The results of the contents analysis of the meals consumed during the pre-war Showa period that have been performed thus far reveal the following. The daily meals of the common people during the pre-war Showa period did not comprise most European foods. However, many foreign vegetables were used in cooking. This research examines the background that led to the use of foreign vegetables in the daily meals of the common people during the pre-war Showa period.
The following three findings were obtained from this study:
(1) There was an increase in the amount of cultivation of the foreign vegetables a result of the new Meiji Government’s policy to increase food production.
(2) As a result of the aim to improve the literacy rate, there was an improvement in for the maintenance of the school system; a ladies’ magazine was also circulated containing information related to cooking, food, and so on.
(3) The introduction of the concept of group cooking increased the opportunities to consume foreign vegetables, thereby reducing the resistance to experiment with foreign vegetables.
