Japanese Food gains Michelin Stars
Healthy and Simple, Delighting the Eye as Well as the Palette
Japan's Cuisine has just gained 191 Michelin Stars, food that emphasizes seasonal ingredients exquisitely presented, sushi, tempura, sashimi and rice in all its forms
Appearance is a key element of Japanese cuisine, delighting the eyes as much as the taste buds. Japanese cuisine is truly an art form. It takes spatial beauty to new heights, placing emphasis on the 3-dimensional form, colour and other visual aspects of food arrangement, even to the slicing methods that have been created for vegetables. Table ware is carefully selected so that its character, colour and shape are in harmony with the food and the season.
Japanese Cuisine, No. 1 Sushi:
The roots of Sushi are said to go back to an ancient Chinese method of preserving fish by salting it and allowing it to ferment in a container of rice. It then spread to Japan where it evolved into the more refined, world-famous modern style of sushi which you will find at the street stalls all over Japan.
Exquisite finger food, sushi is a display of culinary art, a theatre of food in which the audience is seated at a counter from which they can closely watch the chef at work, a technique that never fails to enchant the viewer.
The chef will hand-roll a ball of rice for instance before covering it with a prepared slice of seafood, freshly bought at the market that morning.
Japanese Cuisine, No. 2 Tempura:
Tempura started out as a quick, simple meal, food served at street stalls. Today however, it uses a wide array of ingredients and can be enjoyed at home or in top restaurants.
A superb deep fried food prepared from seasonal vegetables and seafoodhes. Deep friend in a thin coating of batter, tempura is known for the many different ways it can be enjoyed, dipped in sauce or salt and eaten by itself, or served on top in noodle dishes.
Japanese Cuisine, No. 3 Rice:
Typically cooked by steaming which preserves the vitamins and minerals of this type of rice usually white but there is a growing vogue nowadays for brown rice. Introduced from China to Japan it became the nation’s staple food very quickly. The type used is the short, round grains that become glutinous when cooked and the basic style of eating it is in a bowl together with other items.
Japanese Ingredients no cook should be without.
Wasabi – a seasoning unique to Japan cultivated in stream beds and used to enhance the delicate flavours of food with a pungent bite.
Dashi – a stock made by simmering a base ingredient to concentrate it. One commonly used base is kelp (an excellent health addition to a diet).
Soy Sauce – Made from soybeans, soy sauce is a brown liquid seasoning made by fermenting the beans and wheat and it is the clincher that decides the flavour and aroma.
Miso – made from fermenting and aging a mix of soybeans, salt and koji mold. It is a vital source of protein for Japanese and its rich, distinctive fragrance and flavour add a wonderful touch to fish and vegetables.
Japanese Drinks to complement the food:
Sake – No 1 drink. A rice-based fermented liquor that makes a party a party. There are many varieties and brands, ask for advice if you are uncertain what type to drink.
Shochu: Another distilled liquor found in different varieties in different regions. There are wheat liquors, rice liquors and potato liquors and they can be enjoyed in all sorts of styles and is often mixed with tea!
Japanese Green Tea – The perennial favourite of many as it is believed to enhance life and add longevity.
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