“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”
– James Beard
The history of food has been that of many changes and has led to the spread of many different cuisines to all parts of the world. Today, we are exposed to food that is native to various regions. While it is a common unifier among people, we are naturally more drawn towards our cultural identity in food. Such preferences are personally meaningful and culturally important. Experiencing “food-from-home” is not only a gift for your taste buds but also a way to evoke memory and transport yourself to different places when you are far away.
At Purdue University we have students, faculty and staff belonging to all different parts of the world. This brings an immense amount of diversity to the campus. To cater to this diversity through inclusion, the Dining Operations at Purdue serve a wide selection of food to give everyone a taste of home. These include recipes that are made by taking inspiration from the authentic preparations from different countries and regions.
A dish that is commonly prepared in the dining courts is ‘Stir Fry Teriyaki Beef Strips’ pictured below.
Teriyaki is a cooking technique used in Japanese cuisine in which foods are broiled or grilled with a glaze of soy sauce, mirin and sugar. The commonly used protein for teriyaki in Japan is a variety of fish, whereas, red meat is commonly used in the West. The teriyaki sauce is generally sweet; however, it can be spicy.
Teriyaki culture was brought to Seattle, Washington from Japan by Toshihiro Kasahara in 1976. The sauce soon became very popular in all of Seattle and the recipe made its way to all parts of the United States.
It was further popularized by John Chung, who found a way to reduce the cooking time for the beef teriyaki preparation. This led to customers not having to wait too long for their orders and made teriyaki a “work-day-lunch”. Now, teriyaki style sauce is widely available from restaurants and the various brands you can see sold in local supermarkets.
This recipe remains to be a soft corner in the hearts of all the Japanese people and it has made home in so many of our hearts. This week we appreciate this recipe as it will be served in Earhart Dining Court, Ford Dining Court and Hillenbrand Dining Court on September 2nd and 7th so go grab a taste of home and history!
To know more about the locations at which the Stir Fry Teriyaki Beef Strips will be served, visit this website or download the Purdue Dining app.
Purdue Dining & Culinary 