As a farmer, I tend to eat a large portion of rice for breakfast, boiled and then lightly fried with onion, garlic, 2 eggs and a drizzle of soy sauce. The energy usually keeps me going until the early afternoon, when I have a meat pie with potatoes or broccoli. Dinner is usually the lightest meal of the day.
I read a book written by a Serbian traveler, he was in Japan in 1914 and he described his experience, basically he found Japanese fascinating and amazing, one thing that particularly stuck in my memory was his description of what one mine worker ate, he said they work half a day in a mine and then have a brake, and during that brake they eat a fist full of rice and a little fish (and perhaps vegetables can't recall) and that holds them the entire day until they come home. Apparently around that time it way also noticed that Japanese soldiers in China could outmarch European armies and also ate little like that. He was also invited to a dinner by one wealthy man, and after they ate a Japanese dinner he offered him to send his servant to buy him a steak fearing it wouldn't be enough but he refused because he didn't want to spoil his Japanese dinner experience which he considered splendid.
Calorie intake per day was much different than calories per day by any other traveling or waring nation. Eating rice and chicken works if you are skinny and 5 feet tall but these books do not account for the fact that all these people were short and petite. Compared to the Roman's or the English or even the American Indians of the time were all thick healthy individuals with laborious daily chores
@@tehubernam Milorad Rajčević na dalekom istoku (In the far east), I think I read it more than a decade ago probably downloaded from the piratebay or some similar site. I would't know where to look for it now, google doesn't help, there are only articles describing his travels around the world.
@@mooserbegg1623 Average European man in middle ages was around 160 cm tall, while in Japan it was 150 cm, with woman being 10 cm shorter ... people worked more and harder back then as well, so it can't be compared to someone who sits most of his day ...
People worked harder and had fewer ways to keep warm, so the carbs in all that rice were vital for survival. I live on two wheels in a part of the country that gets really cold part of the year and have to adjust accordingly. That said, I really enjoyed learning about the diet of the samurai, and the methods used in the past. You're a great teacher!
Yes, I was just thinking this. People back then were constantly moving and working, which meant that they were burning lots of carbs. Those carbs from rice would have been critical. Also, I have a feeling that they probably ate until they felt full, and saved leftover morning rice for later in the day. I interpreted those pictures of a massive rice bowl as the total amount of rice that was cooked in the morning for the entire day.
It seems like most historical Societies ate more grains than modern people. My guess is that it was easier to fill upon things like rice, bread, or pasta than on things like vegetables or animal products. Also animal products were a much bigger investment in resources like time, feed and space than the calories could justify for most people. Also, this is really cool
Probly just stating the obvious, but people back in samurai period assumedly had to work much harder to survive, & not only that, worked harder to get that food on the table. So no doubt worked up big appetites, & burned a lot more calories than a modern-day school teacher in Japan, lol. I think I'd be mixing that rice in with the other elements of the meal, to make it more interesting & flavorful. Is there anything to indicate they did or didnt do this? The rice could be put in the soup, or mixed in with the veggies, etc.
@@annevoigt6653 In the past animals were mostly used for their dairy and on special occasions for meat. But mostly dairy. They couldn't afford to constantly slaughter their live stock. Even to this day many Asians only have meat as a side not the main. Meat as a main only became super popular in the 50's here in the US and massive processing plants were born which in turn as we now know have caused so much damage both to the environment and body....and of course the poor animals.
Even here in the US eating meat before the 50's and the advent of the manufacturing/processing plant/storage for long term IE; canning and frozen foods on a mass scale, meat was considered a luxury. Eaten only by the rich or on special occasions. And back then people walked and moved constantly so butter was the norm and not an issue for most. fats and sugars the same. Only after WW2 did weight issue's start becoming a huge issue when America entered the 50's and the wealth WW2 brought us. We (not all but most) became "consumers" and had cars to move us or mass transit. Without all that exercise which was a normal thing that you just did naturally the butter and fats and sugars started killing us because we were not burning it off.
Yeah, but the Samurai moved around and did everything manually requiring more calories. That's why you can't eat as much, you're not burning as many calories.
I'm a small woman and I even eat 100g rice easily (plus side dish and a protein source) when I work out a lot (4-5 times a week). So... 150g seems to me like a normal amount of rice for a very active man. But it's also depending on how much food you're used to eat. If you're not used to it, your stomach is naturally smaller.
Indeed, prior to the era of the Shoguns and samurai, the aristocracy, esp. during the Heian period was notably sedentary. It's unlikely they consumed large quantities of rice. Women donned heavy robes and primarily remained seated on the floor. But the vast majority of the population were laborers.
This may sound strange, but I am struggling with eating disorder and sometimes it can be really tough to eat as much as I am supposed to. Watching Aki work hard to finish a big meal can really help me to motivate my self to eat enough to be healthy today. Thank you for sharing. ♡
Well I don't have an eating disorder but whenever someone hands me a meal even if it doesn't taste good I always finish it to the last piece as I always remind myself of how blessed I am to be able to eat more than I want.
I woke up 2 hours early today and had trouble getting settled again…then this showed up in my feed. A calm, happy host, the soothing music, touching on history. This is like another version of Townsends :)
People from that period probably had to do heavy work all day long, which is why they were able to eat that massive amount of rice. They needed food in order to have the energy to perform their duties. Did you also drink your matcha during this challenge? Did people use to drink matcha in the Samurai period? Thank you for sharing your country's culture!
@@ronnato162I would agree for things like hunter gatherers but for serfs and peasants you generally spent all day working fields and doing chores around the home involving what livestock and crops you had. For someone in a city it was probably less, but you were likely still doing 8+ hours of non leisure activity a day.
@@ronnato162 You're not wrong, however, Although they were less busy, to do anything they had to use their physical body, which burns lots of calories.
We definitely need more videos like this in the world. I have always been curious about the type of meals various cultures ate throughout history. Thanks for the great video! 👍
Wow, I can not imagine how you felt after eating so much rice. My belief is that all countries back in time would consume vast amounts of a starch or carbs because their lifestyle was very harsh and they would need all those calories. Nice to see you had made it through. And as always, thanks for all the interesting information and how to pronounce words in your language; I learn so much.
