Holiday Ayo - Tempura is a staple in Japanese cuisine, consisting of seafood or vegetables covered in batter and deep-fried. Unlike fried foods in the West, tempura is known for its light, crunchy, and not too greasy batter.

But who would have thought, the food was not native to that country. Instead, it came from the Portuguese who came to Japan in 1543. Relations between the two countries went well because of trade activities between Japan and the Portuguese.

Starting from weapons and some items such as soap, tobacco, wool, to food recipes. Unfortunately, the Portuguese were expelled in 1639 by the shogunate ruler Lemitsu. The reason for this expulsion was due to the incessant Catholic missionaries from Portugal to spread Christianity in Japan.

Actually, the relationship between Japan and Portugal at that time was going quite well. The Portuguese left behind a recipe for fried long beans called Peixinhos da Horta. This recipe was introduced by a Portuguese Catholic missionary to the Japanese people in Nagasaki, Kyushu, in the 16th century.

At that time, Japan was in a period of sakoku (self-isolation). At that time Japan cut ties with the world, except with Portugal, the Netherlands, and China who traded in the port city of Nagasaki. These Portuguese missionaries made tempura as a substitute for meat during Lent.

The name “tempura” comes from the Latin phrase “ad tempora cuaresme” which means “At the time of Fasting.” The Japanese people misunderstood and named this dish "tempura".

However, this is still debated because there are countries that have similar dishes. Food historians speculate that Portuguese tempura came from a dish from Goa in India called Pakora.

When it was first introduced, tempura was not very popular because it was rarely cooked. This is because the frying cooking technique is a “foreign” thing. Possibly at that time the price of oil was so expensive. In fact, these foods need a lot of oil.

That changed in the Edo Period (1603 – 1867), when the production of vegetable oil and sesame oil increased rapidly in Japan.

Tempura is consumed as a snack, not a dish. However, due to the flammable Japanese wood architecture, this type of food is still rarely cooked at home, but rather in upscale restaurants.