This study aims to analyze changes in “meals with bread” and in “meals with rice” over a period of approximately fifty years, from the 1960s until the early 2010s, during which the dietary culture of Japan started to change dramatically.
This study analyzes the foodstuffs and culinary methods used for these meals based on data from a cooking magazine titled ‟Eiyo To Ryori (Nutrition and Cooking),” designating 1960 and 1961 as ‟fifty years ago,” 1986 as “25 years ago,” and the period between 2009 and 2014 as “present.”
From the analysis, a total number of 74 types of foodstuff were used for all meals studied, and the number of foodstuffs used for meals with bread was fewer than for meals with rice. As a result of a principal component analysis, foodstuffs used in the meals were categorized into those suitable for meals with bread (milk, butter/margarine, etc.) and those suitable for meals with rice (soybeans/soybean products, seaweed, etc.). In terms of change over fifty years, the frequency of the use of foodstuffs suitable for meals with bread declined and the use of new foodstuffs increased. The chronological change in foodstuffs for meals with rice was smaller than that for meals with bread. In terms of culinary methods, salad appeared frequently for meals with bread. In meals with rice, boiled dishes and soup dishes appeared frequently, and the use of pickled vegetables declined.
From the analysis, it was found that there were differences between meals with bread and those with rice not only in the foodstuffs used but also in terms of accompanying dishes.
