What is Bento?
{{no sources|date=March 2021}} [[Image:Hanami bento by Blue Lotus.jpg|240px|thumb|A Bento prepared for [[Hanami]].]] {{Nihongo|'''Bentō'''|弁当 or べんとう|}} is a [[meal]] that is common in [[Japan]]ese [[cuisine]], made to take away to be eaten somewhere else. A traditional bento consists of [[rice]], [[fish]] or [[meat]], and one or more [[pickling|pickled]] or [[cooking|cooked]] [[vegetable]]s as a side dish. Various kinds of [[container]]s are used, from [[disposable]] [[Mass production|mass produce]]d to handcrafted [[lacquer]]ware. They usually have compartments for different kinds of food. While bento meals can be bought at many stores and {{nihongo|bento shops|弁当屋|bentō-ya}} in all of [[Japan]], it is still considered a very important [[skill]] for a Japanese [[housewife]] to be able to prepare a good [[Lunchbox|boxed lunch]]. Bento can be very elaborate, [[aesthetics|aesthetically]] pleasing [[cuisine]] arrangements. Often the food is arranged in such a way as to resemble other objects: dolls, flowers, leaves, and so forth. For some special occasions like [[hanami]], more elaborate and bigger bentos are prepared. People often take bento for a [[picnic]]. Bento are often sold in train stations. These are called [[ekiben]] (駅弁). Those sold in airports are called Soraben (空弁). Kyaraben (キャラ弁), is a shortened form of the two words ''character'' and ''bento'' and is becoming more popular. == Ingredients == Here are some foods that are often contained in a bento: * Tamagoyaki (Japanese style omelette) * Karaage (deep-fried chicken) * [[Onigiri]] (rice ball) * Takosan Viennese (sausage like octopus) * Shogayaki ([[pork]] grilled ginger and [[soy sauce]]) * [[Sandwich]] * [[Fruit]] ==Other websites== {{Commonscat|Bento (food)}} * [http://secdimtem.exblog.jp/ Bento*弁当] An artistic Bento blog site (Japanese & English). * [http://www.bentocorner.com/ Bento Corner] An English language blog about creating bentos, especially bentos for children. * [http://www.o-bento.net/ O-Bento Net] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.arc