Chazuke

Chazuke (literally: Soaked in tea) is a bowl of rice served with green tea poured on it. Chazuke is usually enjoyed with salty foods, such as dried fish, pickled vegetables, and seaweed. Chazuke is a common meal in the Japanese diet, and has been loved for a long time as Japanese soul food. Although chazuke is currently made with Japanese green tea, it is believed chazuke was first enjoyed with just hot and cold water. This original style of chazuke was referred to as Yuzuke (soaked in hot water) and Suihan (soaked in cold water). This practice appeared in Japan's (and the world's) oldest novel, the Tale of Genji, which established chazuke's history for over 1,000 years in Japan.

It wasn't until the middle of the Edo Period (around 1650) when people began enjoying chazuke with Japanese green tea easily at home. Until then, Japanese green tea wasn't as readily available to common folk. With the increase in green tea production, there was a rise in chazuke shops which specialized in serving chazuke as a fast food. Chazuke wasn't only popular for it's convenience, but also for it's great flavor and functionality. During the Edo Period, the Japanese could not keep their rice warm after it was cooked each morning. This resulted in the rice going cold or bad by the end of the day. By pouring hot green tea over the rice, the Japanese could enjoy the rice's flavor even later in the day.

It's very easy to enjoy chazuke in modern day Japan. In 1952, the well-known brand Nagatanien invented their instant chazuke products. These products are still enjoyed in Japan and around the world to this day. Inside instant chazuke packs are seaweed, rice crackers, green tea powder, and flavoring. There are a lot of chazuke flavors, such as salmon, pickled plum, and cod roe. A versatile dish, chazuke is enjoyed as a quick breakfast, lunch, or midnight snack thanks to how easy it is to make a bowl.

Pick up a few packs of Nagatanien's world-famous chazuke while you're on vacation with Japan Deluxe Tours. You can also enjoy chazuke at select hotel breakfast buffets featured on our line of Cherry Blossom Japan Tours & Southern Japan vacation packages available Spring or Year-Round!