Edamame is a Japanese dish prepared with immature soybeans in the pod. The pods are boiled or steamed and may be served with salt or other condiments. The dish has become popular across the world because it is rich in vitamins, dietary fiber, and isoflavones.
When the beans are outside the pod, the term mukimame is also sometimes used in Japanese.
Edamame are a common side dish in Japanese cuisine and as an appetizer to alcoholic beverages such as beer or shōchū. As an ingredient Edamame are found in both sweet and savory dishes such as takikomi gohan, tempura, and zunda-mochi.
Boiled green soybeans in the pod
Edamame and beer
An izakaya is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks. Izakaya are casual places for after-work drinking, similar to a pub, a Spanish tapas bar, or an American saloon or tavern.
An izakaya in Gotanda, Tokyo. The signboard on the right shows a menu with regular dishes (left) and seasonal entrees – nabe (right).
Taipei izakaya in 1951
People at an izakaya, sitting by the bar and facing the kitchen.
Chicken karaage