Bento Basics
Bento Box Basics
Basic Techniques
Equipment
Bear Cub Bento
Build-It-Yourself Pizza
Butterfly Bento
Breakfast for Lunch
Under the Big Top Bento Box
Silly Faces Bento Box
Dinosaur Bento Box
Healthy, Homemade Cheese and Crackers
Rainbow Bento
Rock ’n’ Roll Bento
Space Bento Box
Star Wars Bento Box
Superstar Bento Box
Choo-Choo Train Bento
Ballerina Bento Box
Little Car Bento
Puppy Dog
On the Farm
Building Bricks Bento Box
Cat and Mouse Bento
Under the Sea Bento
Pretty Princess Bento Box
Robot Bento Box
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Bento Box
Hip to Be Square
Superhero Bento
Rainbow Bento Box for a Toddler
Woodland Bento Box
Lovey-Dovey Lunch
Bunny Bento
Flower Bouquet Bento Box
First Day of School Bento
Autumn Leaf Bento
Halloween Bento Box
Snowman Bento Box
Gingerbread Man Bento
Christmas Tree Bento
Christmas Gift Bento Box
Antipasti Bento
Artful Leftovers
Cheese Plate Bento Box
Family Picnic Bento
Flower Garden Bento
Bagel and Lox Bento
Pinwheels
Pretty Salad Bento Box
Sausage and Salad Bento
Savory Bread Pudding Bento
Tiny Sandwiches
Stripy Bento
Introduction
“Bento” is the Japanese word for meals that are packed into boxes and eaten on the go. If you were to expand that definition a little, they are also well-balanced with a blend of flavors, textures, and colors.
Although bento meals have long been a staple of Japanese culture, they are a fairly recent export to the United States. The last few years has seen an increase in the popularity of bento lunches here in America for a variety of reasons. The cheerful presentations and variety of healthy foods incorporated into bentos appeal to parents attempting to entice picky kids to eat a balanced diet, while adults are drawn to this style of lunches for themselves because they are economically and environmentally friendly.
Many people like the idea of packing bento lunches, but they assume they’re complex and time consuming to put together. In actuality, packing an attractive bento box doesn’t require a lot of time or specialized skills. Armed with the right tools and some basic techniques anyone can make beautiful bento meals that are a delicious everyday treat.
Traditional bento box lunches often feature foods that are popular in Japan. The ingredients for these dishes can be difficult to find and sometimes they’re so rare in the States that many people have never even heard of them. While the lunches in this book use some Japanese packing techniques, they are based around ingredients that are common in the American diet and — even more importantly — these ingredients are readily available in large chain grocery stores.
I’ve filled this book with simple techniques anyone can master to make bento box lunches for themselves and their families. My hope is that in addition to using the detailed instructions provided to recreate the projects presented here, readers will take the techniques they learn while making these lunches and combine them in new ways to make unique meals of their own design. These versatile techniques can be used in endless combinations to make lunch packing — and eating — more creative and fun.
