Learn more about Japanese cooking

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION TO WASHOKU

Washoku is a central concept in Japanese culinary culture and finds its basis in a rich food tradition that goes back several centuries. Washoku has been recognized in 2013 by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

“Ichi Ju-Sansai” means one soup and three dishes. This simple expression incorporates the basics of Washoku. The principle of eating a soup and three dishes is perceived to provide a balanced meal when accompanied with cooked rice and pickled vegetables. Eating rice with every meal is one of the primary differentiating features of Washoku cuisine.

 

The invitation to variety is also found in two popular expressions “umi no sachi” (bounty of the sea) and “yama no sachi” (bounty of the land) that encourage combining land as well as sea sourced food when composing a menu. At the same time it celebrates the food diversity of the Japanese archipelago.

Seasonality or “shun” is another core element of Japanese traditional cuisine which recommends to select and cook ingredients when they are at the peak of their season. Balance in colour and tastes are also key in Japanese gastronomy. In past times, Japanese chefs have progressively determined a typology of colours to be harmoniously arranged when cooking (red, green, white, yellow and black-purple).

Classically tastes are classified in 5 categories (sweet, sour, bitter, salty and hot). Japanese chefs have discovered a sixth taste which they called “umami”. Umami has been imperfectly translated into English by delicate.

EXPERIENCING UMAMI

Umami is pivotal in Japanese traditional cuisine and can be described as a hybrid taste combining several perceptions and producing exceptional impressions when tasting food.

Kombu seaweed kelp or bonito flakes used to prepare Japanese dashi stock are good examples of particularly high-loaded umami ingredients. But it can also be found in meat, seafood, vegetables, cereals, sauces and condiments.

KAISEKI RYORI

 

The principles alighted above are magnified in Kyoto “Kaiseki ryori” haute cuisine. Historically related to tea ceremony and “Zen Buddhism” and centred on extremely simple dishes it has progressively evolved into a dining style favoured by aristocrats.
 
Kaiseki meals are composed of a series of dishes prepared using traditional cooking techniques and highlighting regional and seasonal delicacies.
 
A kaiseki diner is composed of different courses categorised by coking method: soup (suimono), sashimi (otsukuri), boiled dish (nimono), grilled dish (yakimono), deep fried dish (agemono), steamed dish (mushimono) and vinegared dish (sunomono).

IZAKAYA'S POPULAR CULINARY TRADITION 

 

They are also fully reflected in the vibrant popular “izakaya” food culture. Izakayas are welcoming Japanese pubs present all over Japan.

These informal places are serving mouth-watering and inexpensive small-plate cooking along with various drinks such like sake, shochu, beer or wines.

Menus may vary according to the city, the region and the chef imagination and creativity.

Far from being only restaurants, Izakayas are meeting and socializing places central in Japanese culinary tradition.

Courses are followed by the “shokuji” served at the end of the diner before dessert and composed of rice, miso soup and pickles (tsukemeono).