Tips

What do Japanese restaurants serving kaiseki look like?

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Japanese restaurants that serve kaiseki look a certain way. Each style of Japanese cuisine has its very own expression and, this also applies when it comes to the restaurant’s architecture and decor.

Kaiseki is an exclusive menu which consists of 8-12 unique, beautiful and tasty dishes from the traditional Japanese cuisine. A kaiseki dinner is not just a meal it is unique journey in historic ancient Japan.

The restaurants pay homage to the cultural virtues. The shoes are placed right inside the front door, there are small walkway bridges in the restaurant, there are tatemi mats on the floor in the dining rooms and, the female waiters are wearing kimonos. Dinner is served according to the traditional etiquette from the Edo period.

The restaurants will often be surrounded by a beautiful traditional Japanese garden, where even the smallest details are looked after and cared for. The traditional Japanese gardens surrounding the restaurants are beautiful all year round.

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 is meant by “clean cut” in Japanese gastronomy?

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Japanese cuisine differs from other cuisines in the world in that the food is very “clean”.
This applies from everyday food to fine dining.

In Japanese cuisine, the ingredients are prepared as little as possible.
To highlight the unique flavors and aromas of the ingredients, the way you use the knife is crucial to how tasty the dish ends up being.
This means that there are other requirements for the way you use your knife. In Japan, your knife can be used in many thousands of different ways; it is the raw materials in question that determine which technique to use.

The fewer raw materials used in a dish, the more important it is that knife techniques are used, made as “clean” as possible, i.e. do not make notches or marks in the raw materials in order to get the full benefit of the raw materials.

At Sushi course for beginners, you will be introduced to the most commonly used Japanese knife techniques.

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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 are the two main ingredients in Japanese cuisine?

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The two main ingredients in Japanese cuisine are kombu and bonito flakes.

Kombu is a Japanese type of seaweed that is grown on the ocean bottom. It is a tall seaweed with thick and broad leaves. In Japanese cuisine, seaweed is dried and used in many different dishes. Kombu is part of the foundation of Japanese cuisine. It is not dried seaweed that is eaten in the same way as sushi seaweed. It is not suitable for that.

Bonito flakes come from a fish called Bonito. It is a fish that is related to tuna. The fish is cleaned, filleted and smoked. The fish fillets are then dried at certain temperatures for several months. Eventually, it is cut into ultra-thin strips. Like kombu, it is the foundation of Japanese cuisine.

Read more about Japanese noodle soup 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.

Is seaweed salad Japanese?

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The classic seaweed salad that contains crispy seaweed, sesame seeds and a slightly spicy dressing is not Japanese.

There are several different kinds of tasty seaweed salads. However, the difference between the seaweed salads that are available in Denmark is not that great. The most in-demand seaweed salad in Denmark is made in China.

You can make your own seaweed sala. However, it will be with a different kind of seaweed that is not crunchy. The type of seaweed used in the classic seaweed salad is oblong, thin and crispy. It is seaweed that originates from China. I have not yet encountered this type of seaweed in Japan or in Denmark.

If you want to make your own seaweed salad, then you can try out wakame seaweed, it will be a different kind of seaweed salad.

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.

How has wasabi become part of a Japanese sushi meal?

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Wasabi became part of a sushi meal several thousand years ago.

Japanese sushi is originally a poor man’s dish. Japan is originally a fishing community.

Many years ago (8th century), many poor fishing families lived along the coasts of Japan. At that time, people did not earn much as a fisherman and it was difficult to feed the family. Most meals consisted of rice and fish.

At that time, the Japanese fishermen did not have a refrigerator either. To ensure that a few of the fish caught in the early morning hours for the family could also stick to be eaten in the evening, wasabi was smeared on the fish slices just before it was to be eaten. Wasabi was smeared on the fish slices to take some of the smell and to kill bacteria.

Since then, the meal has been refined to what we know today. Today, wasabi is used as a kind of spice on sushi pieces. It’s a way for sushi restaurants in Japan season a meal.

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.

What is Japanese Sea urchin?

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Japanese sea urchin also called uni in Japanese is a sea animal. It is round and has a lot of spikes, like a hedgehog.

