Tai is a red sea bream, while yaki refers to food cooked over a direct heat for example, yakisoba, okonomiyaki, yaki udon, and teriyaki.ĭuring the Meiji era (1868-1912), Seijirō Kanbei moved to Tokyo from Osaka to set up a shop selling imagawayaki. What is the origin of bungeo-ppang or taiyaki?īetween 1910 and the end of WWII in 1945, Korea had been annexed by Japan, and it was during this time that the Japanese introduced Koreans to their bean-filled fish-shaped waffle, taiyaki. This belief is extended in Buddhism so that by balancing body and mind, we each have the ability to reach Nirvana. In ancient Vedic mythology, a pair of fish represent the positive and negative elements that come together to create all life in the world, while the water in which the fish live represents consciousness. Newlyweds are often given plates decorated with a pair of golden carp. In Asian culture, the carp also represents fertility, and a pair – often used to represent a happy marriage – is symbolic of the union of male and female energies, of mind and heart, of creating balance. In addition, the Chinese word for carp is lǐ (鲤), which is pronounced similarly to the words for profit, 利 and strength 力 (although the tones are slightly different). 鱼 is also pronounced the same as 余 (also, yú) – which means “more” (as in abundance). This Dragon Gate (lóngmén) – aka Yu’s Doorway (Yǔ ménkǒu) – is in a narrow gorge where the Huang He river separates the provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi, and said to be where Dà yǔ split the mountain in two, and founded the Xia dynasty around 4000 years ago.įurthermore, in keeping with this propensity for visual puns, the Chinese character for fish is 鱼 – yú. Lucky fish in Asian mythologyĪccording to the Chinese legend, “lǐyú tiào lóngmén” (literally, “Carp Jumping Dragon Gate”), the carp can swim upstream, jump to the top of a waterfall called the Dragon Gate, and transform into a dragon. Furthermore, thanks to it producing a plethora of eggs, the carp symbolises abundance. This is due to its ability – much like that of the salmon – to swim upstream in order to reach its spawning grounds, despite the current trying to force it downstream. The carp is a symbol of luck in many countries around the world but particularly in East and Southeast Asia, where it’s symbolic of perseverance in the face of adversity. Bread is a bit of a misnomer, however, because bungeo-ppang is essentially a stuffed waffle.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |