From Court Cooking to Household Cooking
The Beginnings of Naha Household Cooking:
With the abolition of the monarchy at Shuri, the flourishing commercial city of Naha became the prefectural capital. Naha took over the styles and skills of Shuri court cuisine and became the focal point for the development of what has been passed down to the present as typical Ryukyu cuisine.
What contributed to the culinary development of Naha was its position as a port, thus an entrepot for foodstuffs. Also, since the Satsuma viceroy and his staff were resident in Naha, it was necessary to provide a suitably elegant cuisine for their entertainment. And the fact that Naha was a major entertainment hub with a large red-light district should not be overlooked.
Male chefs continued to dominate the ceremonial and Buddhist rites cuisine that came down from Shuri court cuisine, just as they had formerly done at the court itself.
With Naha lacking in specialized restaurants, major celebrations and festive occasions took place in homes. This enabled women and housewives to take command of preparations for celebrations and Buddhist rites. In this way, the skills and techniques involved were gradually introduced into household cooking.
Further, Naha had a 300-year old red-light district. As a hub of nightlife and entertainment, it presented opportunities for the establishment of eateries. To better serve customers, restaurateurs competed in the study of the culinary arts. An increased level of cooking skill thus achieved naturally spurred household cooking and raised the general level of culinary activity.
It seems fair to say that what we call Ryukyuan cuisine today was refined and polished in this transition from palace cuisine to a banquet and celebratory cuisine of the people and then to home cooking.
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