Wafu Hambagu

Ah yes, the exotic, unfamiliar hamburger. Wait, what?

We have a tendency to think about 'exotic' foods from distant lands only from our own perspective. Sushi seemed unimaginably bizarre to the average North American only a few decades ago, but the notion gained a foothold in our collective consciousness and swept the culinary scene. Now sushi is nearly ubiquitous, albeit in a form that has often been modified in some way to suit the Western palate. But this phenomenon is not a one-way street.

When Japan was convinced (or coerced) into opening its doors to the West in 1853, the nation was inundated with new clothes, habits, customs, and of course, foods. Japan had become a more-or-less pescetarian nation by this time, and aspects of Western cuisine (like the consumption of meat and the use of knives at the table) seemed utterly barbaric to its people. But the line between revulsion and curiosity is a very thin one, and yoshoku (Western food) began to catch on.  The tide really shifted in 1872, when Emperor Meiji did something that shocked his subjects: he ate meat in public. This might seem inconsequential in our modern era, especially given our politicians' propensity for seeking out average-joe photo ops in greasy spoons, but when the Emperor did it he was breaking a tradition that had lasted for a thousand years.  Japanese attitudes towards Western food and meat began to shift. That same year, Tokyo's first Western Style Restaurant, Seiyo-ken, opened for business.  The popularity of yoshoku grew, and new dishes began to spring from the minds of talented chefs in the capital and elsewhere.  In fact, many of the foods that we think of as quintessentially Japanese have roots in imported dishes, katsu, tempura, gyoza, and okonomiyaki to name but a few.

Back to hamburgers.  To a nation that had maintained a strict Buddhist edict against meat for a millenium, nothing could be more foreign or exotic than a big piece of seasoned meat.  But Japan had little interest in adopting Western foods wholesale - instead, it adapted these new dishes to Japanese tastes.  The word wafu means 'Japanese Style,' and the it is used to represent a dish that has been transformed with Japanese ingredients and to reflect Japanese tastes (hambagu, as you have probably guessed, is the word hamburger transplanted into the Japanese lexicon).  Fortunately for the rest of the world, wafu dishes are perfect examples of just how good fusion cuisine can be.  This hamburger patty is a revelation.  The combination of pork and beef keeps the burger juicy and flavourful, and the ponzu permeates it to add a salty-sweet, tangy taste to every bite.  Even the condiments get in on the act - you can, of course, top your burger with whatever you like, but the fresh, peppery punch of grated daikon, and the hot-sweet mixture of Japanese mustard and mayo partner perfectly with the patty.

As one last added bonus, this meal demonstrates just how easy it is to extend the Japanese pantry and make it part of your regular cooking routine.  There's no reason that you can't take the ponzu, or the condiments, or the patty itself, and adapt them to any number of meals.