Japanese sea urchins can be found on the menu of Japanese sushi restaurants in Japan and exclusive sushi restaurants in the US. It is a very fine and delicate taste.

In Europe, more and more people gets to know sea urchins, there are several European chefs who have traveled to Japan in recent years. The food experiences they have had in Japan have been taken to Europe. More and more restaurants in Denmark have got sea urchins on the menu.

In Denmark, sea urchins most often come from the Faroe Islands.

In Japan, many different kinds of sea urchins are found in the sea around Japan.

Sea urchins do not taste the same. The Japanese sea urchins are divided into what area of ​​Japan they come from and their quality. It is bit like prawns.

In Europe you can buy cheap prawns, where the quality is not so good. Then you have the Greenlandic, which have a much finer quality. Similarly, there will be a difference in sea urchins.

Read more about Sushi chef & sake sommelier

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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.

Can you make sushi without nori seaweed?

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Sushi roll futomaki with prawns, web: http://chefzoeescher.comYou can make sushi without seaweed.

Except from nigiri sushi, I would not recommend making e.g. sushi rolls without nori seaweed. It’s never really going to taste good.

Nori seaweed is the vegetable in the world that contains the most vitamins and minerals; it plays a very important role in relation to sushi. Seaweed adds an extra taste experience to the other ingredients in the roll. Seaweed also keeps all the filling in place when you eat a piece of sushi. Then it is a good dining experience.

If you don’t use nori seaweed, the sushi pieces will have a completely different taste and consistency. You may also risk the rollers falling apart.

If you do not like seaweed, then my best advice is. Try eating a few single pieces of hosomaki (the small roll) with cucumber. It can take some time before the taste buds get used to sushi.

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.

How many levels are there in sushi in Japan?

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There are many sushi levels. In Denmark there are 3 levels and in Japan there are 5 levels.

In Denmark you can divide sushi into 3 different levels.

The first level is sushi that is served on a transport belt. These are sushi restaurants where you can eat as much as you like for a fixed price.
The second level is where you can find most sushi restaurants in Denmark. This type af restaurant can be found in small and large cities thoughout Denmark.
The third level is where sushi restaurants  have developed their very own concept and sushi. There are not that many of them.

In Japan, you can divide sushi into 5 different levels.

The first level is sushi that is served on a transport belt, they are primarily found in large cities in Japan.
The second level are restaurants, which are found in most cities in Japan.
The third level are sushi restaurants, which have refined their techniques used by sushi restaurants at level 2. They  often have a bib gourmand in the michelin guide.
The fourth level are the sushi restaurants that have received 1, 2 or 3 stars in the michelin guide.
The fifth level are sushi restaurants where the professional level is so high that they are too good to be in the michelin guide or any international lists.

In a Sushi course for beginners, you will learn how to make high-quality sushi that is suitable for being served for a wonderful sushi dinner at home.

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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 much seaweed do the Japanese eat?

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The Japanese eat a lot of seaweed.

In the sea around Japan, many different types of seaweed grow. Seaweed used for sushi and seaweed used for various kinds of Japanese dishes. Many thousands of years ago, the Japanese began drying seaweed. Seaweed was dried in such a way that vitamins and minerals remained intact. It was also a way to extend the shelf life.

Today, seaweed is grown on the sea bottom like as wheat is grown in other parts of the world. It is an agriculture that takes place on the sea bottom. The companies that produce seaweed have facilities that can dry large quantities of seaweed every single day.

Read more about Sushi course for beginners, where you learn about nori seaweed used for sushi.

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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.

Are there different kinds of ginger for sushi?

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There are different kinds of ginger for sushi.

In Japan, there are many different types of pickled ginger for sushi. Ginger is a very common ingredient in Japanese cuisine it is used daily in various dishes.

In the exclusive sushi restaurants in Tokyo, you will find that the restaurants make their own pickled ginger. They taste different than it can be bought by the glass in a supermarket or in an Asian store.

An exclusive sushi restaurant has their own unique recipe for pickled ginger. The ingredients they use to make the ginger are provided by their supplier.

In the Sushi course for beginners, I talk more about what Japanese sushi chefs look for when buying ginger for sushi.

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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.