What do the Japanese eat on New Year’s Eve?

In Denmark, we have a tradition of eating fish, especially cod.

In recent years, sushi has become a more popular eat. There are many families who choose to eat sushi and drink champagne for this special evening.

In Japan, a very special dinner is eaten Osechi Rykori, which dates from the Nara period (710-794). A classic Osechi Rykori consists of 13 less cold dishes which are served at once. The dishes will be served in a unique bento box, which is only used at special events a Jubako box.

The dishes are very different. They will typically consist of seafood cooked in different ways, eggs, soybeans, fermented vegetables and vegetables cooked in different ways and a dessert.

There are also more and more Japanese families who have added sushi bento box consisting of a few sushi rolls and nigiri.

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.

If a fish is caught in the sea near you can it be used for sushi?


No, not necessarily even if it is freshly caught.

First of all, fish for sushi has a very special quality. You can not necessarily see that quality with your eyes. There are usually experts who have the knowledge and experience to be able to see that.

Also it is difficult to tell where the fish is coming from.

There are some fish that swim several kilometers a day. There are also fish that stay in the local area throughout their lives. There are areas in the world where fish are of better quality than elsewhere. Unfortunately, it also requires that you have an in-depth knowledge of it.

About Sushi course for beginners I talk more, how to make sure you get bought of a quality so that it is suitable to be 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.

Is there a big difference in the quality of fish?

Yes it is there.

There is a big difference in quality compared to whether it is a fish that you have to cook or whether it is a fish that is to be used for sushi.

Does it matter?

No, it’s not.

One of the criteria is that a fish must be as fresh as possible. If the fish is not fresh enough then you can risk getting sick.

In addition, it is also important where the fish has grown up. There are some areas in the world’s oceans that have just the right conditions in terms of the quality demanded for sushi.

At the Sushi course for beginners, you will learn what questions to ask a fishmonger when buying fish 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.

Fish for sushi must be of the best quality and why?

There are many people who do not fully realize that there is a difference in the quality of fish. For sushi, only the best quality fish should be used and there is a reason for that.

Sushi is a nice and delicate dish and you must have knowledge on how to use very high quality fish so you can turn a simple looking piece of nigiri to a gastronomic experience.

The quality of the fish is also assessed on the basis of when the fish is caught. The fish must be as fresh as possible and it should preferably only be a few hours old. Then the bacterium in the fish has not begun to develop.

At the Sushi course for beginners I talk more about fish 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.

What soy sauce do exclusive sushi restaurants in Tokyo use?


Exclusive Japanese sushi restaurants in Tokyo differ from other restaurants. In Europe many people use Michelin guide as a yardstick which is not the case in Japan.

In Japan, many exceptional restaurants never be published in the Michelin Guide. These gourmet sushi resturant use af different type and unique soy sauce.

The restaurant will often use a homemade soy sauce where the recipe is secret. It may be a soy sauce developed by the sushi chefs but it can also be a recipe that has been passed down through generations. It is different from restaurant to restaurant.

Read more about the Sushi course for beginners

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

Does the weather affect the preparation of sushi?

The weather greatly affects the preparation of sushi. Right from handling og sushi rice, preparing ingredients and making sushi with your hands.

Japanese sushi is a dish that focuses on individual ingredients. I know well that in a lot of countries many different ingredients are used in most sushi restaurants. If you look at authentic Japanese sushi there are quite a few ingredients included.

When the food becomes so simple your “mistake” is easily shown since you cannot hide anything, including the weather.

It is one of the reasons it takes Japanese sushi chefs many years to cook sushi rice to perfection which is a must if you work in a sushi restaurant.

On the Sushi course for beginners the attendances will learn what it takes to cook sushi rice to perfection.

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

Which knife is used to cut fish for sushi?

Sushi knifeThe best knife for sushi is a special knife called sushi knife. There are several types of knives but not all are equally good.

I prefer to use a good Japanese sushi knife. The Japanese have the best sushi knifes and cooking utensils designed for sushi. They do also have a huge knowledge about which knife is best for you.

The Japanese knife blade has a slope which is very important when you cut fish for sushi.
For those who do not know. I can taste if the sushi chef has used a Japanese sushi chef knife or a European knife.

The Japanese knifes are best for sushi.

Please 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, Accenture audit Elbek & Vejrup and many more.
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The reason why Sushi course for beginners becomes more exclusive

Times have changed in many different ways which benefits the customers.

There will be fewer attendances in the class maximum 9 people.
You will have more room to make sushi.
There will be more time to ask Sushi chef Zoë.

Last but not least the atmosphere will be cozier.

On the Beginner Sushi course you will learn step by step how to make tasty Japanese sushi which you can take with you when you leave the class.

You can read more about what else you will learn at Sushi course for beginners such as purchasing fish, handling raw materials and much more.

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

How many attendants are there on your sushi course?


In the classes, that I hold there have always been fewer attendants compared to other culinary schools. This means that my students get more out of the course when there are not so many participants.

Including Covid-19, I have sharpened the number of attendance I will continue to do so regardless of how the infection developed in Denmark. There will be no more than 9-10 participants.

There are several benefits to

There will be plenty of space between the attendances
I have more time for the participants
The attendances also get to try more

You can read more about what you learn in the 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.

Can all types of seafood be used for sushi?

For that I have to say both Yes and No.

It depends a lot on how it is used in sushi.
You have to think that seafood has a completely different texture than fish. Most fish fillets are quite firm in the meat.

If you look entirely at seafood they remind you most about a bag of mixed candy. Seafood comes in many different sizes, tastes and texture. It is the raw material that is the hardest to use for sushi.

Some seafood used in sushi restaurants outside Europe are very difficult to prepare for sushi, it requires you as a sushi chef to use many different Japanese cooking techniques.

The consistency of seafood is also very different. Some shellfish have a very hard surface while others are very soft. In order for this type of raw material to become a gastronomic experience, you need to know which Japanese cooking techniques are best suited to it.

At the Sushi course for beginners the attendance learns to prepare the most sought after raw materials for sushi.

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