How does a Japanese meal differ from a European meal?

GyozaA Japanese meal is exceptionally healthy and is very good for your body.
Fish is the foundation of Japanese cuisine. This means that fish plays an important part in almost every meal. I am not only talking about a piece of fish but also fish stock, fish flakes, dried fish and so on.

The Japanese do also keep their bodies healthy and slim in way that they eat detoxifying ingredients.
Vegetables and seaweed is eaten in large quantities. Beside that the Japanese do also eat plenty of ginger and soy which plays an important part in Japanese cuisine.
The Japanese do also like to eat meat but it takes up a lot less than what we are used to in Europe.

The healthy diet is the direct cause of the Japanese live so long.

Please read more about the course Traditional  Japanese cooking class for beginners

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem

Gem

Gem

Is there a difference in the type of sushi rice?

SushirisYes, there may be big differences in the type of sushi rice.
Most people would probably think that the quality is not as crucial.
Like so much else the quality of sushi rice how just as much impact on how tasty your rice will be.
There is a big difference how many times you need to wash the sushi rice, how much water you must use and how long you should cook the rice. The cheaper rice you use the harder it make good sushi rice.

It’s worth spending a little extra money on buying rice of good quality.

You can read more about sushi course for beginners 

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem

This is how the generation +55 years prefers to drink sake!

SakeIn Japan sake is served in several different ways. The older generation +55 years often drinks sake on weekdays and at special events.

During the week sake is typically served at the evening meal. How many glasses they drink depends on the percentage of alcohol. Generally speaking the percentage of alcohol in a bottle of sake is higher than in a bottle of wine.

As a rule of thumb if the percentage of alcohol in a bottle of sake is roughly the same as a bottle of wine the Japanese do enjoy a few glasses.

If the alcohol content is significantly higher and I am thinking of a bottle of booze the Japanese drinks small amounts of sake in the mug which is the size of a shot glass.

In the last newsletter of the year I will talk about how the younger generation prefer to drink sake.

Read more about Sushi Chef & Sake Sommelier Zoë Escher

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem

Gem

Japanese kendo and food culture

Kendo
Thursday and yesterday I was in Belgium where I practiced kendo kata with my Japanese kendo sensei whom I have known since 2001. He and a delegation of eight high-graded Japanese were teaching at the annual Belgian winter seminar.

It was quite nice to revisit many of my Belgian friends who I have known for many years.

Kendo
Several of the Japanese kendo teachers know that I am Japanese-trained sushi chef. This year there were more of them who would like to read and see pictures of my Japanese sushi chef teacher. The Japanese kendo delegation thinks it is great that I am sushi chef.

Read moew about Sushi chef & sake sommelier Zoë Escher

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

How big is the selection of sake in Japan?

SakeThe selection of sake is very large in Japan.

In Europe wine is divided into champagne, white wine, red wine and dessert wine.

In Japan sake is divided into four main categories respectively Kun-shu, Sou-shu, Jun-shu and Jun-shu. Juku-shu is a category which is reserved for sake which has been aged for a long period of time.

Beside that there is also sake with bubbles and sake which is served for dessert. In addition, varying alcohol content also depend on which type of sake we are talking about. You can get sake with an alcohol content that matches a bottle of vodka. Therefore it does matter how sake is drunk. In Japan sake is drunk in several different ways.

In Japan sake is drunk in several different ways.

Read more about Sushi Chef & Sake Sommelier Zoë Escher

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

What Christmas traditions are there in Japan?

ChristmasIn Japan Christmas is not celebrated in the same way as in Europe. The Japanese do not celebrate Christmas by eating Christmas dinner as we know it in Europe.

The Japanese do enjoy going out and eat a nice dinner with colleagues, family and friends. Eating a meal together is a social event as the Japanese enjoy while they eat many small meals which is very normal in Japan.

In a restaurant at dinner the Japanese prefer to drink beer it is the most preferred beverage at evening meals throughout Japan. The beer selection is not as large as in Europe the beer you find in Japan is very similar to classic beer in Denmark.

Read more about Sushi Chef & Sake Sommelier Zoë Escher

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Have you ever surprised your friends with a homemade sushi dinner?

I noticed a growing interest and more people want to serve freshly made sushi quality in their homes.
Beside surprising guests with something new and exciting there are some of my attendants who see it as a great opportunity to learn the Japanese techniques are about to make tasty sushi.

I like to put together a menu where guests and the host prepare sushi in the Japanese way. That will give visitors a gastronomic experience with another dimension.

Read more about Sushi chef & sake sommelier Zoë Escher

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem

This is how a Japanese sushi chef sensei tests you!

California sushi Academy10 years and four months ago I was trained to become a sushi chef & sake sommelier at the California Sushi Academy. Toshi my Japanese sushi chef sensei (with 35 years of experience) is very Japanese in his approach.

Every 14 days we were tested.  Our skills were tested, how fast we were, how sharp our knives was how clean our chefs uniforms were, how clean our workstation was and the presentation of the sushi pieces we should make. Then Toshi made a list which he hung on the wall so we could see what number we were on the list.

In the picture Toshi is examining how sharp my sushi knife is.

I can just add that I was number two in the final test.

Read more about Sushi chef & sake sommelier Zoë Escher

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem

Gem

Is there a difference in sushi rice?

SushirisYes, there may be large differences in sushi rice.

Most people would probably think that the quality is not as crucial.
Like so much else the quality of the sushi rice has just as much impact on how tasty your rice will.
There is a big difference how much rice should be washed, how much water to use and how long they should be cooked. The cheaper rice you use the harder it make good sushi rice.

It is worth spending a little extra money on buying rice of good quality.

Please read more about the course Sushi for beginners

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem

Are there sushi restaurants with a vegetarian menu?

Vegetarian sushiVegetarian sushi is a much underrated dish in Europe.
Vegetarian sushi what is prepared with care have a fantastic taste and flavors.
In Denmark the selection is quite small and there is not really a menu for vegetarians.

There may be several reasons for that.

It’s much more complicated to make sushi with vegetables than sushi with fish.
The vegetables need to be prepared using different techniques so they do not lose their crispness, but will enhance their flavors.
The presentation of vegetarian sushi is at least as important. Making vegetarian sushi takes about twice as long to make as it may be the reason that it takes up so little on the menu.

Read more about Sushi Chef & Sake Sommelier Zoë Escher

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem