modified over the years to suit Japanese taste, often with Japanese or even Western foods. Japanese cooking style have been added, such as in the case of miso-ramen. In other cases, only the noodles are "Chinese", as in the case of hiyashi chūka, which was invented in Sendai in 1937, and uses Western food influences such as sliced cured ham. As meat (other than fish) was not common in Japanese cooking until recently, many meat dishes, particularly pork dishes, are of Chinese origin  or influence. Though formerly Chinese cuisine would have been primarily available in Chinatowns such as those in port cities of Kobe, Nagasaki, or Yokohama, and a number of the dishes are considered meibutsu (regional specialties) of these cities, Japanese-style Chinese cuisine is now commonly available all over Japan. As Japanese restaurants are often specialized to offer only one sort of dish, cuisine is focused primarily on dishes found within three distinct types of restaurants: Ramen restaurants, Dim sum houses, and standard Chinese-style restaurants. Ramen. Ramen (拉麵）(ラーメン), a dish of noodles in broth, usually with meat and vegetable toppings , is occasionally referred to as Chuka Soba (中華そば, lit. "Chinese noodles.") In Japan, ramen is one of the most popular fast-food options. Though every Japanese city has numerous inexpensive ramen restaurants specializing in these noodles, numerous varieties of instant ramen (much like the Japanese equivalent of the frozen TV dinner) are available. These noodles have changed much since their origin in China. Four main types of ramen are widely available in Japan: shio ("salt"), shōyu ("soy sauce"), tonkotsu ("pork bone") and miso ("soybean paste"). While the toppings used in ramen are generalized based on the broth type, this can  vary from shop to shop. As complements to the noodles, ramen restaurants also commonly offer Japanese-style fried rice and gyoza (pan-fried dumplings). Dim sum in Japan. Dim sum (点心 "tenshin" or 飲茶 "yamucha" in Japanese) in Japan is often very different from that which has been popularized in Chinatowns in the United States and Canada. In Japan's Chinatown areas, restaurants in which numerous dishes are brought around to diner's tables on carts do exist. But, in general, dim sum items have only recently begun to gain popularity around Japan. Instead of carrying full menus of authentic , Chinese-oriented items such as stewed chicken's feet or tripe, Japanese dim sum restaurants, now found in larger cities such as Osaka and Tokyo seem to promote a cafe-like atmosphere. At these cafes, tea and snacks often become the focus, instead of full meals. In general, the menus seem to focus on cafe items, such as "Shumai" (燒賣 ,minced pork or shrimp dumplings,) "sho lon po" (小籠包）steamed dumplings with juicy meat inside) and the like. These are usually served alongside of pots of oolong or jasmine tea. Chinese restaurants in Japan. Chinese restaurants (中華料理屋/chūka ryōriya or 中華飯店 /chūka hanten) serve a distinct set of popular dishes that are not necessarily typical of authentic Chinese cuisine. They also cater to Japanese tastes. Currently, most towns in Japan have at least one Chinese eatery, as the cuisine is very popular. There are also many packaged sauces available to easily cook favorite Chinese-Japanese dishes right at home. Some of these typical dishes are: Dishes derived from Sichuan cuisine: Dishes derived from Fujian cuisine: Dishes derived from Cantonese cuisine: Dishes derived from Northeast Chinese cuisine: Dishes derived from Jiangsu cuisine: Dishes derived from Zhejiang cuisine: Other dishes: Japanese Chinese cuisine