foodblogger

Who invented Sushi?

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Sushi chef & sake sommerlier Zoë Escher
It is a very specific group of the Japanese people who have invented sushi. It’s not chefs.

Sushi has originally been a poor man’s dish.
Along the coast of Japan fishing families live and make a living by catching fish. At that time many hundreds of thousands of years ago, their income was modest. It depended on how many fish were caught.
To support the family, some of the freshly caught fish was set aside. The fish was filleted and cut into smaller pieces. Along with freshly cooked rice, the fish was eaten with a little wasabi and soy sauce.

This raw fish dish came to Tokyo. The dish was refined and served in a different way by Japanese chefs and turned into sushi. For decades, Japanese chefs have made their own interpretation of sushi.

Some styles can be seen at sushi Michelin restaurants in Tokyo, others make classic Japanese sushi and some sushi restaurant chains make sushi for students.

At Sushi course for beginners, you learn step by step how to make sushi with the ingredients and techniques used at exclusive Japanese sushi restaurants.

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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 there a difference between the noodles used in Japanese soup?

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Noodle soup
There is a big difference in the noodles used in Japanese noodle soups.
Most people have heard about ramen soup, where one type of noodles is used. They are long, thin, and yellow and looks like spaghetti, but, the texture of the noodle and taste is different.

Ramen soup is not the only soup that the Japanese eat all year round.
In Japan, there are several different types of noodle soups are eaten, some at specific times during a year.
It is the stock, vegetables and meat/fish that determine which type of noodles are used.

In some soups, noodles that are neutral in flavor are used in udon soup. It is the soup itself that has a lot of taste and aromas. In other soups, noodles that have a delicate taste ramen noodle are used because it adds an extra dimension of flavor to the noodle soup.

In the Japanese noodle soup course for beginners, you will learn step by step how to make 2 very different tasty noodle soups.

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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 does the Japanese diet pyramid contain?

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Gyoza
The Japanese diet pyramid looks different from the Danish diet pyramid.

Japanese cuisine contains basic items which are a “must”.
It is rice, seafood, soybeans and seaweed. These are the basic elements of Japanese cuisine. They are essential and absolutely indispensable. The Japanese eat much seafood as we eat meat.

The Japanese also eat meat and vegetables. However, the Japanese do not eat as much meat as we do in Europe. They eat the same amount of meat as we eat fish.

In Japanese cuisine, several different types of cabbage are used. Cabbage is eaten in many different ways and, is a staple in Japanese cuisine. Of course, the Japanese also eat many vegetables that we know in Europe such as carrots, spring onions and cucumbers.

In Traditional Japanese food course for beginners, you learn step by step, how to make tasty dishes with Japanese ingredients, Japanese ingredients and Nordic ingredients.

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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.

Which chopsticks are best suited for sushi?

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It depends on how good you are at using chopsticks. If you are as experienced as the Japanese in Tokyo, then you can use chopsticks that are made in different materials. Lately I have been seeing chopsticks in steel.

The Japanese would never make chopsticks out of steel. They are too slippery to hold in the hand, difficult to grasp the food and they are difficult to eat with. Also, steel is not a material found in nature.

In Japan, the preferred material for chopsticks is wood. However, there are many different types of wood used for chopsticks. In Japan, the design of chopsticks plays a big role. They should be easy to hold between the fingers, easy to eat with and the design should be Japanese.

It is easy to see on chopsticks if they are easy to use. They are made in a design that makes them comfortable to hold in the hand. The outer part of the chopsticks will have a slightly rough surface like sandpaper. It makes it easy to hold on to the food.

The Japanese families like that chopsticks are made in many different designs and quality, so there is little to choose from.

Read 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.

That’s the reason why the Japanese drink a cup of miso soup every day!

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Many have become aware that the Japanese drink a cup of hot miso soup a day. Several in Europe have traveled on holiday in Japan and have noticed that, while others have heard about it.

In Japan, the classic Japanese miso soup is made from scratch. Beside fermented soybean paste, the soup is packed with vitamins and minerals that the body enjoys.

As the soup primarily contains miso paste, it has a high content of vegetable protein, which is healthier than animal product. Soybeans are a low-fat product as they do not contain fat such as a steak.

The soup is also rich in vitamins and minerals. Japanese seaweed is also included in the soup.In Japan, there are many different types of seaweed. Not all seaweed varieties are suitable for miso soup. Of course, it is important to choose the right one otherwise the soup tastes less good.

But such overall is seaweed is a very healthy vegetable. It is the vegetable in the world that contains the most vitamins and minerals.

Read more about Noodle Soup course for beginners, where healthy and nutritious Japanese ingredients and raw materials are a must in the traditional Japanese noodle soups.

