An indispensable staple of war—see how Japanese bento has evolved in one infographic

Text and photos / Excerpted from "Illustrated Guide to Japanese Customs," supervised by Shoji Niiya, published by Hodoku Publishing

Bento (弁当)　

Dried rice is easy to carry and preserve, highly valued by ancient people

Besides Japan, other parts of the world also have the habit of carrying food when going out, such as Tibetans bringing "tsampa." However, Japanese bento remains unique in its own right. In addition to homemade bento, there are also convenience store bento, airport bento ("sora-ben" or "air bento"), and highway bento ("sokuseki-ben" or "express bento"), making for a dazzling variety. The origins of bento are said to date back to the "tonjiki" provided at imperial banquets during the Heian period—these were rice balls made from "kowameshi" (firm-textured rice). Additionally, the bento provided to soldiers by Oda Nobunaga when he stationed in Azuchi can also be considered among the origins of today’s bento.

People in those days would cook or steam rice and then dry it in the sun to make "hoshii" (dried rice); or they would pound steamed glutinous rice into a paste and shape it into rice cakes. Hoshii was easy to carry, so it was often taken on long journeys. Hoshii can also be considered a precursor to the Chinese "can" (a preserved food item carried on trips). Back then, travelers would soak hoshii in hot water to soften it before eating.