Ekiben
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Ekiben.jpg/220px-Ekiben.jpg)
Elaborate Ekiben from Asahikawa station with extensive content
Ekiben ( Japanese 駅 弁 'Bahnhofs-Ben [tō]' ) are a type of Japanese Bentō dishes that are sold in Japan on railway trains and at stations. It used to be a simple dish made from rice balls filled with umeboshi wrapped in a bamboo leaf .
The first Ekiben was sold at Utsunomiya station in 1885.
Today you can buy many types of Ekiben in the station building, on the platforms or on the train. If they are necessary for consumption, they are accompanied by disposable chopsticks . Often hot or cold tea is also offered.
Ekiben containers can be made of plastic, wood or ceramic in a very complex manner. Various train stations are known for their tasty Ekiben from local specialties.
Web links
Commons : Ekiben - collection of images, videos and audio files
Individual evidence
- ^ Dan Free: Early Japanese Railways 1853-1914: Engineering Triumphs That Transformed Meiji-era Japan . Tuttle Publishing, 2008 ( ISBN 4805310065 )