The Food in Studio Ghibli

If you haven’t watched the Studio Ghibli films, I’m sure you have listened to the film soundtracks. Everything in the films looks so whimsical and idyllic. From pictures of scenery to the characters to the food, it draws you in and you just want to be there, to be present.

The food in Studio Ghibli is on another level. The colour gradient and how the food is presented is mouth-watering, it makes you hungry or want to eat it, and many people have tried to recreate the dishes cooked in the various films. Do they have that whimsical aspect? That is for you to judge. Amongst all the dishes featured in these films, there have been many Japanese dishes unique to the Japanese culture itself. Now, what exactly are these dishes and what makes them so special in the Studio Ghibli films?

Satsuki’s Bento Box

Satsuki’s Bento Box appeared in the movie, My Neighbour Totoro. It belonged to Satsuki Kusakabe, one of the characters in the film. Bento Boxes are commonly seen everywhere now, especially when you buy Japanese takeaway from the supermarkets or even Don Don Donki. Bento boxes are also used in catering services, when they want the food to be packed into individual portions. Bento boxes originated from Japan, where it is packed for the individual as take out food or it can be filled with home-cooked food as well.

In Japan, school children have bento boxes in their bags, packed by their mother so that they can eat a nutritious and healthy lunch in school. For workers, they can buy different bento sets at the kombinii, or convenience store like 7-11, whenever they are in a rush so that they can eat on the go. Bento boxes hold a lot of cultural and social value to Japan, and hence bento boxes are significant in the film.

I find Satsuki’s Bento Box interesting, because it is simple but packed full of ingredients. Bento boxes usually contain rice, and I think it’s because rice is filling and goes well with any ingredient. The texture of Japanese rice is different, it has more a sticky texture which makes the rice more chewy and it gives off that glistening sight when hot.

The ingredients are also reflective of the Japanese culture. In the Bento, they have edamame as the vegetable, which could be mistaken for peas or green beans, but they are not. Edamame is a common accompanying dish and it is crunchy on the outside, but sweet on the inside. It could be because Edamame is a more tolerable vegetable for children, compared to vegetables which are very big and have thick stems, this is a way to encourage children to eat some form of vegetables.

You would also realise that on top of the rice, there is a single umeboshi. They are salted preserved Japanese plums, after months of fermentation. Only one or two is eaten with rice because it is salty, but when paired together with the rice, adds a nice tangy flavour to the meal. I think it provides a balanced meal for the taste-buds, able to taste the different distinct flavours from sweet to salty to sour.

There is also a condiment in the Bento box, which is the Sakura Denbu. It is finely shredded dried fish flakes, with cod or sea bream being commonly used. The bright pink colour appeals to children, and children will find their bento box interesting and feel excited to eat their bento box. Sakura Denbu is a little bit sweet and salty at the same time, hence it adds another dimension to the taste of the bento. It also has a fluffy texture, making it a perfect pair with the rice.

Well, we finally get to the main ingredient. The smoked mackerel, also known as saba fish. I think the portion size is just nice for children to finish, and it has less bones to pick compared to the average fish. It goes well with any type of sauce, from miso to soy sauce. It can also be eaten plain, just grilled on both sides. This definitely is the main star of the bento box, and the rest of the ingredients complement it well.

This definitely shows one side of Japanese culture, specifically what school children ate for lunch. Every parent and school would want to ensure their children is getting a nutritious, healthy meal, that tastes delicious at the same time. Often time we think healthy food doesn’t taste as good, but Japanese food proves to us that healthy food can taste good, it can look appealing, and you can eat the dishes without sacrificing your health.

Japanese curry

We definitely can’t ignore this dish, Japanese curry. It can be found in several films, such as From up on the Poppy Hill and the Cat Returns.

Japanese curry is different from the curries we are used to, it is thicker and it’s also known for being less spicy or not spicy at all compared to conventional curry. Some of the ingredients in Japanese curry are potatoes, carrots and onions. Different types of meat can be used in the curry like chicken and pork and sometimes some meats are fried to accompany the Japanese curry. Many of you may have eaten Tonkatsu curry or karaage curry. Some people consider Japanese curry as a national dish and I think it is worthy of that title.

It also have the Japanese glutinous rice, hot with steam coming out of it, fresh out from the rice cooker. With the Japanese curry, it is a heartwarming dish and you can taste the effort put in the make the Japanese curry. Japanese curry alone is enough to make a meal feel filling and satisfying, and it’s definitely something you should try.

All the ingredients work in harmony in the Japanese curry, with the curry roux itself being a little bit sweet and savoury, and the potatoes adding a soft, chewy texture to the dish. The carrots are sweet and are softened when mixed into the curry. The caramelised onions add a savoury flavour that cuts through the dish, and it adds flavour to the dish.

Ultimately, Japanese curry is a popular home-cooked dish and meal, and it’s a popular one-pot recipe till today. It shows that dishes from others people’s culture can be adapted to suit the nation’s tastes and put their own unique spin to the dish. It’s certainly an effect of globalisation, and everyone shares some semblance of another’s culture, reflected in the food itself.

Nabeyaki Udon

Nabeyaki Udon can be found in the film Whisper of the Heart, and it is a common one-pot dish packed full of ingredients to form a hearty meal for the winter season. It is a comforting meal to warm people up in the cold and they can savour every single bite.

Some of the common ingredients are shrimp tempera, kamaboko fish cake, fried tofu, mushrooms and udon noodles in a dashi broth. People can customise their udon to their liking by adding other ingredients, such as carrots, green onion, chicken or a raw egg cracked on top of all the ingredients, waiting for it to cook in the hot pot and a runny yolk to emerge to make a thick soup.

The dashi soup has an umami taste, where you can taste many flavours at once and none of the flavours are too overpowering, but instead, each flavour works together in harmony to create a comprehensive dish.

The noodles used in the dish is udon, a thick, chewy type of noodle. They are usually served in a hot soup, which enhances the taste of udon and the udon can absorb some of the flavours in the soup and the ingredients. Another key ingredient is that Kamaboko fish cake, usually found in udon or ramen or noodles with soup, and it is white and pink in colour. It is made from minced white fish and formed into different shapes or any shape that you desire. It adds a pop of colour to the dish, similar to the sakura denbu.

Nabeyaki Udon is a testament of how Japanese culture can adapt to the different seasons and add ingredients suited for the weather itself. In the winter, after coming back from work, people can help themselves to Nabeyaki Udon, a hot and comforting dish in the winter that doesn’t compromise on taste and tastes equally as flavourful despite the change in seasons. In the summer, when it is hot outside, they can eat Bukkake Udon, with chilled udon noodles.

Conclusion

There are many other Japanese dishes in Studio Ghibli movies, such as the ramen in Ponyo, or the onigiri in Spirited Away. It all promotes food in Japanese culture, and the variety of the dishes suited for people of different ages, from the young to the old. It is adaptable to different seasons in Japan, a marker of time and the present. I hope the food in Studio Ghibli continues to stand the test of time, for future generations to appreciate their own culture too. Maybe after reading this, you want to recreate some of these dishes too!