Abstract
Twenty-two female university students and their father/mothers were asked to cook nikujaga (a hot dish with meat and potato). Nikujaga cooked by each student was compared with that cooked by her father/mother regarding the choice of ingredients, how to cut them and the taste in order to clarify how much the family tradition of cooking had succeeded. A strong similarity was apparent in the choice of ingredients, and in the way of cutting them.
Interviews with the students revealed that most of the daughters considered the parent's dishes delicious, but they also felt it was not possible to reproduce a similar taste to their parents' because of their immature cooking skills. It seems that the choice of ingredients and seasoning was handed down by helping with the cooking. However, in order to reproduce the family taste better, the daughters need to prepare meals themselves, and have the meals critically assessed by the family members.
