What Edo's Poor Really Ate?

A bowl of buckwheat noodles cost sixteen copper coins and a block of tofu about eight, so what could a worker in Edo afford to eat in a day? We line up real price records against what a carpenter or laborer earned, then walk through a poor family's day: the shared row-house kitchen, one pot of white rice, the mysterious Edo sickness that came with it, the side dishes that showed up at the door, the tofu, pickles and soy sauce that did the heavy lifting, why meat was rare, and the street food that fed a city on the move. We finish with seasonal treats, festival red-bean rice, sake, and a full-day tally. In this video: Prices for noodles, tofu and tea The row-house kitchen and one pot of rice a day Edo sickness and the problem with white rice Soybeans, tofu, pickles and soy sauce Why meat was rare Street food: soba, sushi, tempura and eel First bonito, sweets and festival rice A full day of eating added up Sources in this video: Edo-period price records; accounts of daily food and street vendors; studies of Edo diet and the white-rice illness Chapters: 0:00 Prices and wages in Edo 1:19 The row-house kitchen 2:05 One pot of white rice a day 3:18 The Edo sickness 5:13 Side dishes at the door 6:18 Soybeans, tofu, pickles and soy sauce 9:19 Where was the meat? 11:09 Street food: buckwheat noodles 13:03 Sushi, tempura and eel 16:18 The Nihonbashi fish market 17:28 First bonito and sweets 19:52 Seasons and festival red-bean rice 21:14 Sake 22:45 A whole day added up You have 150 coins for a family day in Edo. Do you spend them on noodles from a stall or cook at home? Tell us in the comments. If you enjoyed this look at everyday life in Edo-period Japan, please like the video, subscribe for more, and share it with someone who loves history. #EdoFood #EdoPeriod #JapaneseHistory #SamuraiJapan #BuckwheatNoodles #FoodHistory