Tempura: The Plant-Based Origins of Japan's Favorite Fried Dish

What Lent, Language, and Latin Have to Do with Tempura

This article dives into the surprising backstory of tempura—now a beloved part of Japanese cuisine—and how it actually got its start through centuries-old plant-based traditions. Long before it was known for its crispy golden goodness, tempura was the result of cultural blending, seasonal rituals, and meat-free cooking.

All of the articles in this series will be here: The Food History of Easter and Passover—Through a Plant-Based Lens

A Crispy Classic With a Plant-Based Past

One of our most popular all-inclusive Joyful Vegan Trips is the one we organize to Japan, and we’ve just arrived in this incredible country! (We recently announced our 2026 trip, which sold out in 24 hours—so we added a second departure, which is almost full!)

I’d love you to join me here next year, but you don’t have to travel across the world to enjoy one of Japan’s most beloved dishes: tempura. Light, crispy, and golden, tempura has become a staple of Japanese cuisine.

What many people don’t realize is that its origins are deeply rooted in religious fasting, plant-based eating, and centuries-old traditions.

The word tempura actually comes from the Latin word tempora, meaning “times” or “seasons.” It referred specifically to periods called Ember Days—seasonal times of prayer and fasting in the Christian calendar—when abstaining from meat was customary. (Lent is the most well-known example, but Ember Days occurred four times a year, marking the change of seasons with reflection, restraint, and meatless meals.) The root tempus also gives us words like tempo, temporary, and contemporary—all related to time.

So how did a Latin-rooted word end up in Japanese cuisine?

From Portugal to Japan: A Culinary Journey

In the mid-1500s, Portuguese Jesuit missionaries and traders arrived in Japan, part of a broader effort to spread Christianity and establish new trade routes in Asia. They first landed on Tanegashima Island in 1543, bringing with them not just firearms and Western goods, but also new ideas, customs, and food traditions.

The Jesuits who settled in Japan continued to observe their religious practices, including the requirement to abstain from meat on certain days like Lent and the Ember Days. To maintain their dietary restrictions, they adapted a familiar method of batter-frying vegetables (and fish)—similar to a Portuguese dish called peixinhos da horta (“little garden fish”), which consists of green beans fried in a light batter. Using local Japanese ingredients, they created meatless dishes that were satisfying, flavorful, and in keeping with their spiritual obligations.

The Japanese eventually adopted and refined this cooking technique, and tempura was born. Over time, it became a beloved part of Japanese cuisine—so much so that today it’s hard to imagine a tempura platter not gracing the menu of a Japanese restaurant. While tempura using aquatic animals is now common, it’s important to remember that the dish began as a way to honor meatless traditions.

Vegetable tempura—featuring ingredients like sweet potato, eggplant, mushrooms, shiso leaves, and green beans—is not only delicious but also historically accurate to the dish’s roots.

Interestingly, the religious connection between food and meat abstinence doesn’t stop with tempura. The word carnival also has origins in Christian tradition. It comes from the Latin phrase carne vale, which means “farewell to meat.” Carnival referred to the celebratory period just before Lent—a final chance to feast and enjoy indulgences before entering a season of fasting and restraint. Just like tempura, the word itself holds a memory of a time when going without meat was not only common but spiritually significant.

It’s fascinating to see how deeply language, food, and religious practice are intertwined—and how often history reveals a plant-based undercurrent in culinary traditions we take for granted today. Tempura, now a staple of Japanese cuisine, is actually a centuries-old testament to the creativity that flourishes when meat is taken off the table.

If you love word origins and food history—especially when they shine a light on plant-based traditions or animal-friendly stories—let me know! There are so many more delicious tales where this came from.

Also, if you’re interested in exploring our attachment to food rituals and traditions—especially those tied to Easter and Passover—check out my other articles on this topic. In all of them, I uncover surprising histories, question long-held customs, and celebrate meaningful ways to align our values with the holidays we cherish.

All of the articles and recipes in this series are here: The Food History of Easter, Lent, and Passover—Through a Plant-Based Lens). Thanks for reading and sharing!

Also in this series:

• Carnival: A Meat-Free Tradition: the surprising origin of the word and its historic connection to meat

• The Meatless History of Lent: The tradition of abstaining from animal products during the 40 days before Easter

• Homemade Soft Pretzels: Delicious and historical!

• Celebrating Easter Without Eggs: What better way to celebrate these ideals than by choosing objects that don’t just represent life and hope—but truly embody them?

• How a Plant-Based Seder Celebrates the True Meaning of Passover

• The Sacred History of Pretzels: The Plant-Based Origins of Everyone's Favorite Snack

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