Tempura is a great example of the Japanese taking foreign food and tweaking it to suit Japanese palates. The method of frying was introduced by Portuguese missionaries in the 1600s. The original dish was meant to be eaten during Lent, when Christians don’t eat meat, but it no longer exists. The word tempura is derived from the Latin phrase ‘ad tempora cuaresme’, which translates to ‘in the time of Lent’. Japanese people understood this to be the dish's name and started calling it tempura. Earlier, tempura was made using vegetables, minced meat balls and fish. It became quintessentially Japanese when chefs began frying fish and vegetables whole in the 18th century. The Japanese tradition of eating fresh food left in its natural state is very prevalent. And so, tempura became a truly Japanese food item when cooks began frying vegetables and fish whole, keeping their unique taste and character intact.
