A single serving of a balanced meal is contained in each bento box, which is a type of all-in-one Japanese lunchbox. This dish typically includes a protein, a starch (like rice or noodles), and a variety of vegetable and fruit side dishes.
The bento box dates back to the Kamakura period in the twelfth century, when it featured dried rice and was known as simply hoshi-ii, or “dried meal.” When it became popular to carry koshi bento—bento boxes worn around the waist and containing onigiri rice balls wrapped in bamboo leaves—while traveling or sightseeing, the format was refined during the Edo period (1603–1867).
Bento lovers can choose from boxes made of traditional lacquered cypress wood, aluminum, or plastic, in standard oval or custom shapes. Modern bentos come in all different sizes and shapes. For ice packs, cutlery, chopsticks, and drinks, some bento boxes have separate compartments.
8 Types Of Bento Boxes
In Japan, bento is defined by style, season, and location:
1. Ekiben: Bentos known as ekiben are frequently filled with regional specialties and are sold in train stations. The Meiji era (1868–1912) saw the introduction of the first train station bento, which has since become a standard for commuting.
2. Hokaben: The term “hokaben” describes a box filled with hot, freshly made side dishes and rice that is purchased from a take-out bento shop. The chain that first made the idea popular gave it its name.
3. Konbini: With meal sets that can be microwaved, these convenience store bentos are made to be simple and quick.
4. Jubako: These boxes that stack and are meant for a group are frequently very elaborately made. They are utilized for osechi ryori, the visually appealing boxes that house the traditional Japanese New Year’s dishes.
5. Koraku: Koraku, also known as the “picnic bento,” is designed for sharing. Typically, koraku boxes are made with dishes appropriate for the season or a festival.
6. Kyaraben: “Character bentos” feature dishes modeled after characters from anime, manga, or popular video games.
7. Makunouchi: This “between-act” bento is a popular style that features a split-panel presentation: rice on one side and side dishes on the other.
8. Oekakiben: This “picture bento” models dishes after landscapes, people, and buildings.
3 Tips For Making A Bento Box
To make your own bento-style lunchbox, consider these tips:
1. In order to seal the items, let them cool. Allow your bento’s contents to come to room temperature before sealing the container if you’re including warm or hot items. Unwanted condensation and bacteria can result from trapped steam.
2. A part of the bento’s brilliance is its attention to how the variety of dishes look and complement one another, so take textures into consideration. For a well-rounded dining experience, try to combine soft and soft-crunchy foods—like senbei or fried rice balls—along with crispy and crunchy ones.
3. The appearance of a bento is half of its appeal, so color is important. You can add color by pairing colorful dishes with more subdued ones or by punching out decorative pieces of nori to attach to colorful pieces of produce.
Why Use A Bento Box?
Reduce your environmental impact
By substituting single-use plastic and paper products with a practical, fashionable lunchbox that can hold your lovely homemade meals every day, using a bento box is a great way to lessen your environmental impact!
Save money
Did you know that the average American household spends more than $3,000 annually on takeout and restaurants? Millennials in Australia spend, on average, over $5000 a year on eating out. You can cut your yearly food costs by hundreds of dollars by making a bento box for your break at work or school even a few times per week.
Eat Healthier
A bento box’s constrained size aids in portion control, while the movable dividers and accessories encourage the packing of a well-balanced meal made up of various food groups.
Bento boxes are fun!
Bento boxes make it so you’ll never have another boring lunch thanks to the seemingly endless combinations of boxes, cutlery sets, and accessories that are available.
How Is A Bento Box Put Together?
You might be interested in learning how to put together a bento box now that you are aware of what is inside. Bento boxes may be visually appealing, but there are some fundamental but customary guidelines that must be followed.
It is advised that you add the foods in the following order: 4-3-2-1. In other words, you should add 4 parts rice and 3 parts protein. Then mix in two portions of vegetables and one portion of treat.
This treat might be a pickled vegetable or a sweet dessert, depending on who you are making the box for.
You’ll probably discover that your bento box requires the use of a few ingredients, but in smaller amounts.
The ingredients you need will, of course, depend on your creative inspiration for the box and the theme you’re emulating.
Use of dividers is probably advantageous when adding the dishes to the box. This is so that they don’t stick together, which can happen when certain foods tend to run. You can keep the flavor of each item by using a divider.
Make sure that the foods you add to each division of your bento box are a different color to add color, if at all possible.
While the main dish is typically brown, the rice is typically white. As a result, you can add some green, yellow, orange, or red dishes as well as vegetables. Ideally, you ought to aim to use at least five different hues.
In What Stores Can One Buy Bento Boxes?
Numerous online retailers offer bento boxes for sale. In fact, Japan produces about 5 billion bento boxes a year, which is the majority of the world’s production. Nowadays, the majority are produced in Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture.
As previously mentioned, these boxes come in a variety of sizes and shapes. This means that you can be sure you’ll be able to get a box in the shape you want. The boxes are typically made using molds, but their distinctive designs make them stand out from the crowd.
It goes without saying that the size of the box you need will depend on how you plan to use it. A rectangular box will be much easier to carry around if you need one that will fit into a rucksack or a handheld bag.
If you have kids, they will undoubtedly enjoy choosing from an exciting array of fun-themed containers to bring with them on outings or to school.
Conclusion
The variety of flavors offered by Bento Cafe reflects how far Asia and bento boxes have traveled through time. While the bento box has evolved from an easy meal on the go for busy workers into a complicated lunch preparation activity, we at Bento still adhere to the original bento box’s simplicity.
