also: めんつ
round wooden box for serving individual portions of rice
A traditional lidded container used to measure and serve rice, often seen in communal dining or temple settings. The term is somewhat specialized and may not be widely known outside culinary or historical contexts.
In Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, individual servings of rice are placed in a men-tsuu.
This old men-tsuu was used at an Edo-period inn.
Standard kanji spelling for this traditional serving container.
Shortened reading; common in everyday speech.
The kanji 面 (mask, surface) and 桶 (tub, bucket) combine to describe a round, lidded container. The reading めんつう is the standard on'yomi, while めんつ is a common contraction. The exact historical origin of the term is uncertain, but it is associated with traditional Japanese food service.