Taco Rice is what happens when Japanese and American tastes collide

Ben Weaver
Jan 28, 2019 7:02 PM PST
1 minute read
World War II photo

SUMMARY

Spoiler alert; it’s delicious!:

Spoiler alert; it's delicious!:


American-style taco - shell + sushi rice = a dish to heal the wounds of WWII. (Meals Ready To Eat screenshot)

Kon'nichiwa, TACO RICE.

Meals Ready To Eat explored the advent of one of Japan's most popular street foods when host August Dannehl traveled to Okinawa in search of taco rice, a true food fusion OG.

If you were to suggest that spiced taco meat dressed in shredded lettuce, cheese, and tomato, would seem a bastard topping to foist upon sushi rice, Japan's most sacred and traditional foodstuff, well, in Okinawa at least, you'd find yourself on the receiving end of a lesson in local history.

Distinguished inventor of taco rice, Matsuzu Gibo, c. 1983. (Meals Ready To Eat screenshot)

Taco Rice is the result of two post-WWII cultures: that of the Japanese and the American troops stationed in Okinawa, finding a way to transcend their differences through the combination of comforting foods.

An influx of American delicacies, most notably Spam, flooded the island following the cessation of hostilities and led to a heyday of culinary cross-pollination. Spam is still featured in many now-traditional Okinawan dishes, but taco rice is, for modern Okinawans and American military personnel, the belle of the mash-up Ball.

Watch more Meals Ready To Eat:

These military chefs will make you want to re-enlist

This veteran farmer will make you celebrate your meat

This is why soldiers belong in the kitchen

What happens when a firefighter's secret identity is revealed

This Galley Girl will make you want to join the Coast Guard

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Sign up for We Are The Mighty's newsletter and receive the mighty updates!

By signing up you agree to our We Are The Mighty's Terms of Use and We Are The Mighty's Privacy Policy.

SHARE