This is what i thought. Carbs are only 4 calories per gram, whereas fat is 9 calories per gram. This is not a lot of calories. I can eat 3 cups of rice easy as a 5’7 130lb woman plus vegetable sides for one meal because I eat low fat and high carb. It’s the best diet out there for maintaining weight, energy, fitness, cardiovascular health.
@marissabohk7929, the idea that fat is bad and carbs are good is based on outdated information. Now it is believed that natural fats are good for cardiovascular health while too much carbs (especially simple carbs like sugar or processed carbs like white bread/white rice) is bad for your health. So the new guidance is to eat lean proteins, natural fat, and some whole carbohydrates (whole grain/brown rice, whole wheat, etc) while limiting simple and processed carbs.
@@Intranetusa babe, most of the population survives on a 70% or more carb diet because it's all they can afford. rice, corn, potatos, bananas fuel the world's labor and everything that is possible for us in the west. kings and queens in the 18th century would go back to the peasant diet of white bread and vegetables when they got too sick and fat from their fat and protein rich diets. that shein shirt you bought was made by a worker who eats a predominantly rice based diet. that iPhone you scroll on has a cobalt battery mined in Africa by a woker who eats a corn based diet. these people are healthier than us. have you ever stepped into the real world or looked at trends rather than propaganda from the last 10 years of big pharma salesmen telling you that asians, indians, and africans who are healthy are wrong? you think all of humanities history and survival was wrong? the protein loving us lost the vietnam war to skinny rice eaters. youve clearly never been in a poor country and seen how effortlessly skinny and happy and healthy they are.
Actually, my grandmother's grandfather was a samurai. Thanks for sharing some things about his life with me. :-) And my grandmother was a chanoyu teacher too. So, whenever I watch your videos I'm reminded of my family. :-)
@@yivelihumekaa9523 it's about the tea ceremony... so... basically teach people how to boil water, put stuff into the hot water and then drink it, but in some fancy way. You know... Japanese stuff...
How interesting that this way of eating continues to this day in Shojin Ryori (Japanese Zen temple food). Go to any training temple and you will have rice, miso soup and pickles for most of your meals. Also, rinsing your bowls with hot water is part of oryoki (eating ritual). Thank you for sharing this. 🙏
@@hatetheeyes3726 If you look up "Shojin Ryori" (both on youtube and internet, you can learn all about it. Traditionally, it is vegan, no onions or garlic, and making use of local, wild foods if possible. 🙏
Thank you for a very fun video. I am sure people in the past lived more physically than us, both working and walking. We have cars and elevators etc. Still that is a lot of rice! Well done Samauri.
Looks delicious! Great job recreating the meals from the Samurai period. It's fascinating to see what they ate and how much rice they consumed. Keep up the fantastic work!
What a delightful video, thank you. If you worked heavy manual labor than you would need more rice. I am diabetic and I noticed how my blood sugar goes up and stays up when I have rice. Rice is truly a gift from our Creator. Bless you for sharing so many good things.
The soup looks delicious as always. I do enjoy rice, it is a staple ingredient in Puerto Rican cooking. However, that was too much rice! 5 cups for 1 person? They needed that energy for all their work. I liked your Samurai hat!
Thank you for going through all that to show us this historical piece! It is interesting to learn about customs and habit of people from days long gone, and it seems people in Japan of feudal period must have had lots of physical activity during the day to be able to eat such large meals.
This is so interesting! I've never thought of putting Natto in miso soup. I've also never chopped Natto before. For breakfast I usually just eat the Natto on rice. I need to give this a try!
Of course people ate a lot more back then. Modern Japanese people often work in an office, but back then even the elite samurai had to stay very active by training for war, the peasants had to do hard labor in the fields, and everyone had to walk everywhere
Thank you for doing all the research and sharing these historical gems with us! Wonderful video and loved your outfit. Since I am not a great "chef" I am impressed by all the prepping you did for the recipes. The food looks ok but not as delicious as the food you normally prepare, which looks colorful and more interesting, more variety? Again, thanks !
Sensei San! I appreciate much the japanise fine kitchen. And its so clean and fine made. In the edo period I guess the Samurai had a hard life training every day in Dojo jiu jutso or so. So they must be happy to eat a lot in the morning. Thank You! Good Japanese history!
now imagine if you'd spent this past year eating like this and picked up a hard workout plan you'd be an absolute beast right now man. Honestly the food looks really good I hope lifes doing good for you and you can still enjoy making these videos because I sure enjoyed watching and learning :)
You're videos are full of positive energy, interesting information, inspiring and authentically you....I really enjoy watching them and always looking forward for your next video although I am not into minimalism so much :) thank you 🙏🏻 lots of greetings ☺️🙂
About portion size, I agree with the previous comments, people used to spend much more energy - farming, building etc. My granny would wake up at 4 am and work till sunset, and I don't mean she was working on her computer. People used to sepnd A LOT more energy than we do noweadays.
In Germany, if you had a farm for example, they eat in ther morning at 5, bevor they went into the stable and feed their cows, pigs and do other farmwork. It were for example fried potato slices, eggs with bacon and pickles (for example cucumbers), the second breakfast at 9 was bread with butter or lard, cheese, sausage. They did their work without machines so the ate more kalories as today. If you look into a cookbook from over 100 years ago and you see what ingrediences they used for example 10 eggs for baking a cake and you think you would try it today... no thanks 😉 , you would gain to many wight because of this. One meal from your example and I have had that day nothing more eaten I were fed up 😁
@@Anthrolithos sorry, are you Yoda or do you only use a bad translator program? What you wrote makes no sense like that 🤷 I only can guess what you could mean...
A cake is normally supposed to be for multiple people anyway, and generally cakes are fattening also today. I dont think eggs are fattening on their own, they satisfy well and that helps you eat less calories in total, and they cover a big portion of your overall nutrition needs as well, which also helps you eat less
I follow a diet based on studies about how people used to eat before fast foods, the starch solution diet. So I do eat a lot of rice too. Loved the information . I really like your videos.
@@wallacesousuke1433 anything too much is bad. If you’re eating carbs just make sure you’re using the energy from it in either walking or doing other physical activities.
