Japan Officially Dubs Frozen Food As Its Dish Of The Year For 2022
Past dishes of the year were non-alcoholic drinks, tapioca boba, and mackerel.
By Jasmine Chea — 09 Dec 2022, 06:06 PM
Japan has officially named its dish of the year, and no, it is not sushi or ramen.
It's frozen food!
Hosted and unveiled by restaurant guide Gurunavi Research Institute, the event revealed the "dish of the year", which comprised of a variety of frozen goods such as different meats, pizzas, and desserts.
To highlight the evolving food trends in Japan, the "dish of the year" event is hosted annually with past winners encompassing non-alcoholic drinks (2021), tapioca boba (2019), and mackerel (2018), just to name a few.
The Gurunavi Research Institute is a website that conducts research on food culture, food technology, and ICT and web research.
Frozen food was chosen as Japan's number one dish of 2022 to reflect its rise in popularity amongst Japanese citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic
According to CNN, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs recorded a 20% increase in frozen food purchased per family from 2019 to 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, thus, reflecting the change in Japan's social climate.
Due to movement restrictions, many Japanese people were unable to buy fresh food to cook with on the daily, therefore, opting to buy frozen food that can be used for a week before having to be restocked.
Most restaurants were also forced to flash-freeze their foods to meet the demand for takeout orders they received during the pandemic.
Frozen foods are also quickly becoming Japan's favourite convenience foods because they save time and limit food waste, which is important for those who have large families to feed as well as with the senior citizens.
"It will become an even more indispensable presence in Japanese food culture in the future," the research institute said.
