Autumn stimulates appetite

Author: Karen W.
Editor: Aika M.
Translator: Juri A.
Original Language: Japanese

Hello everyone. The hot summer is over and now it is more comfortable for some people since it gets cooler. Autumn indicates the period of three months between September and November. Also, this period of time are called “食欲の秋(Shokuyoku-no-aki)” in Japan, which means “Autumn stimulates appetite”. During this period, we consciously enjoy our daily life more than we usually do.

Thus, we are going to introduce this Japanese cultural belief in this article following the last article about “Otsukimi”.

1. Why does Autumn stimulate our appetite?

First off, here are two explanations for the reasons why we call it as  “食欲の秋”(Shokuyoku-no-aki).

Firstly, Autumn is usually the season that makes the temperature go down and the daylight hours get shorter in comparison to Summer. This makes the human body tend to promote fat-burning and require more energy. People eat food to absorb energy and this circulation makes us hungry.
Secondly, we have a wide variety of food in Japan. We are able to obtain more nourishing foods since Autumn is the best season to harvest. Such food contain necessary nourishments for the shattered body due to the change of the seasons, such as starchineness, vitamins and fiber.

These nourishments are also a necessity for us to go through the nippy winter. Plenty of nutritious foods are harvested in Autumn. This is how Autumn in Japan became to be called “食欲の秋(Shokuyoku-no-aki)”. In order to provide the valuable information for you to enjoy the blessing of nature in this season well, next chapter introduces “秋の味覚(Aki-no-mikaku)”, which means the taste of Autumn.

2.Taste of Autumn

Autumn is the best season to harvest these following foods: skipjack tuna, salmon and mackerel pike from the sea. Chestnut, persimmon, pear, purple, mushrooms and potatoes from the mountains are also delicious at this time of year. Moreover, the picking season for root crops comes in Autumn. In addition, rice, which is a pillar of Japanese food, is ripe for the taking as well and the new rice is getting lined up in the store shelves. 

I recommend “炊き込みご飯(Takikomi-gohan)”, which goes well with sea foods and mountain foods. 炊き込みご飯(Takikomi-Gohan) can be boiled with Japanese condiments that would not offset the taste of ingredients. Boiled rice with mushrooms fuel our appetite. Also, you can enjoy boiled rice with fish.

Some people might have concerns about gaining weight as we have ample tasty meals like this. If that describes you, I suggest having a lesser amount of food for one bite and to bite slowly. This should be the best way to taste the blessings of the Autumn.

Nowadays, we see Autumn food more in convenience stores. Now it might be easier to enjoy Autumn as we do in Japan, have a great time by enjoying the Autumn.

Sources:
食欲の秋に食欲が増す理由！その由来や秋に食べたい食べ物、食べすぎの対策もご紹介｜コラム｜鰹節・だし専門店 通販のことならにんべんネットショップ (ninben.co.jp)