Japanese food

Do the Japanese use European vegetables in traditional Japanese cuisine?

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In Japan, many universal vegetables such as onions, carrots, cabbage and potatoes are used in traditional Japanese cuisine and, it ranges from a bento box to a stew.

There is a large selection of local vegetables, root vegetables and herbs that only grow in Japan. Each season in Japan offers several different local herbs and vegetables. It makes Japanese cuisine very lively.

The Japanese prefer to eat vegetables and herbs when in season. They taste best and contain the most vitamins and minerals when in season.

This means that the dishes are regularly replaced at the many eateries and restaurants. It is often a new experience to go out and eat.

Read more about Traditional Japanese dishes 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 fish are on the menu in a sushi restaurant in Tokyo?

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In sushi restaurants in Tokyo there are approx. 15 different kinds of fish on the menu.

The Japanese people eat just as much fish in everyday life as we eat meat. When the Japanese visit a sushi restaurant in Tokyo, they want to taste as many different fish as possible.

The type of sushi that is most popular in Tokyo is nigiri sushi. Nigiri sushi is of a size that you as a guest can eat 10-15 pieces of sushi without feeling stuffed. Eating nigiri in Tokyo is an exciting experience. You get to taste many different fish that are not found in our latitudes.

In Europe we eat a little less fish. Most people eat fish 1-2 times a week. For one thing, sushi is one of the ways to get the recommended 350 gram of fish a week.

In Europe, sushi rolls are just as popular as nigiri sushi is in Japan. The selection is large, it is possible to taste several different rolls during 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.

How many squid do Japanese people eat in Tokyo?

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Japan is one of the countries where all seafood is extremely fresh. Seafood is also very fresh. It is rare that you can go into a European fish store and buy a fish that has just been caught 3 hours before.

In Japan, it is very normal to eat squid that is only a few hours old.

Squid is a kind of shellfish that must be extremely fresh otherwise it ca become gummy in consistency. In Japan, squid are eaten as much as salmon is eaten in Europe. It is freshly caught in abundant quantity.

Grilled squid as seen here in the picture is a popular way to eat squid. When grilled on low heat for several hours, it becomes completely buttery and full of flavor.

In Tokyo, there are food stalls that stand and grill freshly caught squid every day.

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 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 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.

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.

Is there a big difference in rice for sushi?

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There is a big difference in sushi rice.

There are many countries that grow sushi rice. Japan, the United States, China and Korea grow large quantities of sushi rice every single year.

Within each country there are many different types of sushi rice. It can be compared to if you buy a bottle of white wine from France. In France, there is not just one who produces white wines. No, there are many different types of grape and wineries that produce white wines.

Like grapes for white wines, there are also types of sushi rice that are complex, ie. very difficult to cook and that has an impact on sushi restaurants, but also for you at home who want to make cook quality sushi rice.

In the Sushi course for beginners, you learn step by step how to cook sushi rice, so that the rice you cook at home is of a quality that is suitable for 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.

Do the Japanese eat spinach?

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Yes, the Japanese eat spinach. They eat many different vegetables in one day.
The Japanese eat several different vegetables every single day. They diet pyramid is very varied and healthy.

In Japan, there are 3 different kinds of spinach plants. They each have their very own unique taste and, they are used differently depending on the type of the dish in question.

Horenso spinach is very similar to the classic European spinach. It is healthy and full of different vitamins.

Komatsuna spinach is mustard spinach. Of course, it is also healthy and full of vitamins. Of course it tastes like mustard and, it is used in salads or in soups and stews.

Mizuna is a spinach that has a more peppery taste. It is also healthy with many vitamins. The peppery taste makes it suitable for soups and strong stews.

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.