@@prehistorymysteryso good. You can add a bunch of butter and soy sauce then sesame seed this will have you eating giant over filled bowls of rice over and over 😂
Very interesting. I think in that time people may have been much more physically active and need the rice calories. Please do a day of traditional Okinawan diet. I've read about the high number of healthy centenarians in this Blue Zone.
Just found this video(wish I had found your channel sooner), and like one of your other commenters said, they worked harder and had fewer ways to keep warm. When I was in the military and stationed in Alaska, when winter hit the chow hall was suddenly full of carb rich dishes. During the Summer months(if you can call it Summer up there lol), it was more protein/lipid(fat) based. So I understand what that commenter was saying, in cold climates(which areas of Japan have in excess, this is from experience) a more carb heavy diet is vital to survival. A lot of Japan's climate is actually comparable to the Appalachian area of the U.S., a temperate environment, which can mean anything. Mild winter/summer to severe winter/summer. Just a few days ago we had massive storms hit with upper 80 degree weather, then just last night, it was in the 40s.
Wow! I'm surprisied that my favourite breakfast in Japan (during a two-week stay) was samurai breakfast😂 Miso soup, rice and pikled plum (if there was omelette or okra with soybean paste, I added it too). This was the perfect combination for early breakfast. I missed it so much when I returned home, so I bought all the ingredients and a rice maker to recreate this at home😂😂😂😂 P.S. This was not because there was nothing else to choose from. This was just my preference every single day. And, of course, the portion of rice was way less😂 Nevertheless, I felt full of energy for the entire day (unlike my partner, who only prefers pizza and burgers)
Yeah as 30 y/o man who's been a vegetarian since the age of 6 (I did it before it was cool lul) I'm also a big perfectionist and when I see a dish I want to find the most perfect and appropriate substitution for all the non-vegetarian ingredients without changing too much of the healthy benefits the meal should deliver. For dashi I just used kombu and dried shiitake, I've got the rice but I use Thai jasmin rice since it doesn't need to be presoaked and I just like the taste, some nori strips for with the rice and miso soup with tofu and some veggies. The only problem was the damn grilled fish which I could find no substitute for. Tamagoyaki is an occassional option but no good for eating every day, so in the end I just decided with a sunny side up egg on my rice for the extra protein and b12 and call it a day lol.
I actually probably eat this much rice everyday haha And I'm only 84kg at 1m89. Good carbs don't actually make you fat, that concept was invented by old Western doctors who didn't understand how carbs work. It's the stuff Westerners put on carbs, like butter, cream, meat etc that actually make you fat. Americans for example love eating protein and talking about protein deficiency, but they are obese. Italians eat a lot of carbs but are healthy weight. Plus all the carbs samurais ate helped fuel their bodies for the day and activities. Great video!
I do question how healthy it was in the long run because of the lack of other vitamins due to the limited amount of vegetables and protein (asides from tofu).
SO Samurai san's were mainly vegans hey ? lol! 😃 and fought in war ? they were considered the most powerful warriors at the time ? Love it! the food in edo period was mainly vegan. ;) If Samurai's and people in edo jidai can eat a vegan diet and be more powerful than the Japanese in modern day why not celebrate their diet! I loved this information. They never shared this information when we studied about Edo Jidai in University in Japan...... so thank you for sharing! oh and I love Japanese white rice! I think I can eat that amount every single day!
I really like how modern Japanese have a very healthy breakfast. bowl of rice, miso, seared salmon, and natto mixed with raw egg and green onion. It's so delicious and healthy!
In the Edo period most people all over the world did more manual labor even with household responsibilities and burned a significantly higher amount of calories doing so necessitating the need for more calories to maintain a healthy weight and energy levels needed to perform.
As a Japanese-American on a low carb diet, I rarely eat rice these days. It hurt watching you force yourself to eat so much rice (carbs). Generations ago, people were much more physically active, and did a lot of heavy physical work daily, just to survive. This might be why they ate so much rice. I enjoy your videos, this brings back good memories of my childhood meals. Now I'm craving ochazuke...
Hmmm my thoughts are that the carbs give them more energy!! But I always worry about white rice, because I read studies that people who eat more white rice don’t live as long 😭 maybe it’s because today people eat it, but then are lazy. Like we don’t have to move as much as we used to in the past, reminds me of the escalators you showed in another video!
As a Hispanic, 5 cups is the average diet. Rice for breakfast, rice for lunch, rice for dinner, also rice for a drink too. Rice rice rice. I didn't get any culture shock, also knowing how cold it gets here in Indiana. I can only imagine how cold it gets in Northern Japan. When it gets cold, I always crave nice warm carbs. I also find myself getting hungrier faster than when it was warm All those ingredients are super filling. I imagine between training, learning, etc plus the cold, yeah I can 100% agree that carb diet.
there is absolutely know way a wealthy warrior was eating like this. these guys had to be eating some meat and seafood throughout the day and probably the best quality available.
they ate that much because they were actually spending the energy from the rice on samurai things, but you just sat around the house pretending to be samurai. . . this is why you can not eat all this rice
New subscriber here😄This is a fascinating video, thank you for all of your research. I have cooked and eaten many of the dishes you have here; the Dashi, Miso, (both red and white miso. Including sushi rice.
As an American watching you eat this amount of food and "almost threw up," you made me feel really self-conscious. Thank you. 🤣That amount of rice is like a side dish here in America.
Keep in mind that the average Japanese man is 5'7 compared to an American height of 5'9. Most of the males in my own family top over 6ft and need a lot more food. Everyone has different caloric needs, so don't feel self-conscious.
There's one very important ingrediant you are missing from this video that makes everything so much better. Hard trainng. Remember, during the Edo Period of Japan, a Samurai's only profession was to be a weapon prepared to die at any moment for the Daimyo. Thus, the majority of their day was spent in some form of physical training (either bowmanship, swordsmanship, horse riding, exercising, etc) until late into the evening. This physical labor made for awesome appetiess and made eating heaping helpings of rice that much easier. and while people of today talk ad infinitum about the portions that modern day people eat, it is because we have found substitutes for bulky grains such as rice to round out our meals (this in Western culture could be substituted for things like bread). I applaud you that you were able to finish those meals. I'm sure it was a chore for someone not accustomed to "competative eating." But goood on you. Liked the video and hope to see another one soon.