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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.

Which fish is most often eaten in the fall in Japan?

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Sushi chef & sake sommerlier Zoë Escher
Mackerel is a fish that is very popular in Japan.

In Denmark, mackerel is most often eaten as smoked pepper mackerel. A freshly smoked pepper mackerel tastes great.

In Japan, fish is not smoked in the same way as in Denmark. The Japanese prefer to eat fresh fish cooked in several different ways.

Mackerel is a fish that the Japanese especially enjoy in the fall. All fish have a cycle and mackerel is an autumn fish in Japan.

It is a fish that is suitable for sushi.
It is a fish that is not eaten without any kind of preparation. It is always put in rice vinegar and marinated before being used for sushi.

It is also a fish that is enjoyed in traditional Japanese cuisine. The whole fish with head and tail is grilled. It is also served that way. As a guest, you sit with chopsticks and separate the fish and eat the meat.

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.

Which pumpkin do the Japanese prefer to eat?

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In recent years, pumpkins have become more and more popular.
Halloween is an American tradition which a number of years ago found its way to Denmark. Cutting orange pumpkins has gradually also becomes a tradition in Denmark.

Because of Halloween, more and more people want to eat pumpkins. Today there are many different kinds of pumpkins and have found their way to the Danish supermarkets.

Most people are familiar with the orange pumpkin called Hokkaido, which is available in all supermarkets. It was once cultivated in Japan, from which the name originates. Today it is grown outside Japan.

This dark green pumpkin which I got know when travelling in Japan, is available in Denmark, but only at few supermarket.

It’s called Kabocha.

In Japan, it is eaten in many different ways in traditional Japanese cuisine.
I tasted it for the first time in Japan in 2004. I got it for lunch where there was a piece in a bento box. I also ate it in the evening at the home of one of my teachers in Tokyo.

It is a pumpkin type that I have learned to like a lot the Japanese way.

Read more about Japanese noodle soup course for beginners, where noodle soups are made with Japanese ingredients and ingredients in the same way as, Japanese restaurants in Tokyo.

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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.

Japanese comfort food that warms on a cold autumn day!

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The hot summer days are coming to an end and we are approaching autumn.
Autumn is a changeable time reminiscent of a bag of mixed sweets, sun, wind and rain and sometimes on the same day.

Autumn is one of the most beautiful seasons.
Nature and forests show themselves from their most beautiful side. The forest abounds with mushrooms and just around the corner awaits the classic root vegetables.

In Japan, noodle soups are tasty and healthy dish are enjoyed all year round. It is a dish that is very popular when summer turns into autumn. It is a dish that warms on the changeable autumn days.

A classic Japanese noodle soup contains fish, meat, noodles, vegetables and seaweed in other words it is one of the healthiest fast foods on a busy day.

In the Noodle soup course for beginners, you will learn how to make tasty soups from scratch with Japanese noodles, soups that have the same unique aromas and flavors as if served in restaurants in Japan.

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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.

Which fish most often ends up on the dinner table in Denmark?

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Salmon is the most sought after fish in Denmark. It is a tasty fatty fish that is rich in omega 3.
More and more countries in Scandinavia have for many years farmed salmon. It is relatively new that Iceland has started selling salmon off the island. It is a salmon that has grown up in an environment similar to nature, where wild salmon usually live. This means that the salmon has the same quality as wild salmon.

The Faroe Islands breed the world’s best salmon. It is a fish that is farmed in the sea. A salmon that is raised under the best possible conditions while the fish get special feed that is good for the fish. The Faroe Islands are known for their quality salmon, which now lands in Denmark every single day.

Norway also breeds several types of salmon in different qualities, which can also be bought in Denmark.

On the Sushi course for beginners, of course, the world’s best salmon is used, so that the participants learn how to make delicate and tasty sushi of high quality.

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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 type of noodle soup do the Japanese prefer to eat?

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In Japan, there are many different types of noodle soups.
There is the classic tasty ramen soup that most people know and there are other types of noodle soups such as udon and soba.

In Japan, ramen noodle soup are very popular on a busy weekday. In the larger cities such as Tokyo, there are noodle soup bars on pretty much every street corner. Small dining places with delicious ramen soup which has been passed down from generation to generation.
Ramen soup in Japan is a broad concept. Some ramen soup is made on fish stock, while others are made on chicken and pork.

It is different from noodle bar to noodle bar what is used of ingredients. Fish, shellfish, meat and eggs are classic ingredients with proteins and local Japanese vegetables are used which are in season.

In the Noodle Soup course for beginners, you will learn how to make tasty classic noodle soups as they are served in Japan.

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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.