How is the quality of sushi in Japan?

Sushi chef & sake sommerlier Zoë Escher
In general, the quality of sushi is very high.

In Japan, there are many sushi masters who make sushi of extremely high quality.
Throughout their careers as Executive Sushi Chef, they train quite a few sushi chefs. Some of the chefs choose to continue their careers in the restaurant where they are trained.
Other sushi chefs choose to open their own restaurant and put their own fingerprints in the restaurant industry and, a third group chooses, to travel abroad to work.
In the USA, especially California, a lot of sushi chefs from Japan work.

You will also find Japanese sushi chefs who work in neighbor countries in Asia.

The many skilled sushi chefs in Japan ensure that the quality of Japanese sushi is high.
They do this, among other things, by using fish and other high-quality raw materials. They also use Japanese ingredients which are suitable for sushi.

This knowledge helps to strengthen Japan’s position in relation to quality sushi.

In the Sushi course for beginners, you will learn to use the techniques that Japanese sushi chefs use in the preparation of tasty 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.

Can all types of vegetables be used for sushi?

Sushi chef & sake sommelier Zoë Escher
Not all types of vegetables can be used for sushi.
A vegetable like eggplant is not suitable for sushi at all. There are several reasons why

If you cut an eggplant into slices, then it is not firm in consistency. And once it is cooked on a pan or in the oven, it is very soft and falls apart easily.

Eggplant is also a vegetable that in itself does not have much flavor. It requires the use of some other ingredients that can provide an extra flavor dimension.

Onions are also not a raw material that is optimal to use for sushi.
No matter what type of onion is used, onions have a rather strong taste. Raw onions can also bother the stomach and, not everyone wants to smell of onions the rest of the evening.

At Sushi course for beginners, you learn step by step, to prepare and slice ingredients and make tasty sushi according to the Danish Food Administration’s rules.

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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?

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.

That’s why seaweed is the most important vegetable in Japan!

Sushi chef & sake sommerlier Zoë Escher
Most people associate seaweed with Japan.
Over the last many decades, more and more people have opened their eyes to sushi seaweed which contain many vitamins and minerals. Sushi is a popular food enjoyed by both children and adults.

The country of Japan consists of a main island and hundreds of small islands. It is a country which is a bit isolated from the rest of the world and which is surrounded by water.
Japan is a fishing country a country that taught the Japanese thousands of years ago to appreciate seafood but also seaweed.

Seaweed was the direct and fastest source of vitamins and minerals.
In today’s Japan, not only sushi is eaten. In Japanese cuisine, many different kinds of seaweed are used. Which seaweed is used depends on the dish in question.

Seaweed is one of the most important vegetables in Japanese cuisine.

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.

Sushi course for beginners is also for you who are in charge of the dinner on New Year’s Eve!

New Year’s and New Year’s Eve are just around the corner.
One thing is for sure, it is celebrated in many different ways around the world. In Denmark, sushi is one of the favorite dinners on New Year’s Eve. It is a wonderful mix of fish, seafood and vegetables.

Sushi course for beginners is suitable for you who want to make sushi as an appetizer or a whole dinner.
There are benefits to making your own sushi dinner.

You can make sushi exactly as you like with your favorite vegetables and fish.
You know how to get the most out of your money when you buy fish from a fishmonger.
You know how to handle fish also according to the Danish Food Administration.
You know which Japanese ingredients are best suited for sushi.
You know how to make different kinds of sushi that are suitable for everyday and special occasion.

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.

When do the Japanese prefer to eat a bowl of hot noodle soup?

Noodle soup
In Japan, a bowl of hot noodle soup is eaten all year round. Yes, even on hot summer days.
In Japan there is a large selection of noodle soups, each region and each noodle bar has their very own version. Some soups are made on chicken stock, while others are made on pork or fish.

Noodle soup is a healthy fast food that is eaten on all days of the week in Japan. It is a dish that fits into the hectic and busy life that many Japanese live. Many Japanese work an average of 10-15 hours a day.

In Europe so far, many people prefer to eat noodle soups in the autumn / spring and in the winter. In Europe, noodle soups are also eaten on slightly cloudy days.

Read about 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.

What is the Japanese view of soy sauce?

White soya sauce plate with sushi
The Japanese have a slightly different view of soy sauce.
In Japan, soy sauce is considered a spice, it is a way to season the dish. In Japan, there are as many different kinds of soy sauce, just as many as cheese in a Danish supermarket.

Not only that. It is quite common in traditional Japanese cuisine to use different types of soy sauces in one dish. This is because soy sauce are produced and matured in different ways and that gives each soy sauce an unique flavour.

It does matter which soy sauce is used for sushi or for traditional Japanese noodle soup. These are 2 very different dishes, where it is important to choose a soy sauce which gives the dish an extra spice without compromising the good taste.

In the Sushi course for beginners, you will learn which soy sauce is best suited 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.

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

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?

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.

Sushi courses are still held in small classes


In the last 1½ years I have held many small open sushi courses with approx. 9 participants, and I will continue to do so. Even if the restrictions are lifted.

I do this because I found the perfect setting for my courses.

Sushi course is a course where several different ingredients are used at once, it requires more table space.
Sushi is also an eating that requires you to have room to move, ie. you can move your arms freely when cooking.

The advantage of the small teams is clearly that Zoë has more time for the individual participants and, the many good questions that arise during the course.

I can see that the attendants are enjoying that there is plenty of space. They relax and can focus on acquiring the skills needed to make tasty sushi at home in their own kitchen.

It is not only sushi courses that are run in small groups. This applies to all courses held by Sushi Chef Zoë Escher.

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.