Japan has a traditional meal pattern called ichiju sansai.The phrase means “one soup and three dishes.” It describes a meal organized around rice, soup, one main dish, and two smaller side dishes, often with pickles served alongside.For someone unfamiliar with Japanese food, a teishoku, or set meal, is one of the easiest places to see this pattern.A typical teishoku may include: steamed rice miso soup grilled fish, meat, tofu, or another main dish one or two small vegetable dishes pickles Not every teishoku is a literal example of ichiju sansai. Some have fewer dishes, while others have more. But many ...
