Introduction
Most cultures have their own version of the portable boxed lunch. India has the dhabba or tiffin carrier; Korea has the dosirak; Italy has the schiscetta. However, few of these have attracted as much international fervour as the Japanese bento, and for good reason — they have tremendous visual appeal. As Kenji Ekuan observes in The Aesthetics of the Japanese Lunchbox, “the major asset of the lunchbox is its beauty.”
Bento are an indispensable part of daily life in Japan, and in recent years, bento culture — and all its trappings — have spread beyond Japan’s borders. But what does that really mean for us? And how do we introduce a dose of bento culture to our own lives? Read on to find out.
Defining the bento
At its most basic, a bento is a portable meal in a portable container. That’s it. They traditionally contain a single serving of rice and several side dishes, but they can also hold spaghetti, sandwiches, wraps, and so on — in short, anything you want to eat.
By definition, a bento box refers to any container that holds your food. (More on that further down.)
Many people prepare bento at home, but bento are sold everywhere — supermarkets, convenience stores, bento shops, railway stations, department stores, and even airports.
If a bento is simply a portable meal, what sets Japanese bento apart from other such boxed lunches? A key aspect of bento is the almost-disproportionate importance placed on appearance. This is generally true of Japanese cuisine, where presentation is critical. How food looks is as important as how it tastes, or how nutritious it is. Are the components varied and interesting? Is it a colourful meal? Is it beautifully arranged? Has each side dish been cut into small, easy-to-eat pieces? And so on.
A number of theories surround the etymology of the word ‘bento.’ One theory suggests that it originates from the phrase 配当を弁ずる, referring to the Warring States period practice of distributing rations packed in simple containers to large numbers of people. It could also have its roots in 当座を弁ずる or ‘managing the immediate situation.’
Whatever the case, ‘bento’ was a firmly established term by the end of the Azuchi-Momoyama period, or during the later part of the Warring States century.
What of the characters used for bento 弁当? One theory suggests that they stem from the Song Dynasty term ‘便当’ biàn dāng, meaning ‘convenient’ or ‘useful.’ It might also convey the idea of 弁えて用に当てる or ‘preparing something to meet a need.
History of the bento
Rice balls were the earliest known portable food in Japan. They were discovered at a site in Ishikawa dating back to the Yayoi period (300 BC - 300 AD). By the fifth century, people would carry hand-pressed rice balls while out in the fields, or dried rice (rice that had been steamed, then dried) on longer journeys. The Nihon Shoki, one of Japan’s oldest historical records, notes that feed pouches for falconry were used as makeshift lunch boxes.
By the Kamakura period (1192-1333), processed rice and bonito flakes had become staple rations during military campaigns. During the Warring States century, koshihyorou (‘waist provisions’) included roasted brown rice, rice cakes, and salt-preserved side dishes.
The Azuchi-Momoyama period (circa 1568-1600) saw the very first lacquered lunch boxes. Such meals were eaten on special occasions, such as during cherry blossom viewings or tea gatherings.
However, it was the Edo period (1603-1868) that saw the development of the modern bento and bento culture as we know it today. A Portuguese-Japanese dictionary compiled during the early Edo period features the word ‘bento’ for ‘lunch box.’ Bento came to be equated with portable food, and light bento lunches became commonplace. Wooden boxes were commonly used, along with bamboo leaves to wrap onigiri — an altogether eco-friendly combination of materials.
Popular entertainment such as Noh and kabuki flourished during the Edo period, leading to a boom in theatre-going. Attendees would eat bento during the intermissions; these meals were called ‘makunouchi bento’ — literally, ‘bento eaten while the curtain is closed.’
The Meiji period (1868-1912) saw the introduction of the ekiben, or ‘railway bento’. The very first ekiben was supposedly sold in 1885 at Utsunomiya Station in Tochigi Prefecture, consisting of rice balls filled with pickled plum. Around this time, civil servants and the earliest salaried workers also began commuting with their waist-level lunchboxes – koshibento — harking back to the ‘waist provisions’ of several centuries hence.
Lunchboxes with anodised aluminium surfaces appeared on the market during the Showa era (1926-1989). New, sleek, shiny, and easy to clean, they were a much coveted product, and a must-have for every household.
From the 1970s onwards, it became even easier to find bento boxes everywhere. They were sold in specialised bento shops, convenience stores, and supermarkets. Convenience stores, in particular, sold bentos boxes that were manufactured with heat-resistant plastic under the assumption that they would be microwaved, as many still are today.
Character bento, or kyaraben, appeared in the late 1990s. Hundreds of cookbooks devoted to the ins and outs of kyaraben were published, as were numerous articles featuring all kinds of rules and methods for recreating them. Almost 30 years later, the popularity of kyaraben shows no sign of abating. If anything, social media has only cemented its place in bento culture.
Homemade bento continue to be a mainstay with regular Japanese people. Most it is likely driven by sheer pragmatism, since the 2008 financial crisis forced many people to tighten their belts.
Types of bento
As we’ve noted above, a bento simply refers to portable food in a portable container. Here are some classic examples.
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Hinomaru Bento: Plain rice with a single pickled plum in the centre, resembling the Japanese flag.
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Noriben: Rice layered with seaweed, soy sauce, and dried bonito flakes.
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Homemade bento: Self-explanatory. The Japanese-language Wikipedia entry for bonito also includes ‘jimiben’ (‘plain bento’) and ‘aisai bento’ (‘bento lovingly made by one’s wife’) in this category.
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Sanshoku bento: A tri-coloured bento. The classic combination is usually minced chicken, egg (shredded omelette or scrambled egg), and a green vegetable of some kind. There are many variations on this theme.
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Makunouchi bento: The classic Edo bento with rice, pickled plum, broiled salmon, and rolled omelette.
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Ekiben: Bento boxes sold at railway stations or onboard trains.
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Kyaraben: Homemade bento where the contents have been artfully arranged to resemble popular characters from manga, anime, or video games.
Choosing the perfect bento box
We're sorry to say there is no such thing as a perfect bento box. Everyone has different needs or priorities when it comes to food, so no single bento box will tick all the boxes. The best bento box is simply the one that works best for you. (Ideally it would be well made, but that is by the by.)
Instead, consider the following when you choose a bento box:
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What do you eat? How do you eat? Will you need an extra case for a spoon and fork, or can you clip on a pair of chopsticks to the side of your box? Will you have soup? (In this case, your ideal bento box is a thermal flask.)
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Do you like having many side dishes? You may want a bento box with multiple compartments.
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How much do you eat? This determines the size of your bento box.
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Is your food hot or cold? This will determine the material of the bento box. Warm food will require a microwave-safe material — no wood, bamboo, aluminium, stainless steel, melamine, or lacquer (unless specifically microwave-safe). Cold or room-temperature food has far fewer restrictions.
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How wet is your food? Soup will require a thermos. Saucy food calls for a leak-proof container with a tight-fitting lid, and extra care when toting it around.
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Do you prefer using a dishwasher? If so, your bento box should be made from a dishwasher-safe material. No uncoated wood, bamboo, or lacquer — and definitely no cheap plastics.
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In my book, glass or ceramic are ideal bento box materials — microwave-safe, generally dishwasher-safe, reasonably priced, and long-lasting. The major downside is that they’re fairly heavy, often bulky, and breakable.