[The Story of Tempura in the Edo Period]

During the Edo period, “tempura” was a familiar street food dish in the lives of commoners. Alongside sushi and soba, tempura was counted among the “Three Great Edo Delicacies” (Edo no Sanmi), symbolizing the city's dining culture. While today tempura is strongly associated with home cooking, prepared side dishes, or high-end counter dining, in Edo's streets, it was cherished as a casual fast food sold at stalls lining the alleys. The densely packed row houses where townspeople lived were prone to frequent fires. From a fire prevention perspective, restrictions were likely placed on cooking with oil indoors. Consequently, tempura developed as a convenient street food, flourishing into a unique aspect of Edo's food culture. Moreover, tempura skewers cost around four mon each, equivalent to about 100 yen in today's terms—a very affordable price.

While there are various theories about the origin of tempura, the most widely accepted one suggests it was introduced from Portugal. During the Kamakura period, vegetarian Buddhist cuisine (shojin ryori) was brought from China alongside Zen Buddhism. Since this cuisine avoids animal products, oil became a crucial energy source, leading to the development of frying vegetables in oil. There is no definitive theory regarding the kanji characters for “天麩羅” (tempura). They are often interpreted as phonetic adaptations: “天” (ten) meaning “highly fried,” “麩” (fu) meaning “wheat flour,” and “羅” (ra) meaning “thin batter coating.” Another theory suggests it was written as “天麩羅” (abura) from “abura” (oil), hinting at its oil-based nature.

A cooking method resembling modern tempura is recorded in the 1748 publication “Kasen no Kumiito”: “Tempura is made by coating any fish with udon noodle flour and frying it in oil. However, for tempura made with kiku leaves, burdock root, lotus root, yam, or any other ingredient, one should coat it with udon flour mixed with water and soy sauce before frying.” This shows that by this time, people were eating something nearly identical to modern tempura. Furthermore, the late Edo period reference work “Morisada Manko,” describing customs and objects, lists tempura ingredients as: “Edo tempura uses conger eel, shrimp, young yellowtail, scallop meat, and dried squid.” The abundance of these fresh seafood caught in the waters around Edo greatly contributed to the popularity of Edo-style tempura. Notably, in Edo, only fried fish was called “tempura”; fried vegetables were distinguished as “shojin age” (Buddhist vegetarian fried dishes) or simply “age-mono” (fried food).

At street stalls, each piece of tempura was skewered before frying. When eating, diners would dip the skewer directly into a sauce made by mixing soy sauce with dashi broth and grated daikon radish, leaving the skewer attached. Since customers dipped their skewers into a large communal bowl of sauce, it is said there was an unwritten rule against re-dipping the same skewer twice, akin to a “no double-dipping” policy. This eating style resembles the current kushikatsu culture in Osaka. Edo had many manual laborers like carpenters and plasterers, and tempura, which used plenty of oil, was valued as a precious, high-calorie source. However, it's also said that sophisticated Edoites disliked feeling heavy after eating too much at once, so it was considered stylish to grab just one or two pieces and leave quickly.

Some stall signs featured phrases like “Sesame Oil Fry” or “Kaya Oil,” with the type of oil used serving as an indicator of quality. The primary oils employed were sesame oil and rapeseed oil. Sesame oil was particularly favored because it suppressed the fishy odor of seafood, imparted a fragrant finish, and was resistant to oxidation. Rapeseed oil was used for vegetable-based tempura. Being inexpensive and allowing for large-scale production, it suited the common people. Oil was originally a costly commodity, used primarily for temple and shrine lanterns. However, advances in oil extraction techniques and increased rapeseed cultivation made it accessible to the common folk by the late Edo period. Technologies like waterwheels and wooden presses called “shimegi” evolved, and rapeseed cultivation increased under shogunate leadership. An interesting folk tale about tempura even suggests that Tokugawa Ieyasu's cause of death was “sea bream tempura.” It's intriguing that tempura, a commoner's food, became part of the shogun's lore.

By the late Edo period, tempura began appearing in high-end restaurants, transforming from fast food into a dish eaten seated with chopsticks. With the Meiji era, specialized tempura shops emerged. A new business model called “ozashiki tempura” also emerged, in which chefs would visit customers' homes, set up their equipment in the tatami room, and fry the tempura right before their eyes. However, street stalls never disappeared from the streets, ensuring tempura never lost its commoner roots. The catalyst for tempura's nationwide spread following its popularity in Edo came after the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake. Craftsmen who lost their jobs migrated to various regions, spreading the technique of tempura using Edo-style seafood. This established tempura as a staple flavor for the common people throughout Japan.

Even today, shops preserving the distinctive Edo flavor, marked by the aroma of sesame oil, remain in various regions. Among these, the Shitamachi area around Asakusa is particularly known for its gathering of down-to-earth tempura shops. One of Japan's oldest surviving tempura shops is Asakusa's “Sansada,” founded in 1837 (Tenpo 8). Edo's tempura culture, which began with street stalls, still thrives in the downtown area as the taste of Edo. Tempura is a Japanese dish beloved by many people across generations, from home kitchens to high-end restaurants.

Nakamura Douki's Tempura Pot
https://www.shokunin.com/en/nakamuradouki/tempura.html

References
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/天ぷら
https://www.kiwamino.com/articles/columns/26562
https://www.rekishijin.com/14541
https://www.abura.gr.jp/contents/shiryoukan/rekishi/rekish40.html
https://www.tenkuni.com/column01/,