Thank you. We’re all so soft today. If we had to eat that much just to live a day. We might all get along better. But then again they weren’t really getting along that well back then either. Made me think. Mate thank you again you made me think.
I'm going to pitch a fun theory- Maybe the illustrations of the heaping piles of rice are much like the trend to render livestock animals as being enormous. A sort of flex/culturally implied prosperity thing?
We, Filipinos sometimes eat rice 6 times a day for our Breakfast meal, mid-day Snack, Lunch meal, afternoon 4pm snack, 7pm dinner and 10pm night snack. Most of our Filipino native sweet snacks are made of sticky rice cake, coconut and sweet fruit. Filipinos love to drink coconut, mango and pineapple juice as their cool refreshment beverages.
Interesting video! Thank you. Japan's neighboring country, Korea, ate much more rice during the Joseon Dynasty around the same time. The size of the rice bowl increases as it goes back to the Goryeo Dynasty and the Goguryeo Dynasty. Why people ate so much, the amount of activity at that time is admirable.
In content set in historical Japan, mostly the samurai cinema, I often see small fish like dried anchovies and sardines used as side dishes with rice. It would be nicer if you had eaten them together^^. I really enjoyed watching your video. Thank you.
I am very happy that you were victorious in your duel against those 3 large meals! You did not let those 3 meals defeat you into shame. You didnt have to commit seppuku.
Being able to grow rice is akin to a superpower. Being bountiful, providing several harvests a year in some regions, and being fairly preservable, it was the key ingredient in enabling the huge cities of India, China, Japan and many other realms in such an early era, which in turn led to their great overall populations today. I live in Finland, and while our country is only a bit smaller than Japan, our entire population would fit in a single city thanks to how hard food was to come by centuries earlier.
As a farmer, I tend to eat a large portion of rice for breakfast, boiled and then lightly fried with onion, garlic, 2 eggs and a drizzle of soy sauce. The energy usually keeps me going until the early afternoon, when I have a meat pie with potatoes or broccoli. Dinner is usually the lightest meal of the day.
Makes sense, you're done burning the majority of calories by then, so you just need to get by until you sleep and wake up hungry again!
@@ChargeQM Exactly. Plus I do not like being full and sluggish. Retaining a bit of hunger is good for motivation and concentration.
awesome what kind of meat pie
@@burgerlord1297 Steak and ale or chicken and leak/mushroom
I EAT NO BREAKFAST OR LUNCH.. SOMETIMES I EAT DINNER..
I read a book written by a Serbian traveler, he was in Japan in 1914 and he described his experience, basically he found Japanese fascinating and amazing, one thing that particularly stuck in my memory was his description of what one mine worker ate, he said they work half a day in a mine and then have a brake, and during that brake they eat a fist full of rice and a little fish
(and perhaps vegetables can't recall) and that holds them the entire day until they come home. Apparently around that time it way also noticed that Japanese soldiers in China could outmarch European armies and also ate little like that. He was also invited to a dinner by one wealthy man, and after they ate a Japanese dinner he offered him to send his servant to buy him a steak fearing it wouldn't be enough but he refused because he didn't want to spoil his Japanese dinner experience which he considered splendid.
Name of the book?
Calorie intake per day was much different than calories per day by any other traveling or waring nation. Eating rice and chicken works if you are skinny and 5 feet tall but these books do not account for the fact that all these people were short and petite. Compared to the Roman's or the English or even the American Indians of the time were all thick healthy individuals with laborious daily chores
@@tehubernam Milorad Rajčević na dalekom istoku (In the far east), I think I read it more than a decade ago probably downloaded from the piratebay or some similar site. I would't know where to look for it now, google doesn't help, there are only articles describing his travels around the world.
@@mooserbegg1623 Average European man in middle ages was around 160 cm tall, while in Japan it was 150 cm, with woman being 10 cm shorter ... people worked more and harder back then as well, so it can't be compared to someone who sits most of his day ...
I gotta know the name of this book, I had no idea one of my countrymen went to Japan that far back.
People worked harder and had fewer ways to keep warm, so the carbs in all that rice were vital for survival. I live on two wheels in a part of the country that gets really cold part of the year and have to adjust accordingly. That said, I really enjoyed learning about the diet of the samurai, and the methods used in the past. You're a great teacher!
Yes, I was just thinking this. People back then were constantly moving and working, which meant that they were burning lots of carbs. Those carbs from rice would have been critical. Also, I have a feeling that they probably ate until they felt full, and saved leftover morning rice for later in the day. I interpreted those pictures of a massive rice bowl as the total amount of rice that was cooked in the morning for the entire day.
It seems like most historical Societies ate more grains than modern people. My guess is that it was easier to fill upon things like rice, bread, or pasta than on things like vegetables or animal products. Also animal products were a much bigger investment in resources like time, feed and space than the calories could justify for most people. Also, this is really cool
Probly just stating the obvious, but people back in samurai period assumedly had to work much harder to survive, & not only that, worked harder to get that food on the table. So no doubt worked up big appetites, & burned a lot more calories than a modern-day school teacher in Japan, lol.
I think I'd be mixing that rice in with the other elements of the meal, to make it more interesting & flavorful. Is there anything to indicate they did or didnt do this? The rice could be put in the soup, or mixed in with the veggies, etc.
@@annevoigt6653 In the past animals were mostly used for their dairy and on special occasions for meat. But mostly dairy. They couldn't afford to constantly slaughter their live stock. Even to this day many Asians only have meat as a side not the main. Meat as a main only became super popular in the 50's here in the US and massive processing plants were born which in turn as we now know have caused so much damage both to the environment and body....and of course the poor animals.
Even here in the US eating meat before the 50's and the advent of the manufacturing/processing plant/storage for long term IE; canning and frozen foods on a mass scale, meat was considered a luxury. Eaten only by the rich or on special occasions. And back then people walked and moved constantly so butter was the norm and not an issue for most. fats and sugars the same. Only after WW2 did weight issue's start becoming a huge issue when America entered the 50's and the wealth WW2 brought us. We (not all but most) became "consumers" and had cars to move us or mass transit. Without all that exercise which was a normal thing that you just did naturally the butter and fats and sugars started killing us because we were not burning it off.
