Japanese Cooking

Surrounded by oceans and blessed with mild climates, Japan enjoys an abundance of vegetables and seafood. Japanese cuisine has evolved into healthy, delicious and hearty fare making use of natural produce and sea food while adapting to foreign influences, especially the cuisine of neighboring China and Malaysia.

For centuries, the Japanese have lived on a refined cuisine based on rice, soybeans, pickles, and fish. Japanese cuisine is to Asia what French cuisine is to Europe with their emphasis on elegance of food preparation and presentation .The French nouvelle cuisine shares common methods of preparation such as the great importance of using only the freshest ingredients and minimal heating.

According to Japanese tradition, a meal must consist of eight colors. Thirty different foods must be consumed every day for a well balanced diet. The secret of a successful Japanese meal is that the dish must be as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate.

Seafood is the sine qua non of Japanese cuisine. In fact, the most distinctive yet common ingredients in Japanese cooking include kombi (kelp), dried bonito flakes, and small, dried sardines. Soybean products also play a dominant role in Japanese cooking and seafood has been attributed as the cause of longevity in the Japanese.

Two Japanese dishes, sushi and sashimi, are popular around the globe. Sushi is the most famous of Japanese traditional food and can be described as rice sandwiches containing raw fish. Sushi can take the form of fingers of rice topped with raw or cooked fish, or as a sweetened omelet called Nigirizushi. You may also find cone-shaped rolls of nori (a type of seaweed) filled with fish eggs and vegetables. Chefs creating sushi combinations that are limitless, each of them a delicious combination of vegetable, rice, or raw fish.

California Sushi Academy is one of the first Japanese culinary art schools in America. Some other schools do offer Japanese cuisine as part of Asian cuisine courses. Or if you prefer less commitment, there are a variety of part time, online, or postal courses available from Japan as well as short hobby classes conducted by local Japanese Americans.

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