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.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Footwear in the Kitchen



Footwear in the Kitchen

Takageta (tall wooden clogs) were worn by chefs around Japan and especially in Kyoto to protect their feet from being chilled to the bone by the cold temperatures permeating the floor of the kitchen. The height of the takageta allowed the chefs to work more comfortably, despite having more limited mobility.

Today, chefs choose comfortable rubber sandals instead.

履き物について

日本料理店の調理場では、料理人は皆高下駄を履いている。会席料理の本場、底冷えのする京都では調理場はとても冷える。料理人の体調を考慮して、床より高さのある高下駄を履くようになったと言われている。
高下駄の名残で、今では履き心地の良いゴム草履がその役割を担っている。


Chefs' Geta (photo credit:amazon.co.jp) 


Photo shoot at Hirohisa

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Dashi (Japanese Broth)



Bonito broth (Katsuo dashi) and Kelp broth (Kombu dashi) are two of the most important flavors for Japanese cuisine. In Japanese food, dashi is the base. Then we add soy sauce, miso or salt. The quality of the dashi determines the quality of the food and is the essence of Japanese cuisine. In basic dashi, various types of kombu and katsuobushi (dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna) are chosen to create this important flavor.

Makombu is a type of kombu from Hokkaido, Japan. This kind kombu has thicker flavor and it tends to be preferred by the people of other world cultures. However, at really excellent Japanese restaurants in Japan, especially Kyoto, chefs prefer to use "rishiri kombu". It has a clearer color and a delicate flavor and is preferred by Japanese people who grow up in Japan.

The preferred Katsuobushi abroad has a rich red color because the flavor is thicker than the other one. The other variety is preferred by restaurants in Kyoto usually. Much like the higher quality kombu, this more delicate flavor is preferred by the locals. For people from other cultures, who feel "umami' is the new taste, the more common varieties of katsuobushi and kombu are a good combination to understand the umami flavor.


出汁について
鰹と昆布の出汁は日本の食卓にとって、なくてはならない基本の味である。鰹と昆布でとった出汁に醤油や味噌、塩などを加えるともうそれは日本食である。日本料理の世界ではこの出汁が全てである。良い出汁が取れれば、それで全て良しなのである。

この昆布は北海道・道南産 真昆布。味が濃く出る種類です。欧米ではこちらの品種が好まれる傾向にあります。京都の料亭などでは、出汁で育つ日本人に対して利尻昆布のような上品で澄んだ味わいの昆布が使われます。
かつおぶしは血合い入りのものを欧米では好まれます。これも京の会席料理などで使用する血合いなしの香り高いかつおぶしに対して、味が濃く出るためです。旨味を新しい味と感じる外国人には、このような組み合わせで取る出汁が一番理解し易い味わいとなっているようです。



Japanese people grow up with the spirit of "mottainai" which means to avoid waste. This influences cooking as well. We use everything as much as we can. We use everything edible in vegetables, fish and meat. From one end to the other, including bones and meats, roots and flowers, nothing is wasted. For example, a fish head and bones are used in preparation of Japanese food. They are grilled lightly then used as broth. When they are grilled, the fishy smell dissipates, the water is removed and taste has been thickened. The dashi made from these saved and usually unwanted parts in other cultures is really delicious.


日本人は昔から「もったいない」意識が根付いています。それは料理においてもそうです。素材を余すことなく最大限有効に使います。これは料理の上手い人ほど達人のような気がします。野菜も魚も肉も、端から端、骨から身までおいしく使います。例えば魚のアラ。身をとった後の頭と骨だけの魚をひと炙りし、出汁の材料として使います。アラは焼くことにより、魚特有の生臭さが消され、余分な水分が飛ぶことによって味が凝縮されます。このアラでとった出汁も我々を唸らせます。


Photoshoot at Hirohisa