Yeah, but the Samurai moved around and did everything manually requiring more calories. That's why you can't eat as much, you're not burning as many calories.
time of action
Right
Yes, besides meat or other animal foods may have been much rarer on the menu, and you need to eat much more to compensate if not having that
I'm a small woman and I even eat 100g rice easily (plus side dish and a protein source) when I work out a lot (4-5 times a week). So... 150g seems to me like a normal amount of rice for a very active man. But it's also depending on how much food you're used to eat. If you're not used to it, your stomach is naturally smaller.
Same concept with 2000 calorie pancake breakfasts. Gotta feed the workers!
I respect the fact he actually tried to follow all the way through with the routine and finish all the food. 🎉
People in the past had lot more physical activities vs today
Sup
very true. also, people need the extra calories to stay warm in houses that weren't heated as well as today
Indeed, prior to the era of the Shoguns and samurai, the aristocracy, esp. during the Heian period was notably sedentary. It's unlikely they consumed large quantities of rice. Women donned heavy robes and primarily remained seated on the floor. But the vast majority of the population were laborers.
Exactly. + The better rice breeds which are high in fiber.
Maybe vs you today
I'm swoll I eat way more than any samurai and I lift more too
This may sound strange, but I am struggling with eating disorder and sometimes it can be really tough to eat as much as I am supposed to. Watching Aki work hard to finish a big meal can really help me to motivate my self to eat enough to be healthy today. Thank you for sharing. ♡
❤
this is my favourite comment
Be strong in your journey! 🫶 it’s not easy, but you’ll certainly get to a point that is good.
i had my fixed by smoking weed
Well I don't have an eating disorder but whenever someone hands me a meal even if it doesn't taste good I always finish it to the last piece as I always remind myself of how blessed I am to be able to eat more than I want.
I woke up 2 hours early today and had trouble getting settled again…then this showed up in my feed. A calm, happy host, the soothing music, touching on history. This is like another version of Townsends :)
People from that period probably had to do heavy work all day long, which is why they were able to eat that massive amount of rice. They needed food in order to have the energy to perform their duties. Did you also drink your matcha during this challenge? Did people use to drink matcha in the Samurai period? Thank you for sharing your country's culture!
I'm pretty sure my Chinese dad eats 5 cups of rice a day 😂 It's easy when you don't include bread or pasta too much in your diet
People in ancent times were actually not as busy as you may assume. They didn't have to drive in traffic or any of those modern problems we have now.
@@ronnato162I would agree for things like hunter gatherers but for serfs and peasants you generally spent all day working fields and doing chores around the home involving what livestock and crops you had. For someone in a city it was probably less, but you were likely still doing 8+ hours of non leisure activity a day.
@@ronnato162 You're not wrong, however, Although they were less busy, to do anything they had to use their physical body, which burns lots of calories.
お茶については鎌倉時代(1192～1333頃)に中国の宋から日本に入ってきて、広がったそうです。その後、形が少しづつ変わりつつ、安土桃山時代(1573～1600頃)に茶道の形が出来上がったそうです。なので、江戸時代(1600～)の一部武士は、お茶を嗜む方もいたと思います。
ちなみに、安土桃山時代当時の茶道は、抹茶を楽しむというのもありますが、海外から輸入された器などの茶器を楽しむ場だったそうです。言い方を変えれば、海外から入ってきた当時最先端の物に触れ思いを馳せる場だったそうです。
We definitely need more videos like this in the world. I have always been curious about the type of meals various cultures ate throughout history. Thanks for the great video! 👍
日本語の動画ならたくさんあるよ
Wow, I can not imagine how you felt after eating so much rice. My belief is that all countries back in time would consume vast amounts of a starch or carbs because their lifestyle was very harsh and they would need all those calories. Nice to see you had made it through. And as always, thanks for all the interesting information and how to pronounce words in your language; I learn so much.
He ate 2000-2500 calories. Notice, there was oil in cooking, but now oil is everywhere
This is what i thought. Carbs are only 4 calories per gram, whereas fat is 9 calories per gram. This is not a lot of calories. I can eat 3 cups of rice easy as a 5’7 130lb woman plus vegetable sides for one meal because I eat low fat and high carb. It’s the best diet out there for maintaining weight, energy, fitness, cardiovascular health.
generally that was what humans did in norther colder climates load up on carbs as they were cheap calories
@marissabohk7929, the idea that fat is bad and carbs are good is based on outdated information. Now it is believed that natural fats are good for cardiovascular health while too much carbs (especially simple carbs like sugar or processed carbs like white bread/white rice) is bad for your health. So the new guidance is to eat lean proteins, natural fat, and some whole carbohydrates (whole grain/brown rice, whole wheat, etc) while limiting simple and processed carbs.
@@Intranetusa babe, most of the population survives on a 70% or more carb diet because it's all they can afford. rice, corn, potatos, bananas fuel the world's labor and everything that is possible for us in the west. kings and queens in the 18th century would go back to the peasant diet of white bread and vegetables when they got too sick and fat from their fat and protein rich diets. that shein shirt you bought was made by a worker who eats a predominantly rice based diet. that iPhone you scroll on has a cobalt battery mined in Africa by a woker who eats a corn based diet. these people are healthier than us. have you ever stepped into the real world or looked at trends rather than propaganda from the last 10 years of big pharma salesmen telling you that asians, indians, and africans who are healthy are wrong? you think all of humanities history and survival was wrong? the protein loving us lost the vietnam war to skinny rice eaters. youve clearly never been in a poor country and seen how effortlessly skinny and happy and healthy they are.
As somone from south-east Asia it's pretty funny watching east asians trying to eat a "large" amount of rice
😂 i eat almost 160gr rice or more for 1 meal.. when i go to japanese restaurant i asked for 2nd bowl
Actually, my grandmother's grandfather was a samurai. Thanks for sharing some things about his life with me. :-) And my grandmother was a chanoyu teacher too. So, whenever I watch your videos I'm reminded of my family. :-)
Same for me 😌
That's nice!
