Bento Beautiful
Posted: Jan 29 2015
Wikipedia tells us that the word 'bento' loosely translates to 'convenient' and may originate from as early as 1185, when bento was a single meal stored in a small bag. Between 1500 and 1600, wooden lacquered bento boxes were first produced, and bento would be eaten during tea parties.
In the late 1800s, bento was first sold at train stations (an early version of 'take-away' food?), and bento was carried to schools by teachers and students, until abolishing bento boxes at school became a social equality issue and uniform food was supplied after World War II. Bento made at home would often be wrapped in cloth (furoshiki), which doubles as both a bag and table cloth.
Bento became popular again in the 1980s, and today you will find Bento Box options in many Japanese restaurants in Australia.
Bento boxes are a novel and practical idea for food storage, and we love them! The new range of Bento boxes at Yoshi Jones are so much more creative and interesting than the traditional Australian lunch box. For example, the gorgeous Lolita Kokeshi Bento (pictured) separates into a sealed container, a rice bowl and a square based bowl, and it all fits back together with elastic.
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