Tempura Audio Guide

Crisp & light · Tokyo

The light, crisp crackle of batter fresh from the oil. Tempura, one of Japan's signature dishes, wraps seasonal seafood and vegetables in a thin coating and fries them to a golden crunch. Across six parts we trace its hi…

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Welcome to the World of Tempura

Welcome to the world of tempura. The instant it reaches your mouth, the freshly fried batter crumbles with a light, crisp sound, and from within emerges the plump sweetness of a shrimp or the fresh, juicy flavor of a seasonal vegetable — this is tempura. A thin batter, fried for just a moment in hot oil. Yet in that single instant lives the delicate skill of the artisan, sealing in the essence of each ingredient. For the people of Japan, it is a familiar dish with many faces — from a casual snack at a stall to a refined course eaten at the counter. For travelers, it is the clearest taste of the 'aesthetics of subtraction' in Japanese cooking — the spirit of letting each ingredient speak for itself. But you may find it surprising to learn that tempura began with a cooking method that arrived from far across the sea. For a little while, let's trace the story held within this light and airy dish together. Let's begin with its unexpected start — the history of tempura.

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