This Is Japan
Explore everyday life in Japan
When it comes to Japanese food, there are so many good things to try, from world famous dishes like sushi and shabu-shabu to local specialties like the grilled beef tongue that Sendai is famous for and noppe, an unassuming salad of simmered vegetables that is eaten in Niigata.
Beyond Japanese food, though, there are also many options that are well worth trying. One of them, which is quite popular, is called hamburg (pronounced ham-bahh-goo).
Hamburg is a bit of a hybrid. It looks like a fat, puffy American-style hamburger patty without bread, but it has a texture that is closer to meatloaf. Usually, these hamburg patties are served on piping hot sizzle platters and finish cooking as they spit and fry on the table in front of you.
There are many variations, though, and sometimes they are served with salads or rice. Other times, they are merely seared on the outside and served completely rare on the inside so that you can cook your patty to your liking on a separate sizzle platter that is set on your table with a lit candle inside it to heat its grilling surface.
If you like cheese, you can also order a stuffed hamburg patty, which will ooze molten cheese as you cut into it.
One place that you can always be sure to find a few variations of hamburg on the menu is at a family restaurant. Family restaurants like Gusto, Saizeria, Jonathan's and Royal Host are similar to restaurants like Perkins, Waffle House, and Friendly's in the US. They are restaurants that offer a variety of standard, popular dishes for children and adults and access to a drink bar for a reasonable price. They are also places where you can spend an exorbitant amount of time socializing, studying, reading, or just sitting and thinking without having to worry about whether you are inconveniencing anyone.
The drink bar, coupled with the ability to sit in a booth for hours without feeling unwelcome are what make these restaurants an indispensable part of the Japanese experience. If you spend any significant amount of time in Japan, at some point, you are likely to find yourself at a family restaurant. And when that time comes, you will encounter the Japanese hamburg on the menu.
While other things may appeal to you more, I suggest giving it a shot. Though it may not seem like it, eating hamburg really is a quintessential Japanese experience.
This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.
Hamburg was derived from Hamburg in Germany.
Or not.
I looked into it some more. This dish does come from the German hamburg.
That's a good question. I just quickly checked the etymology of the word in the dictionary and it gave me a link to a British hamburg steak and another link to the German hamburg. I'll have to look into it a little more.
These Hamburgs look delicious.
As a tourist it's not the first thing you would try if you want the authentic Japanese experience but after reading this post I think its ok to give them a try :)
If you get a hankering for something greasy, or if you just want to eat something a little more like you might get back home, they are good. You can also get hamburgs with grated daikon and ponzu sauce on top. That's actually my favorite combination. It feels like the best of both worlds.
@boxcarblue, I love learning about culture and history. Food looks yummy. 🤣
Thanks for checking out my blog and following up on my comment!
Of course! I've only passed through Japan's airports! Never stayed over. Fascinating people
Are the patties only made with beef? Curious.
They can be, but I'm pretty sure most of them here are mixed with pork.
very cool photo and cool post
Thanks for the feedback!
Yummiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii stuff, cool shots!
Thanks! Much appreciated.
Cheese inside? That's new to me.
btw: Ever got the courage to try natto?
Wow! I don't get the satisfaction of showing you new things very often. I figured you'd know about this for sure.
I've had Natto many times. You can't live in Japan and not try it:) Sometimes I really like it, other times it doesn't settle with me very well. It doesn't have as strong a flavor and smell as many suggest, it's more the uniqueness of its flavor and smell that surprises people, I think. On its own, it can be a little bitter, which I don't always like. Mixed with soy sauce, mustard, and other ingredients, though, it can be very good.
I find the hardest thing about eating it is the gooey strings that stretch from it and get stuck on my facial hair. If you can imagine having the essence of a strong smelling cheese, Limburger or something like that, left on your mustache or goatee, you can see why I am sometimes averse to eating natto.
Looks very tasty:) Thank you that I could know your country.
It's a good little meal. Thanks for reading.
Looks very appetizing! Excellent post dear! Thanks a lot!
I'm glad to hear it. Thank you for commenting.
Makes me wanna eat the people beside me -,- I'm super hungry right because of those pics lol
Sorry about that;)