Bento facts for kids

A Bento prepared for Hanami.

Bentō (弁当 or べんとう) is a meal common in Japanese cuisine, made to take away to be eaten somewhere else. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables as a side dish. Containers for bento may be very different, from disposable mass produced to handcrafted lacquerware. While bento meals can be bought at many stores and bento shops (弁当屋, bentō-ya) in all of Japan, it is still considered a very important skill for a Japanese housewife to be able to prepare a good boxed lunch.

Bento can be very elaborate, aesthetically pleasing cuisine arrangements. Often the food is arranged in such a way as to resemble other objects: dolls, flowers, leaves, and so forth. For some special occasions like hanami, more elaborate and bigger bentos are prepared. People often take bento for a picnic.

Types of bento

Bento are often sold in train stations. These are called ekiben (駅弁). Also,Bento are sold in airports. These are called Soraben (空弁).Kyaraben (キャラ弁), is a shortened form of the two words character and bento and is becoming more popular.

Ingredients

Here are some foods that are often contained in bento:

• Tamagoyaki (Japanese style omelette)
• Karaage (deep-fried chicken)
• Onigiri (rice ball)
• Takosan Viennese (sausage like octopus)
• Shogayaki (pork grilled ginger and soy sauce)
• Sandwich
• Fruit

Images for kids

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  A typical bento bought from a grocery store

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  Hanami bento in the Edo period

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  Aluminum bento box, 1961. Lid fits closely. Small compartment for condiments.

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  Hinomaru bento (just one umeboshi in the center)

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  Makunouchi bento

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  Shōkadō bentō

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  An oekakiben containing rice balls decorated to resemble pandas

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  Two typical home made bento (one open, one wrapped); note the furoshiki cloths

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  Bento served at a restaurant in Japan

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  ]]Tōge no kamameshi bento

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  Orizume bentō (1)

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  Orizume bentō (2)

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  Okowa bento-styled meal served in a restaurant. Steamed glutinous rice with teriyaki chicken and cabbage

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  A set of stacking boxes for bento called jūbako

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  Sagejū, a historical picnic container set of jūbako

See also

In Spanish: Bentō para niños