Bento

Bento is also an alternate version or nickname in Portuguese for the name Benedito (Benedict). For the Portuguese retired football (soccer) goalkeeper, see Manuel Bento

Bento served at a restaurant

Bentō (弁当 or べんとう) is a single-portion takeout meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables as a side dish. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquerware. While bento are readily available at convenience stores and bento shops (弁当屋, bentō-ya) throughout Japan, it is still considered an essential skill of a Japanese housewife to be able to prepare an appealing boxed lunch.

Bento can be very elaborate, aesthetically pleasing cuisine arrangements. Often the food is arranged in such a way as to resemble other objects: dolls, flowers, leaves, and so forth.

History

The origin of bento can be traced back to the late Kamakura Period (1185 to 1333), when cooked and dried rice called hoshi-ii (糒 or 干し飯, literally "dried meal") was developed. Hoshi-ii can be eaten as is, or can be boiled with water to make cooked rice, and is stored in a small bag. In the Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1568 to 1600), wooden lacquered boxes like today's were produced and bento would be eaten during a hanami or a tea party.

A typical 1000 Yen ekiben, purchased at Tokyo Station

In the peaceful and prosperous time of the Edo Period (1603 to 1867), bento culture spread and became more refined. Travelers and sightseers would carry a simple koshibentō (腰弁当, "waist bento"), consisting of several onigiri wrapped with bamboo leaves or in a woven bamboo box. One of the most popular styles of bento, called makuno-uchi bentō ("between-scene bento"), was first made during this period. People who came to see Noh and Kabuki ate specially prepared bento between maku (scenes). Numerous cookbooks were published detailing how to cook, how to pack, and what to prepare for occasions like Hanami and Hinamatsuri.

In the Meiji Period (1868 to 1912), the first ekibentō or ekiben (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, at the Utsunomiya train station, and contained two onigiri and a serving of takuan wrapped in bamboo leaves. As early schools did not provide lunch, students and teachers carried bento, as did many employees. A "European" style bento with sandwiches also went on sale during this period.

In the Taisho period (1912 to 1926), the aluminum bento 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, following an export boom during World War I and subsequent crop failures in the Tohoku region. A bento too often reflected a student's 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. After World War II, the practice of bringing bento to school gradually declined and was replaced by uniform food provided for all students and teachers.

Bento regained its popularity in the 1980s, with the help of the microwave oven and the proliferation of convenience stores. In addition, the expensive wood and metal boxes have been replaced at most bento shops with inexpensive, disposable polystyrene boxes. However, even handmade bento have made a comeback, and they are once again a common, although not universal, sight at Japanese schools. (Their concomitant problems have not been avoided: the quality of bento is still very often a reflection of students' home situation.)

Bento is also popular in Taiwan. Biendang (便當) made its way to Taiwan in the first half of the 20th century from Japan, where it remains very popular to the present day. The term is a loan word from the Japanese word in Taiwanese Mandarin.

In 2003, airports started offering an analogous version of the ekiben: bento filled with local cuisine, to be eaten while waiting for an airplane or during the flight.

How to make a bento

A bento is traditionally made in a 4:3:2:1 ratio: 4 parts of rice, 3 parts of the side dish (either meat or fish), 2 parts of vegetables, and 1 part of a serving of pickled vegetables or a dessert. However, almost anything can be used to make a bento.

Several precautions should be taken when making a bento. The most important thing is to avoid food poisoning, especially in summer. Foods should be cooked well and the bento must be stored in a cool, dry location. If sushi is a part of the bento, it should be prepared with more wasabi than normal. Foods covered with sauce should be carefully packed, or avoided altogether, as sauce may spill over on to the other foods. When cooked rice is a part of a bento, it should be cooled by leaving the bento open first. If a bento is closed before it is sufficiently cooled, the steam from the rice will condense inside the bento and make the food soggy.

Shōkadō bentō

Japanese Lunchbox

(松花堂弁当) is a traditional black-lacquered Japanese bento box, a type of lunchbox. It inspired IBM's ThinkPad design.

Types of bento

• Chūka bentō (中華弁当) are filled with Chinese food. While Chinese do have cold plates, it is more for appetizers or midnight "snack". The food that is associated with chuka bento was invented in Japan.

• Kamameshi bentō (釜飯弁当) are sold at train stations in the Nagano prefecture. A bento is packed in a clay pot and cooked. This clay pot is a souvenir item.

Hinomaru style rice in a Makunouchi bento

• Makunouchi bentō (幕の内弁当) is a classic style of bento with rice, a pickled ume fruit (umeboshi), a slice of broiled salmon, a rolled egg, etc.

• Noriben (海苔弁) is the simplest bento, with nori dipped in soy sauce covering cooked rice.

• Sake bentō (鮭弁当) is a simple bento with a slice of broiled salmon (鮭, saki) as the main dish.

• Shidashi bentō (仕出し弁当) is made in a restaurant and delivered during lunch. This bento is often eaten at a gathering like a funeral or a party. It is usually packed with traditional Japanese foods like tempura, rice and pickled vegetables. A shidashi bento packed with European-style food is also available.

• Sushizume (鮨詰め) literally means "packed sushi", and is a bento filled with sushi.

• Hinomaru bento (日の丸弁当) is the name for a bento consisting of plain white rice with an umeboshi in the centre. The name was taken from the Hinomaru, the Japanese flag, which has a white background with a red circle in the centre. Pure Hinomaru bento only consists of rice and umeboshi to flavor rice without any other side dishes. Corrosion of metal bento boxes by the acid of umeboshi was used to be popular in Japan, and eventually makes a hole in the middle of the lid.

Other

• Hokaben (ホカ弁) is any kind of bento bought at take-out bento shops. Freshly cooked hot (hokka hoka) rice is usually served with freshly prepared side dishes. The name was popularized after a pioneering take-out bento franchise in the field, Hokka Hokka Tei.
• Hayaben (早弁), literally "early bento", is eating a bento before lunch, and having another lunch afterward.
• Dokaben (ドカベン) is a baseball manga of which the title came from the protagonist, Taro Yamada's large bento box (dokaben).

See also

• Japanese cuisine
• Tiffin
• The OpenDoc compound document file format was called Bento.

External links

• Bento*弁当 An artistic Bento blog site (Japanese & English).
• Bento Corner An English language blog about creating bentos, especially bentos for children.
• O-Bento Net An Italian comprehensive website dedicated to the bento, featuring an internal bento blog, recipes, advices on packing bento, bento history, bento competitions, events, tutorials, and much more.
• Bento Business A UK bento site with a gallery of bento shops and accessories in Japan, plus illustrated bento recipes.
• Cooking Cute: a bento site A comprehensive site dedicated to the art of bento featuring a bento blog, recipes, tips on packing bento, bento history, resources for bento boxes and supplies, tutorials, and more.
• Bento TV A video blog featuring bento recipes, bento packing tips, and demos of bento making tools.
• Science Channel's The Making Series: #33 Making of Convenience Store Bento (video in Japanese)
• to make quick bento every morning Attractive lunches with a minimum of morning prep. With beautiful pictures and great tips.