Turban shell. A conical shellfish about 5 cm (2 inches) in diameter. It is boiled and added to other cooked dishes.
Battera is a sushi of rice and vinegared mackerel made in a "boat-shaped" wooden box and topped with a sliver of kombu, a type of seaweed.
Rice, dried and ground and coloured deep purplish red with a mould, Monascus purpureus. It is used to flavour dishes made from fish and cheese and to make red rice wine.
Red pickled ginger. This popular garnish is made from ginger root which is cut into wafer-thin slices and pickled in salt and then again in a vinegar mixture. Traditionally red perilla is used to produce its characteristic deep red colour. It is served with sushi and such dishes as okonomiyaki (fried-batter "pancakes" mixed with a wide variety of vegetables, seafood or meats) and with rice dishes.
Water pepper with short stems and small purple leaves which have a peppery flavour. It is often served together with wasabi alongside sashimi, for mixing with soy sauce. Red beni-tade sprouts are used in salads.
Fly agaric. A type of mushroom, the classic red with white spots. Famous for its psychoactive hallucinogenic properties this is the magic mushroom and is actually poisonous to eat.
Sockeye salmon, red salmon, also known as king salmon, has a four year life-cycle which contributes to the meatiness of its flesh, which is dense and velvety and turns deep red before spawning. It is a fish of the northern Pacific. In Japan it is most often grilled.
A lunch box. The term bento refers to a light meal served in a portable container, usually a compartmented lacquer box. The first bentos were created by tea masters who took the multi-tray arrangement of kaiseki and adapted it into a portable form. In the process they created another fixed style of dining. They are usually used for lunches. There are many types of bento, the best known of which is probably the ekiben, in which local regional produce of very high quality predominates, and which are sold at 5,000 railway stations throughout Japan. It is said that as many as 12,000,000 are sold daily.