Nice :D
What's a chanoyu teacher? 🤔🧐
@@yivelihumekaa9523 it's about the tea ceremony... so... basically teach people how to boil water, put stuff into the hot water and then drink it, but in some fancy way. You know... Japanese stuff...
Such a funny and entertaining video. Very interesting to learn this about the Edo period.
Wonderful video! I was extremely interested in the traditional Japanese side dishes and pickles. I hope you make more!
Channels like these are what TH-cam was made for. Keep up the great informative content!
How interesting that this way of eating continues to this day in Shojin Ryori (Japanese Zen temple food). Go to any training temple and you will have rice, miso soup and pickles for most of your meals. Also, rinsing your bowls with hot water is part of oryoki (eating ritual). Thank you for sharing this. 🙏
Thank yu for your comment! Do you know anything else about what they eat :3?
@@hatetheeyes3726 If you look up "Shojin Ryori" (both on youtube and internet, you can learn all about it. Traditionally, it is vegan, no onions or garlic, and making use of local, wild foods if possible. 🙏
Great video! It's always fascinating how people lived and ate in the past.
Thank you for a very fun video. I am sure people in the past lived more physically than us, both working and walking. We have cars and elevators etc. Still that is a lot of rice! Well done Samauri.
Looks delicious! Great job recreating the meals from the Samurai period. It's fascinating to see what they ate and how much rice they consumed. Keep up the fantastic work!
I enjoyed watching you roll in pain trying to finish the food lol
but also, what a beautiful way to teach us about japanese culture
I loved this! It was educational, fun and you have a way of making everything very adorable. Thank you!
Love ❤the old samurai foods with all veggies,🥗 for sure there’s enough protein in plants 🌱 💚✌️nice/fun videos, 🎥
Equating protein with meat, destroyed human health.
What a delightful video, thank you. If you worked heavy manual labor than you would need more rice. I am diabetic and I noticed how my blood sugar goes up and stays up when I have rice. Rice is truly a gift from our Creator. Bless you for sharing so many good things.
The soup looks delicious as always. I do enjoy rice, it is a staple ingredient in Puerto Rican cooking. However, that was too much rice! 5 cups for 1 person? They needed that energy for all their work. I liked your Samurai hat!
You have to remember they were much more physically active.
I love your videos and your personality. Thank you for sharing your life with us and teaching us about Japanese history and culture. ☺️
Thank you for going through all that to show us this historical piece! It is interesting to learn about customs and habit of people from days long gone, and it seems people in Japan of feudal period must have had lots of physical activity during the day to be able to eat such large meals.
This is so interesting! I've never thought of putting Natto in miso soup. I've also never chopped Natto before. For breakfast I usually just eat the Natto on rice. I need to give this a try!
Of course people ate a lot more back then. Modern Japanese people often work in an office, but back then even the elite samurai had to stay very active by training for war, the peasants had to do hard labor in the fields, and everyone had to walk everywhere
Thank you for doing all the research and sharing these historical gems with us! Wonderful video and loved your outfit. Since I am not a great "chef" I am impressed by all the prepping you did for the recipes. The food looks ok but not as delicious as the food you normally prepare, which looks colorful and more interesting, more variety? Again, thanks !
Woah that rice itself feels like a good workout. Good job!
Sensei San! I appreciate much the japanise fine kitchen. And its so clean and fine made. In the edo period I guess the Samurai had a hard life training every day in Dojo jiu jutso or so. So they must be happy to eat a lot in the morning. Thank You! Good Japanese history!
I’m always curious about stuff like this so thank you!
i admire your tenacity to do these challenges (like the 1 item a day challenge WHAT!!!) all the way to the end! you are a true samurai sir!
Great video, I really enjoyed learning about the Samurai’s diet
now imagine if you'd spent this past year eating like this and picked up a hard workout plan you'd be an absolute beast right now man.
Honestly the food looks really good I hope lifes doing good for you and you can still enjoy making these videos because I sure enjoyed watching and learning :)
Samurai were also typically high or drunk as well...
You're videos are full of positive energy, interesting information, inspiring and authentically you....I really enjoy watching them and always looking forward for your next video although I am not into minimalism so much :) thank you 🙏🏻 lots of greetings ☺️🙂
Very interesting video. Eating that amount of rice in a day couldn’t have been easy, so well done.
About portion size, I agree with the previous comments, people used to spend much more energy - farming, building etc. My granny would wake up at 4 am and work till sunset, and I don't mean she was working on her computer. People used to sepnd A LOT more energy than we do noweadays.
Hahaha.. that was funny.. keep up the good work.. gambatte ne .
In Germany, if you had a farm for example, they eat in ther morning at 5, bevor they went into the stable and feed their cows, pigs and do other farmwork. It were for example fried potato slices, eggs with bacon and pickles (for example cucumbers), the second breakfast at 9 was bread with butter or lard, cheese, sausage. They did their work without machines so the ate more kalories as today. If you look into a cookbook from over 100 years ago and you see what ingrediences they used for example 10 eggs for baking a cake and you think you would try it today... no thanks 😉 , you would gain to many wight because of this.
One meal from your example and I have had that day nothing more eaten I were fed up 😁
Can only agree. I am Austrian myself and what amazes me is the amount of pork fat they used....
Mensch dick sein nur in einem bequemen Leben wird.
@@Anthrolithos sorry, are you Yoda or do you only use a bad translator program? What you wrote makes no sense like that 🤷 I only can guess what you could mean...
@@Nemi-pp2zs It's been a long time since I have spoken German. But my German is comparable to your English.
A cake is normally supposed to be for multiple people anyway, and generally cakes are fattening also today. I dont think eggs are fattening on their own, they satisfy well and that helps you eat less calories in total, and they cover a big portion of your overall nutrition needs as well, which also helps you eat less
This video made me laugh! Every time you had to tackle that bowl of rice! 😂
I follow a diet based on studies about how people used to eat before fast foods, the starch solution diet. So I do eat a lot of rice too. Loved the information . I really like your videos.
