Abstract
We clarify how kouchuu choumi (seasoning in the mouth) influenced the taste of cooked rice when eating main and side dishes with rice.
74.8% of the subjects tested used kouchuu choumi (practicing group), and 25.2% did not (non-practicing group). There were no significant differences between the two groups concerning the frequency of rice intake or the and number and portion size of dishes at dinner, but the practicing group ate more rice. Although the preference for Japanese, Western, or Chinese cuisine was not related to the perceived tastiness when eating such dishes with rice, the selected responses of “dishes requiring rice to taste good” and “dishes with which rice tastes good” were positively correlated. Compared to the non-practicing group, a significantly larger number of people in the practicing group selected dishes using oils or butter and fatty dishes as those with which rice tasted good. The differences between the two groups were also significant for such fish dishes as sioyaki, nizakana, and sashimi eaten as the main course in Japanese cuisine, as well as for dishes considered to be often eaten with rice such as nikujaga and kinpira-gobo.
