Chazuke

Ochazuke

Chazuke (茶漬け, ちゃづけ) or ochazuke (お茶漬け, from o + cha tea + tsuke submerge) is a simple Japanese dish made by pouring green tea,^[1] dashi, or hot water over cooked rice,^[2] roughly in the same proportion as milk over cereal, usually with savoury toppings.

Common toppings include Japanese pickles^[1] (tsukemono), umeboshi, nori (seaweed), furikake, sesame seeds, tarako and mentaiko (salted and marinated pollock roe), salted salmon, shiokara (pickled seafood), scallions^[1] and wasabi.^[1]

Chazuke provides a good way to use leftover rice as a quick snack because this dish is easy to make. It is also known as cha-cha gohan.

This dish first became popular in the Heian period, when water was most commonly poured over rice,^[3] but beginning in the Edo period, tea was often used instead.^[4]

In Kyoto, ochazuke is known as bubuzuke. When a Kyoto native asks if a guest wants to eat bubuzuke, it may really mean that the person has overstayed and is being politely asked to leave.

Since the 1970s packaged "instant ochazuke," consisting of freeze-dried toppings and seasonings, have become popular.

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  Chazuke with umeboshi and chicken filet

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  Close-up of the same dish

References

1. Seductions of Rice - Jeffrey Alford, Naomi Duguid. p. 213.
2. Dining Guide to Japan: Find the Right Restaurant, Order the Right Dish, and Pay the Right Price - Boye Lafayette De Mente. pp. 104-105.
3. Tale of Genji 21, 27, 47, 51, 54; Pillow Book 186: "If a man that's so drunk can't help staying overnight with me, I won't serve him even a hot water rice."
4. Morisada Mankoh (Ch.4) attributes the origin of tea-rice to Edo during Meireki years, which became popular in Kansai area during Genroku.

External links