A bento is a Japanese lunchbox which usually consists of rice with a selection of vegetables and seafood or meat. In restaurants they are usually served in wooden lacquered boxes or for take away in polystyrene containers – both versions with several compartments to separate the different food items. There are also plastic two / three-tier lunchboxes for the home made version.
The word bento was first referenced in the English language when Richard Cocks, Head of the Japan post for the British East India Company, wrote in his diary about being presented with a bento by his Japanese host. The word was first used in English on 23 November 1616 in a diary entry. It doesn’t say whether he enjoyed the bento, but since he was based in Japan as head of the British East India Company for ten years, this was perhaps a sufficient amount of time to grow accustomed to pickled ginger, sticky Japanese rice and other classic bento ingredients.
Japanese wives and mothers are at the realm of the bento tradition since they make them for the children and husband at the start of the day working day. These lunches are nutritionally balanced and lovingly prepared with a wide array of cooking techniques employed to create the perfect bento. For children of nursery age there are kyaraben. This bento contains different foods cleverly crafted into cute character shapes, whether its sausages shaped like octopus or rice balls that look like pandas. The official line is that this type of bento encourages fussy little eaters to enjoy their food, but most likely the real reason lies in the competition between mums to outdo each other with their creative talents and cute food creations. Dads and husbands can also look forward to their bento at lunchtime – perhaps a different variation everyday with wives showing their appreciation through every flower shaped pickle and heart shaped boiled egg (yes, there exists a gadget to shape your boiled eggs into hearts).
For everyone else on their lunchbreak, there are cheap, questionably-nutritious convenience store bentos or bentos from specialist fast food bento shops. They are an easy meal to grab on the go and, when faced with the choice of a bento or convenience store sandwiches, a far more edible option.
Everyone loves a bento. They are a mainstay of Japanese cuisine whether enjoyed at the office, on a picnic or when sitting on the train. It’s a meal idea that is catching on in Asian restaurants in the West, but Japanese food can be an acquired taste and whether they ever rival the trendy image of their sushi counterpart remains to be seen.