Terrible idea, too much carb is bad
@@wallacesousuke1433 anything too much is bad. If you’re eating carbs just make sure you’re using the energy from it in either walking or doing other physical activities.
@@AbdelFlix yeah but with carb, anything above 50g per day is too much, considering we dont need it at all to survive and thrive
Thoroughly enjoyed this thank you
I’m a broke American, who works a regular 8-5 job.. I eat more rice than the Samurai. Lmao
Im a broke Pole who works office job. I eat more rice than the samurai daimyo😅
From witch country? That's gonna make a diference
How?
@@prehistorymysteryso good. You can add a bunch of butter and soy sauce then sesame seed this will have you eating giant over filled bowls of rice over and over 😂
Gosh, this video is great! Rice is the perfect staple. I'm a massive fan of Japanese food.
Hope you didn't feel too terrible after all that rice! Great video, you are definitely suffering for your art 😆We appreciate it.
I'm Ok now! haha
Thank you for an excellent intro, the samurai cap in the beginning let me know this was a good video to watch
Very interesting. I think in that time people may have been much more physically active and need the rice calories. Please do a day of traditional Okinawan diet. I've read about the high number of healthy centenarians in this Blue Zone.
Just found this video(wish I had found your channel sooner), and like one of your other commenters said, they worked harder and had fewer ways to keep warm. When I was in the military and stationed in Alaska, when winter hit the chow hall was suddenly full of carb rich dishes. During the Summer months(if you can call it Summer up there lol), it was more protein/lipid(fat) based. So I understand what that commenter was saying, in cold climates(which areas of Japan have in excess, this is from experience) a more carb heavy diet is vital to survival. A lot of Japan's climate is actually comparable to the Appalachian area of the U.S., a temperate environment, which can mean anything. Mild winter/summer to severe winter/summer. Just a few days ago we had massive storms hit with upper 80 degree weather, then just last night, it was in the 40s.
Wow! I'm surprisied that my favourite breakfast in Japan (during a two-week stay) was samurai breakfast😂 Miso soup, rice and pikled plum (if there was omelette or okra with soybean paste, I added it too). This was the perfect combination for early breakfast. I missed it so much when I returned home, so I bought all the ingredients and a rice maker to recreate this at home😂😂😂😂 P.S. This was not because there was nothing else to choose from. This was just my preference every single day. And, of course, the portion of rice was way less😂 Nevertheless, I felt full of energy for the entire day (unlike my partner, who only prefers pizza and burgers)
Yeah as 30 y/o man who's been a vegetarian since the age of 6 (I did it before it was cool lul) I'm also a big perfectionist and when I see a dish I want to find the most perfect and appropriate substitution for all the non-vegetarian ingredients without changing too much of the healthy benefits the meal should deliver.
For dashi I just used kombu and dried shiitake, I've got the rice but I use Thai jasmin rice since it doesn't need to be presoaked and I just like the taste, some nori strips for with the rice and miso soup with tofu and some veggies. The only problem was the damn grilled fish which I could find no substitute for. Tamagoyaki is an occassional option but no good for eating every day, so in the end I just decided with a sunny side up egg on my rice for the extra protein and b12 and call it a day lol.
Samurai have no honor
I knew you could do it! Way to go, my dude!
I actually probably eat this much rice everyday haha And I'm only 84kg at 1m89. Good carbs don't actually make you fat, that concept was invented by old Western doctors who didn't understand how carbs work. It's the stuff Westerners put on carbs, like butter, cream, meat etc that actually make you fat. Americans for example love eating protein and talking about protein deficiency, but they are obese. Italians eat a lot of carbs but are healthy weight. Plus all the carbs samurais ate helped fuel their bodies for the day and activities. Great video!
And alot of calorie intake will make you fat, the sumo wrestlers eat very healthy but silly amount of food and they are all huge
I do question how healthy it was in the long run because of the lack of other vitamins due to the limited amount of vegetables and protein (asides from tofu).
Nonense
Very cool. I make miso soup every day, but never thought about putting natto in it! Gonna try it tomorrow morning.
They had to wear a lot of heavy armor, so they must need a lot of energy. The meals show that.
They didn't wear armor everyday lol.
This is like saying European knights wore plate armor everyday.
Waw that''s a lot of rice!! 😀 Am glad to see u can finaly finished it 👏👏👍😊
SO Samurai san's were mainly vegans hey ? lol! 😃 and fought in war ? they were considered the most powerful warriors at the time ? Love it! the food in edo period was mainly vegan. ;) If Samurai's and people in edo jidai can eat a vegan diet and be more powerful than the Japanese in modern day why not celebrate their diet! I loved this information. They never shared this information when we studied about Edo Jidai in University in Japan...... so thank you for sharing! oh and I love Japanese white rice! I think I can eat that amount every single day!
I love the cap. Hilarious. Also informative. 🤙
スバラシイ再現。でしたが、
当時の茶碗はちいさく、また1膳だけメシを食うのは、縁起が悪いので、
この量を3杯以上にわけて食うのが普通だったようです。
デカい丼は大正時代からですね。
僕もその点については調べたのですが、江戸時代の食事風景の絵の中でけっこうデカ盛りもされてたんですよね。地域によって、食器の置き方が違うように食べ方も違ったのかもしれませんね。
なるほど @@SamuraiMatcha
You needed to add in all the physical work done during that time! Loved your samurai 'hair'! 🙂
Yes! Thank you!
I really like how modern Japanese have a very healthy breakfast. bowl of rice, miso, seared salmon, and natto mixed with raw egg and green onion. It's so delicious and healthy!
Nowadays a lot of people eat bread toox The traditinal breakfast isnt eaten by everyone
Great video. Simple Japanese cuisine but I'd love to try each one. In my 3 years in Japan I've tried quite a few things
In the Edo period most people all over the world did more manual labor even with household responsibilities and burned a significantly higher amount of calories doing so necessitating the need for more calories to maintain a healthy weight and energy levels needed to perform.
got me interrested in tasting the ochazuke, looks like a a nice fancy cereal bowl :p
As a Japanese-American on a low carb diet, I rarely eat rice these days. It hurt watching you force yourself to eat so much rice (carbs). Generations ago, people were much more physically active, and did a lot of heavy physical work daily, just to survive. This might be why they ate so much rice. I enjoy your videos, this brings back good memories of my childhood meals. Now I'm craving ochazuke...
