New York, October 2007 – Japanese cuisine is one of the most popular in the world. Recently the authenticity of Japanese food outside of Japan has come under question. Unlike French cuisine which has been codified and documented in English, little information exists for Japanese food. The Tsuji Culinary Institute (TCI) in cooperation with the Japanese Culinary Academy (JCA) is on a mission to establish global standards for Japanese cuisine. And in October of 2007, they called upon The International Culinary Center to help them reach their goals. The resulting event, The Japanese Culinary Forum: Taste, Tradition and Technique, was the first event of its kind in America.

At the forum, respected chefs and culinary historians from Kyoto convened with American chefs and press in New York City to start the dialogue on the education of a revered, yet misrepresented cuisine. The forum was informative, inspiring, educational, and ground-breaking. The chefs presented with contagious enthusiasm the cuisine of Japan in an un-daunting way.

Yoshiki Tsuji, President of the Tsuji Culinary Institute said, “The event was intended to link the cultural gap through historical knowledge. The deeper one comprehends a culture, the deeper one would appreciate the food whether it be evolutional or traditional.”

Prior to the event, the chefs foraged through Central Park for colorful autumn leaves to decorate the food, a common practice that in the spring would have had them looking for blossoming cherry and plum flowers. Some chefs ventured to Mitsuwa market in Fort Lee, New Jersey to pick up some produce, and to familiarize themselves with availability of ingredients in America. They were surprised and commented, “this is like a supermarket you could find in Japan.”

Back at the International Culinary Center, the chefs tutored volunteer students from The French Culinary Institute (FCI) to properly slice vegetables into bite-size issun pieces, and on the complicated katsuramuki technique, cutting away a paper thin layer of the skin of sweet potatoes. At times they would call over the students to watch how dashi, the basic stock, is made or to observe incorporating sweet vinegar into sushi rice, encouraging the students to taste and learn along the way.

Akira Onizawa, a native of Japan who recently graduated from The FCI commented, “It was surely a once in a lifetime experience to work with these great Japanese chefs who demonstrated their culinary artistry to us. Needless to say, I learned a lot of techniques and new perspectives towards Japanese cuisine. But above all things, what I learned the most was the chefs knew the importance of the evolution of cuisine with paying respect to your tradition. It certainly takes time, however, evolution without tradition will not last long."

The morning of the Forum, chef Terumune Ishikawa of Tenki, a tempura restaurant in Kyoto, was beaming as he prepared for the day`s lunch. He proclaimed, “It has been my dream to make tempura in New York City and today my dream is coming true.” The excitement in the air was palatable.

Professor Koichiro Hata of TCI opened the forum with a vivid account of the geographical and historical background of Japan that contributed to the cuisine. The island nation, rich with its coasts and numerous rivers, receives generously from nature diverse sea vegetables and seafood.

Presentation of the food reflecting the seasons was represented with photos of delicate somen noodles in the summer representing a running brook; a fish artistically sliced and placed in an owan bowl symbolizing cherry blossoms bursting open in the spring. The ever-changing tableware to reflect the seasons is yet one more way the Japanese chef can entertain and satiate the diner.

Professor Hata also spoke of the importance of the inclusion of the five senses, a myriad of cooking methods, and the integral part of five colors. Two bento (lunch boxes) were shown, one including four colors and the second including five colors. It was easy to observe, even for the non-culinary professional, that the five colored bento was the more appetizing and appealing.

Lunch included demonstrations by the chefs followed by tastings paired with nihonshu (sake). Appetizers were prepared by the 2002 Iron Chef winner, Kimio Nonaga of Nihonbashi Yukari (the lone Tokyo restaurant) and Yoji Satake of Minokichi, a restaurant whose history dates back 300 years. A creamy walnut tofu, intense chicken liver pate, ohitashi of spinach, edamame, and shiitake mushrooms, sweet potato pureed disguising a rich, fudge-like Hatcho miso, all garnished with vegetable chips.

Seventh-generation chef Kuniyasu Sasaki of Izuu assembled saba zushi that his family has been making for 220 years. His training began with three years of strictly making the sushi rice before he was able to put a knife in his hands to cut the saba mackerel. It was not until he had apprenticed for ten years that his father finally commended him, “You are now ready to make saba zushi worthy of the Izuu name.” This unique style of sushi is pressed and wrapped in large sheets of kombu kelp and allowed to marinate for a few hours. Chef Sasaki said, “I am curious to see how New Yorkers will react to my sushi. I know that Edo-style (nigiri zushi) is popular in America, but I think for most of the people, this will be their first time to eat this style of sushi.” To his delight, it was a hit.

