🍱 Nagasaki Tempura

“Nagasaki Tempura” is a traditional dish, which dates to around 400 years ago, from the time of the Nanban trade period. This dish is inspired from fritters made by Portuguese people at the time. In Japan, tempura is usually eaten with a dipping sauce but in this region, the batter is flavored with sugar and other seasonings and does not require a sauce. However, some believe that this dish is the origin of traditional Japanese tempura.Because,Others say that the name “Tempura” came from the Portuguese word “Tempero”, meaning to cook or that it refers to the period “Temporas”, when Christians refrain from eating meat and eat fish as an alternative. It is said that “Kirishitans” (=Catholic Christians) living in Nagasaki developed this dish when they were not eating meat as “Nagasaki Tempura” can be made with fish and vegetables.