Hmmm my thoughts are that the carbs give them more energy!! But I always worry about white rice, because I read studies that people who eat more white rice don’t live as long 😭 maybe it’s because today people eat it, but then are lazy. Like we don’t have to move as much as we used to in the past, reminds me of the escalators you showed in another video!
As a Hispanic, 5 cups is the average diet. Rice for breakfast, rice for lunch, rice for dinner, also rice for a drink too. Rice rice rice.
I didn't get any culture shock, also knowing how cold it gets here in Indiana. I can only imagine how cold it gets in Northern Japan. When it gets cold, I always crave nice warm carbs. I also find myself getting hungrier faster than when it was warm
All those ingredients are super filling. I imagine between training, learning, etc plus the cold, yeah I can 100% agree that carb diet.
I really enjoyed this video and history! Thank you for sharing! Love food history❤
本当は玄米ご飯を食べてたので脚気にならなく、大盛御飯を食べれたんですよ！糠の中にはビタミンや沢山の体に必要な栄養がたくさん含まれてたので
日本人は世界一健康でイギリス人が、日本人の食事を研究してました。
これは、白米が江戸に広がってきてからの食事です。僕も色々と調べましたが、地域によっても時代によっても全然違うので、正解がないんです。こういった食事を食べていた人もいただろうという僕なりの一つの答えです。
This was very enlightening! Keep up the great content!
BreakFIRST?
there is absolutely know way a wealthy warrior was eating like this. these guys had to be eating some meat and seafood throughout the day and probably the best quality available.
As a bodybuilder, this amount of rice is chump change 😂 good work edo Japanese guys
大変面白く拝見させて頂きました😊✨
当時の人々の胃腸や筋肉は現代人よりもはるかに強靭だったのですね…！
ナイスチャレンジで考えさせられました！( ꈍᴗꈍ)ありがとうございます。
they ate that much because they were actually spending the energy from the rice on samurai things, but you just sat around the house pretending to be samurai. . . this is why you can not eat all this rice
I love youtube recommends. Subscribed!
I think people in the Samurai period were a lot more active. I know I eat more when I am active. 😀 Thanks for sharing!🗡
That was very interesting! Thank you!
First time watching your content, and I nearly spewed my drink on my tablet after you popped into view with head-mask thing, lol.
New subscriber here😄This is a fascinating video, thank you for all of your research. I have cooked and eaten many of the dishes you have here; the Dashi, Miso, (both red and white miso. Including sushi rice.
As an American watching you eat this amount of food and "almost threw up," you made me feel really self-conscious. Thank you. 🤣That amount of rice is like a side dish here in America.
Keep in mind that the average Japanese man is 5'7 compared to an American height of 5'9. Most of the males in my own family top over 6ft and need a lot more food.
Everyone has different caloric needs, so don't feel self-conscious.
There's one very important ingrediant you are missing from this video that makes everything so much better. Hard trainng. Remember, during the Edo Period of Japan, a Samurai's only profession was to be a weapon prepared to die at any moment for the Daimyo. Thus, the majority of their day was spent in some form of physical training (either bowmanship, swordsmanship, horse riding, exercising, etc) until late into the evening. This physical labor made for awesome appetiess and made eating heaping helpings of rice that much easier. and while people of today talk ad infinitum about the portions that modern day people eat, it is because we have found substitutes for bulky grains such as rice to round out our meals (this in Western culture could be substituted for things like bread). I applaud you that you were able to finish those meals. I'm sure it was a chore for someone not accustomed to "competative eating." But goood on you. Liked the video and hope to see another one soon.
I'm looking for this and this is what I need and want to know. Thank you for the useful knowledge.
You are so funny. I will watch allyour videos. People were stronger in the past. They worked hard
Thank you. We’re all so soft today. If we had to eat that much just to live a day. We might all get along better. But then again they weren’t really getting along that well back then either. Made me think. Mate thank you again you made me think.
Very interesting video! I really enjoyed this, its crazy how little protein was consumed compare to modern diet.
As for someone who dreams about visiting japan, but lives in Hungary, i really enjoyed this video!
Your country is so cozy though.
It made me hungry... Good job!
I'm going to pitch a fun theory- Maybe the illustrations of the heaping piles of rice are much like the trend to render livestock animals as being enormous. A sort of flex/culturally implied prosperity thing?
like the fruit basket here in Europe?
I'm loving your videos. I've tried to find some videos just like this is Japanese to help learn but came up short.
this is inspiring, and makes me want to eat simpler and enjoy more rice! (but... maybe not so much)
We, Filipinos sometimes eat rice 6 times a day for our Breakfast meal, mid-day Snack, Lunch meal, afternoon 4pm snack, 7pm dinner and 10pm night snack.
Most of our Filipino native sweet snacks are made of sticky rice cake, coconut and sweet fruit.
Filipinos love to drink coconut, mango and pineapple juice as their cool refreshment beverages.
Yeah that's y Filipinos r shortest height people in world, ,
Interesting video! Thank you.
Japan's neighboring country, Korea, ate much more rice during the Joseon Dynasty around the same time.
The size of the rice bowl increases as it goes back to the Goryeo Dynasty and the Goguryeo Dynasty.
Why people ate so much, the amount of activity at that time is admirable.
Super cool video!
In content set in historical Japan, mostly the samurai cinema, I often see small fish like dried anchovies and sardines used as side dishes with rice. It would be nicer if you had eaten them together^^. I really enjoyed watching your video. Thank you.
I am very happy that you were victorious in your duel against those 3 large meals! You did not let those 3 meals defeat you into shame. You didnt have to commit seppuku.
Being able to grow rice is akin to a superpower. Being bountiful, providing several harvests a year in some regions, and being fairly preservable, it was the key ingredient in enabling the huge cities of India, China, Japan and many other realms in such an early era, which in turn led to their great overall populations today. I live in Finland, and while our country is only a bit smaller than Japan, our entire population would fit in a single city thanks to how hard food was to come by centuries earlier.
Love the video!