{"id":11,"date":"2008-11-13T00:45:03","date_gmt":"2008-11-13T04:45:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/japanese\/?p=11"},"modified":"2018-07-27T18:14:34","modified_gmt":"2018-07-27T18:14:34","slug":"ocha-%e3%81%8a%e3%81%a1%e3%82%83","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/japanese\/ocha-%e3%81%8a%e3%81%a1%e3%82%83\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese Food: Ocha (\u304a\u3061\u3083)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ocha (\u304a\u3061\u3083<\/strong>) is the Japanese word for tea.\u00a0 Japanese tea is important to the Japanese culture.\u00a0 It serves many important functions.\u00a0 Sometimes ocha (\u304a\u3061\u3083<\/strong>) is served for the purpose of relaxation, sometimes for ceremony, and at other times it can serve as a source of treatment for\u00a0one’s health.<\/p>\n

\"\"There are many different kinds of tea consumed in Japan.\u00a0 The most popular is called Sencha (\u305b\u3093\u3061\u3083<\/strong>).\u00a0 Sen (\u714e<\/strong>) means roasted while cha (\u8336<\/strong>) means tea.\u00a0 Like the name says, the leaves of this tea\u00a0are roasted in the fire and left to dry in the open.\u00a0 It is worth mentioning that it is not customary for Japanese people to put sugar in their teas like the British are known to do.\u00a0 As a result, some Westerners may find Sencha (\u305b\u3093\u3061\u3083<\/strong>) to be a bit bitter tasting.\u00a0 However Sencha (\u305b\u3093\u3061\u3083<\/strong>) is very good for your health.\u00a0 I actually drink it quite often myself.\u00a0 It’s useful for regulating body temperature; especially if you have a predispostion for abnormal sweating.\u00a0 (Which is good because less sweating = less body odor.)<\/p>\n

The next most well-known tea is Genmaicha (\u3052\u3093\u307e\u3044\u3061\u3083<\/strong>).\u00a0 Gen (\u7384<\/strong><\/span>) means dark, while mai (\u7c73<\/strong>) means rice.\u00a0 Genmaicha (\u3052\u3093\u307e\u3044\u3061\u3083<\/strong>) is a mixture of brown rice and green tea.\u00a0 A lot of people mistake this tea as having popcorn as one of its main ingredients.\u00a0 What they don’t realize is that some kernels of rice actually pop and open up like a flower, creating an appearance like that of an individually popped corn.\u00a0 Genmaicha (\u3052\u3093\u307e\u3044\u3061\u3083<\/strong>) is great because you can actually make it at home instead of buying it at the store.<\/p>\n

For those of you on a budget, here’s what I suggest you do: 1) First toast a tablespoon of brown rice on a stovetop burner until it turns a nice dark brown color.\u00a0 Remember I said brown, not black.\u00a0 If it turns black, you probably burnt it!\u00a0 2) Then cool off the rice and when it’s cooled, mix it with a teaspoon of green tea leaves in a strainer.\u00a0 3) Boil about a cup of water and pour the water over the rice and leaves.\u00a0 4) Put a lid over the rice and leaves for about a minute, or until you see a yellowish color to the liquid.\u00a0\u00a0This is the last step.\u00a0 Now all you have to do is drink it!\u00a0 Oh and don’t forget, make sure you use brown rice.\u00a0 White rice will not give you a rich, nutty flavor like brown rice.\u00a0 If you don’t like it so nutty flavored,\u00a0try adding more water.<\/p>\n

The tea that I’m going to introduce right now is one of my favorites.\u00a0 This tea is called Hoojicha (\u307b\u3046\u3058\u3061\u3083<\/strong>).\u00a0 This tea will give off a dark red or light black or brown color.\u00a0 It’s different from other teas in that it’s baked over charcoal rather than roasted.\u00a0 Also, Hoojicha (\u307b\u3046\u3058\u3061\u3083<\/strong>)\u00a0is made from twigs rather than the actual tea leaves.\u00a0 Therefore, it has less of a stronger taste than Sencha (\u305b\u3093\u3061\u3083<\/strong>) or Genmaicha (\u3052\u3093\u307e\u3044\u3061\u3083<\/strong>).\u00a0 \u00a0I especially like this tea because it has no caffeine.\u00a0 I wish I had some Hoojicha (\u307b\u3046\u3058\u3061\u3083<\/strong>) right now.\u00a0 That way I wouldn’t be figeting and up at odd hours of the night and writing this blog at the same time!<\/p>\n

Now there are many more teas that I have not mentioned in this post.\u00a0 Go out and try some, because you never know unless you try.\u00a0 You might not like some of them, but who knows, you might find one you really like and become a tea addict!\u00a0 Unlike coffee, tea has some restorative effects on your immune system, so it might not be too bad if you were to become a tea junky!\u00a0 Furthermore it’s legal too!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ocha (\u304a\u3061\u3083) is the Japanese word for tea.\u00a0 Japanese tea is important to the Japanese culture.\u00a0 It serves many important functions.\u00a0 Sometimes ocha (\u304a\u3061\u3083) is served for the purpose of relaxation, sometimes for ceremony, and at other times it can serve as a source of treatment for\u00a0one’s health. There are many different kinds of tea…<\/p>\n

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