WASHOKU.COM

Washoku is the Japanese word for Japanese cuisine. This blog will introduce Japanese food, the chefs, dishes, pottery, and Japanese culture. All photos are by Naoko Takagi, contributions from other individuals will be noted.

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Lightly Roasted Bonito (Katsuo no Tataki)



Lightly Roasted Bonito (Katsuo no Tataki)

For the Japanese, the words "Katsuo no tataki" conjure images of a breezy early summer and fresh green foliage.
The bonito season in Japan is from early summer to autumn because of the ocean currents around the islands of Japan. During the season, bonitos North from the South, and then return. When they return south, their bodies are fattened because of their time spent in the frigid ocean current. Their really delicious and aromatic fat changes the taste of bonito. Some people prefer the light early summer flavor of bonito and others prefer the fatty bonito. However, bonito are all over the world and we can catch them throughout the year, so we can enjoy their subtle and varied tastes depending on the location and season.

Japanese culture has had a deep and enduring relationship with bonito. Early on, people have offered bonito to the shrines as food for the spirits. Also the people of the Edo era, in Tokyo, competed with others in buying early summer bonito. They even sold their wives and kids to eat them. Still today, bonito flakes are the most important ingredient of Washoku (Japanese cuisine).
Bonito are 20 to 40 inches long. It's a wonder how ancient people caught these fish with their hefty weight and large size presenting a considerable challenge to fisherman with simple techniques.

Katsuo no tataki is famous in the Kouchi prefecture as the representative food, especially since it is served as "Sawachi ryori" (a big one plate meal). The history of Katsuo no tataki is very old, but vary around the country with conflicting claims. Being served katsuo no tataki sawachi ryori is a very heart warming happy feast.
Bonito is very delicate fish, like tuna. They spoil quickly. Usually, when we eat bonito raw, we serve it with condiments (shred ginger, garlic, scallions...etc), as toppings. However, these are no longer just "condiments", they add a a mouth-watering, complex flavor. The best way to smoke this dish is by burning rice straw. Served best with cold sake.



鰹のたたき

 鰹のたたきといえばなんとも言えず初夏を思い浮かべるのは私だけではないはずです。日本人の多くはこの「鰹のたたき」という響きに青々とした新緑と爽やかな夏の始まりを連想するでしょう。
 日本でのカツオの旬は初夏〜秋と言われています。これは太平洋における日本列島付近の海流によるためです。この旬の季節に、カツオは日本の南部へやってきて、一旦北上した後また南下してきます。この南下する際に獲れるカツオは、その時期の影響による低い海水のため、体に脂肪を蓄えており、脂ののった素晴らしく美味いカツオとなり、初夏に北上してくる身のしまったカツオとはまた違った味わいがあります。
 カツオ自体は多くの海域で一年中獲れるので、産地と時期によっては世界中でさまざまな状態のカツオが味わえるといえます。

 カツオという魚は日本文化ととても深い関わりがあります。古くは神々の時代まで遡り、当時よりカツオは神饌のひとつとして神様へお供えされていました。江戸のいなせな若衆たちは初鰹を女房子供を質に入れててでも食い、干した鰹節は和食にはなくてはならない味の根源です。カツオの体長は50㎝〜1mと大きく、力も強いので、漁法の未熟であった昔の人々がどのようにカツオを捕まえたのか、とても気になります。

 鰹のたたきは高知県の皿鉢料理として有名ですが、その料理の歴史自体は古いものの正式な出典には幾つかの諸説があるようです。高知出身の友人のお宅に伺った際に、友人のお母さんが皿いっぱいの鰹のたたき(皿鉢料理。さすが高知!)を作ってくださり、とてもハッピーなお食事やったことを思い出します。
 
 カツオは傷みが早いため、生食する場合には薬味が供されます。この薬味(生姜、にんにく、ねぎ等)が「鰹のたたき」として今やなくてはならない味わいを添えています。また燻しには藁を使うのが一番美味と言われています。

 鰹のたたきには冷酒でクイッといきたい気分です。


Photoshoot at Hirohisa

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Spring Vegetables 2




春のお野菜・第2弾

タラの芽、カタクリ、甘草の根、たんぽぽ、イタドリ、ガーリック・マスタード、ペッパークレス、トロントリリー、ナズナ。

春の到来を象徴する山菜です。

山菜をはじめに食べ始めたのはいつごろでしょう?ヒトが狩猟・採集しているころまでさかのぼるのでしょうか。野山に自生している植物は、すべてが食用ではありません。毒をもつ植物も少なからずあり、またそれらの植物は食べられる植物に酷似している場合も多くあります。昔の人の生身のチャレンジのおかげで私たちは美味しい山菜とそうでないものの区別ができるのですね。

日本に古くからある医食同源の考え方が、欧米にも広がり始めています。感度の高い欧米のシェフたちが自身の料理の表現方法にこのような考え方を取り入れ始め、様々なメディアを通して新しい食事・料理の在り方として注目され始めています。


Spring Vegetables 2

 Sprouts of Aralia Elata (We call it Tara no me), Ground Ivy (Katakuri), Licorice (Kanzo no ne), Dandelion (Tanpopo), Japanese Knotweed (Itadori), Garlic Mustard, Pepper Cress, Toront Lily and Shepherd's Purse (Nazuna).

 "Wild Plants" represent the food of Spring, we call these wild plants "Sansai".

 When did people begin to eat the wild plants? Perhaps this practice began in early human history while people hunted; they might have also gathered these wild plants. Some wild plants are edible, but some of them are not. There are many poisonous plants among them and some of them look edible. Early humans had to experiment to learn which one is edible and which one is not by eating the plants themselves, discovering along the way which are the most delicious of the edible plants. Thanks go to our ancestors!

 "Ishokudougen" is a way of thinking about eating, which Japanese people commonly do, is healing illness or injuries by yourself through a balanced delicious meal each day. It goes without saying that eating healthily improves the body's ability to resist illness and repair itself more rapidly. This lifestyle has been spreading to first world countries recently. Highly perceptive chefs have started to use this style for their work and has been introduced by many media outlets. The use of wild plants as food will gradually become more recognized.




Photoshoot at Hirohisa