The two day event ended with a group photo of our new Japanese friends and the panel.

Chef Tadayasu Yoshida of Yaochu Bekkan explained how cutting sashimi will be affected by which part of the fish it originates from. The exquisite presentation on paper fans and golden origami tsuru cranes symbolizing longevity was eye candy for the attendees.

The soup course, prepared by Chef Hiroaki Yamagishi of Ginsui, of amadai (bream) that had been deep-fried and then served in a dashi broth with bright yellow and purple kikunohana (chrysanthemum leaves) that created a fluffy cloud was garnished with fresh sansho berries that give the dish a fiery bite.

Chef Tetsuo Takenaka of the ryokan (inn) and restaurant, Seiwaso, assembled two different misos and blended them with some seasonings to create a paste that was the base for a suzuki sea bass which was enveloped in the dried leaf of the Hou tree and then grilled. Attending chef Masaharu Morimoto, with several years cooking in America under his belt, pointed out that while “shiro miso” in Japan refers to a sweet, rice-based miso often found in the Kyoto region, in America it refers to a saltier version which is a different product completely. It was one of many moments over the Forum that both presenters and attendees could observe that while Japanese ingredients are becoming available world-wide, the challenge remains of nomenclature and educating the palates of chefs and consumers around the world.

Following lunch, chef Masahiro Kurisu of Tankuma Kitamise demonstrated the evolution of Japanese cuisine with two duck dishes. The first, a simple, traditional preparation of duck in a sweet soy sauce and the second, evolved style including a marinated duck that has been vacuum-packed and warmed over low heat before being seared in a salamander. Chef Kurisu pointed out that while much of Japanese food has its traditional methods of preparation, Japanese cuisine evolves with modern culinary techniques that span the globe.

The first day ended with a presentation on the simple bean curd, tofu. Ninth-generation chef Shigeo Araki from Uosaburo, shared the diversity of tofu and presented it three ways including a creamy shirae dressing for blanched vegetables, deep-fried and stuffed with ingredients such as kikurage mushrooms and gingko nuts, and finally in a simple Western preparation of a chilled tomato soup with a dollop of tofu and garnished with minty shiso leaves. Tofu was introduced to Japan during the Kamakura period from China with the spread of Buddhism, it greatly contributed to shojin ryori (vegetarian cuisine) and remains an integral part of the cuisine.

The second day opened with a lecture on the essence of Japanese cuisine, demonstrated through the cooking of rice. Rice is what sustains and gives energy to the Japanese. Chef Yoshio Maruyama of Gion Maruyama went to great lengths to show that rice has terroir, that rice expresses the land, water, air, and sun, as well as the toils of the farmer. Properly cooked rice begins with bringing life back to each grain by washing, polishing, and soaking of the rice. Finally, the proper vessel to cook the rice is essential as chef Maruyama displayed with his pyrex kama (kettle). The image of a Japanese mother making omusubi (rice balls) for her children is the quintessential expression of maternal love.

The day ended with a panel discussion including chef Kurisu, chef Yamagishi, chef Matthias Merges of Charlie Trotter`s, and famed chef David Bouley. Chef Matthias Merges commented that, “the focus and attention to detail is inspirational for chefs in the United States.” The question came up, “is it possible to create an authentic kaiseki meal in New York City?”, and chef Kurisu said that he thought it would be possible, if the chefs had the proper training.

Dorothy Hamilton, the CEO and founder of The International Culinary Center commented, “I was most impressed with this event. Over the years we have had many chefs visit and demonstrate mind dazzling techniques. This small insight into Japanese cuisine had me mesmerized over boiling rice. It has made me recalibrate my whole sensibility on cuisine.”

The Japanese Culinary Forum was the first step in reaching out to chefs in America to help educate them on the techniques and the cuisine of Japan. Many challenges do exist with the language; tofu is made with nigari, not nigori or nigiri, and will shiro miso in America ever be the same as shiro miso in Japan? However, the good news is that global distribution of ingredients is making it easier for chefs around the world to better access the cuisine. Hopefully the Japanese Culinary Academy, with the assistance of the Tsuji Culinary Institute will continue on their mission to create a global standard. Based on the reaction of the 75 American chefs and press who attended the event at The International Culinary Center it is evident the culinary professionals in New York City are hungry for the information. Perhaps, if forums like this continue with this exchange of information, someday, it may be possible to have authentic kaiseki in the city.