Europe

Japanese kendo and food culture

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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.

What Christmas traditions are there in Japan?

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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?

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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.

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This is how a Japanese sushi chef sensei tests you!

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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.

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Is there a difference in sushi rice?

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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.

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Are there sushi restaurants with a vegetarian menu?

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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.

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In what way does a Japanese sushi restaurant differ?

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GinzaThe most exclusive sushi restaurants in Tokyo are very different compared to European sushi restaurants.

The size of a Japanese sushi restaurant can vary widely but often the restaurants are very small. There are no more than 6 – 15 seats in the restaurant and there are several reasons for that.

In the capital Tokyo living there 20 million. Since there are many people in a very small geographic area many Japanese families live in small apartment or houses and they are expensive.
Besides the many people there must also be room for many restaurants and shops.

On most streets have at least one restaurant so in addition to fierce competition between the restaurants.

Japanese do not compromise on the quality of food and service. Tokyo is the city of the world with the highest quality and service. They do everything they can to provide the best possible service.
The fierce competition for food combined with a high restaurant service ensures their survival. In Japan there are many restaurants that live by the motto, rather small but good.

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.

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Where is the best place to buy raw materials for vegetarian sushi?

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Vegetarian sushiAs always it is very important to use as fresh vegetables as possible.

When you make vegetarian sushi you must remember that the vegetables are the star and that they are the focal point of the entire menu.
The ideal is to buy organic fresh vegetables either from a farmers market or at a greengrocer.

At a farmers market is often more greengrocer who compete for essentially the same goods. So the quality and variety is greater. By shopping a farmers market you will find that the raw materials in season are cheaper and of better quality than those vegetables that can be bought in a supermarket.

However, there is a raw materials as well be worthwhile to buy a week before it is used like avocado.

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, Accenture audit Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

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How many dishes does Japanese eat?

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GyozaWhether talking about breakfast, lunch or dinner eat Japanese several dishes at every meal.

It is not big and heavy dishes as you know in Europe, but rather small, light and healthy dishes. A Japanese dish can have the same size as a Spanish tapas dish.

A common theme and what is a ‘must’ in the Japanese diet pyramid is the classic miso soup which is made of fish stock dashi.
In addition, eat Japanese fish at least once a day, it can be fish prepared in different ways either as fried, grilled or raw.
Basically the Japanese eat somewhere between 3 – 12 small dishes.

The Japanese cuisine is very large which offers many unique gastronomic experiences. You may want to 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.

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How do I fillet a fish?

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Zoë EsccherThat is a question I get on my courses.

Unfortunately, there is no one single way to do it.
When you fillet a fish for sushi you must be even more careful than what you normally see at a fishmonger. The reason for this is that if a fish is filleted sloppy you can actually taste it when you use it later for Nigiri.

There is a big difference in how a fish is filleted, depending on if it is a flatfish, white fish, salmon, tuna or very small fish. The skin of a fish does also have an impact on how to filet a fish.

If you do not know to fillet a fish you can always ask the fishmonger if he will do all the hard work first. It is important to remember only to purchase fish suitable for sushi.

Please read more about Nigiri 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.

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