Appearing in census, historical Japanese dish (5)
I believe the answer is:
sushi
'japanese dish' is the definition.
(type of Japanese food)
'appearing in census historical' is the wordplay.
'appearing in' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'SUSHI' can be found hidden inside 'census historical'.
(Other definitions for sushi that I've seen before include "put away in Japan" , "oriental dish" , "Asian food" , "Rice, seafood cuisine" , "rice dishes" .)