Japan

Signature Dish: Sushi (Nigiri Style)
Japan has no single legal national dish. Sushi is the best-known Japanese food worldwide and expresses key values: rice at meal's center, seasonality, freshness, visual beauty. Ramen became a modern national dish due to ubiquity and regional variations post-WWII. Tonkatsu and curry rice represent yoshoku (Western-adapted dishes) that Japan 'Japanized.' Together, these show Japan's adaptation of foreign influences while maintaining distinct identity.

Recipes from Japan