The term tempura was first documented in 1920 in an English-language Japanese newspaper, referring to the cooking technique. Surprisingly, this method of cooking in flour and egg batter was introduced to Japan by Portuguese missionaries in the sixteenth century! The word itself is of Portuguese origin, believed to derive from tempero, meaning “seasoning”, or possibly from the holiday Tempora, during which Catholics consumed fried vegetables and fish. In any case, the word tempura ultimately traces back to the Latin word tempus, meaning “time” – with the former being linked to the verb temperare, translating to “to temper”, and the latter connected to the timing of the holiday celebration.
