{"id":48745,"date":"2022-05-06T21:21:06","date_gmt":"2022-05-06T19:21:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sushiya.de\/?page_id=48745"},"modified":"2023-04-11T10:44:33","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T08:44:33","slug":"bento","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sushiya.de\/en\/washoku\/bento\/","title":{"rendered":"Bent\u014d - all about the Japanese lunch boxes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What is Bent\u014d?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A Bent\u014d is in Japan what the Butterstulle is in Germany - but on a much higher level.\u00a0<\/p>

Because where the buttered sandwich is simply meant to fill you up and be nutritious, each Bent\u014d is a little work of art. The eye eats with you, as is customary in Japanese cuisine. Home-made Bent\u014d naturally look somewhat different from the Bent\u014d offered by restaurants, hotels and specialized stores.<\/p>

Important to know: Bent\u014d(-box) refers to both the entire take-out meal and the container, i.e., the \"snack box.\" In Japanese, the pure box without contents, i.e. the non-edible container, is sometimes called Bent\u014d-bako (\u5f01\u5f53\u7bb1) to differentiate it.<\/i><\/p>

There are many different shapes and styles of Bent\u014d, from the simplest boxes made at home for school children to the haute cuisine of top chefs in fine boxes made of Japanese cedar.<\/p>

Classic Bent\u014d usually includes rice as a filling food.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The side dishes, carefully composed of various vegetables, tofu, egg, fish and meat, and often a fruity dessert, are tastefully and aesthetically coordinated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

In terms of nutritional value, quantity and calorie content, a Bent\u014d is a full meal. And that in turn clearly distinguishes it from the buttered sandwich, which fills you up and provides energy, but is often not balanced.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Fukiyose Bento from March 24, 2022 at sansaro in Munich - a small work of art<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Where does the word Bent\u014d come from?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The word Bent\u014d comes from the Japanese language. A way food was already known in Japan in the fifth century, however, the food was transported in the past still in simple baskets or in cloths. A stylishly wrapped Bent\u014d is still wrapped in the furoshiki today. The concept of the Bent\u014d, however, as we know it today, did not appear until the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573 - 1603). During this warlike period, commander Oda Nobunaga had the people supplied with provisions in boxes made of lacquered wood.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What does Bent\u014d mean?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The word Bent\u014d (\u5f01\u5f53) refers on the one hand to the meal for on the go, and on the other hand to the box in which this food is stored and transported, which in many cases also serves as eating utensils.\u00a0<\/p>

So first of all, Bent\u014d means \"takeaway food.\"<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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How to write Bent\u014d?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Bent\u014d is written with two kanji. Kanji are the Sino-Japanese characters that carry both sound and meaning. In the case of the Bent\u014d (\u5f01\u5f53), the takeaway is composed of the kanji for \"language,\" \"dialect,\" \"distinction,\" or \"leaf\" (Ben \u5f01) and the kanji for the verb \"to meet\" or \"to apply\" (t\u014d, ateru, or ataru \u5f53).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The direct translation of the word \"Bent\u014d\" is thus quite a poetic matter: people meet (to eat together), come together, and linguistically as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

This is because Japan was and is strongly characterized by dialects, especially in rural regions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Interpreted more down-to-earth, however, Bent\u014d (\u5f01\u5f53) then simply means that the food was probably first wrapped in leaves to be transported...<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The origin of Bent\u014d could be rice balls wrapped in leaves<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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What's in a Bent\u014d box?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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What exactly a Bent\u014d box can hold is, of course, defined by the design of the box. Most boxes for household use hold about 1,000 milliliters. If restaurants and specialized stores prepare the boxes, there are of course other possibilities than in private households.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Nutritionally balanced composition<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A Bent\u014d is usually assembled according to the \"3:2:1 rule\".\u00a0<\/p>

In terms of volume, there are three parts carbohydrates to two parts proteins and two parts other. Other includes fruits and vegetables.\u00a0<\/p>

Notes for Bent\u014d freaks: in non-Japanese countries a 4:2:1 rule is also mentioned again and again.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>

However, we could not find any sources on this in Japan, so we are not sure if this 4:2:1 rule really exists, or if on the internet some people copied incorrectly from each other? As always, if you have a question or a different level of knowledge, feel free to write us<\/a>! We gratefully follow up every hint...<\/i><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A Bent\u014d classically always means a balanced mix of different food groups<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Room temperature food<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Bent\u014d is usually eaten at room temperature.\u00a0<\/p>

The selection of the individual dishes takes this into account: Only what tastes good at room temperature goes into the box. At least, that is the classic - however, thermal boxes are now also sold in Japan, in which the Bent\u014d remains warm (or cold in the hot summer) for a few hours.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Typical Japanese: 5 flavors<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Just as important as the nutritional balance is the flavor balance. All five flavors are included in Bent\u014d:<\/p>