How to Enjoy Kaiseki Cuisine in Japan

These are Kaiseki cuisine, which are decorations and cuisines evoke the seasons.
We should enjoy thoughtfulness art works with the rooms and dishes besides the food.

What is Kaiseki cuisine?

We say "Kaiseki  ryouri" for Kaiseki cuisine in Japansese.
I hope you will watch the YouTube in my yesterday's blog. You must know what it is already, I think. 
Kaiseki cuisine currently available at  a Japanese restaurants has basically taken on the thoughts of the tea ceremony. Kaiseki cuisine has definitely inherited spirits to treat and entertain someones sincerely and warmheartedly. 

The photo is just one of Kaiseki cuisines. All chefs devise to make their own series of art work while thinking about seasonal ingredients too much.

Discover the flow of Kaiseki cuisine!

1. Sakizuke and Hassun hors d'oeuvres

   Sakizuke is a dish made from ingredients to characterize the season.
   In addition, a restaurant will think about the season the most in garnishing Hassun.


2. Mukozuke, a dish for eating while drinking sake

   Sashimi is often served for Mukozuke, but we also have vegetables with vinegar and pickled dish as well. 

3. Wanmono, a soup dish

   A soup bowl has a lid, so you can't stop imagining what it is like when you are given it in front of you. As soon as you open the lid, you will enjoy the fragrance drifting upwards along the steam.

4. Nimono, a boiled dish

   There are generally some different kinds of ingredients in a dish, which are boiled separately. Do you understand why they boil them one by one?
Because every ingredient has its own proper time to finish simmering and different ways to soak seasonings. They serve Nimono in the best conditions of all the ingredients they cooked.

5. Yakimono, a grilled dish

    Yakimono is mainly a grilled fish, but sometimes we have tempera instead.

6. Mushimono, a steamed dish

   This is the last dish but 2 ones, rice and sweets. So it means you will finish drinking alcohol soon. 

7. Rice and pickles

    A restaurant will give you a hot green tea with rice and pickles.

8. Mizumono, a dessert dish

    A dish will be mainly served for seasonal fruits that is juicy and fresh.


Japanese Dining Etiquette

1.  Picking a dish up in your hand for eating

2.  How to put a lid of a bowl on

     When you open a lid, you turn it upside down not to drop the liquid attached to the lid.  
     And after finishing the dish, you return it back. 

3.  How to open a lid
 
      If the lid is difficult to open, push the both sides of the bowl with your 2 fingers.


I'd feel glad if you try to go to a Kaiseki restaurant here.


今日は、懐石料理についてコース内容を説明しました。

一般に私たちが冠婚葬祭で頂く「懐石料理」は、厳密に言うと「会席料理」だということを初めて知りました。

「懐石料理」は、元々千利休がお茶を振る舞う前におもてなしとして提供していた料理で、ご飯を中心としたお茶を引き立てる為の最低限のおもてなし料理のようです。だから、最初にご飯が出てくるそうです。

一方、「会席料理」はお酒を楽しむための料理で、お酒に合うようにコースが組まれています。だから最初はいわゆるツマミ、そして締めにご飯という、私たちに馴染みのあるコースだそうです。とはいえ、私は普段の生活では口にしない。冠婚葬祭でしか食べないですが・・・。

簡単に説明しましたが、興味ある方は是非ネットで調べて見て下さい。

では、今晩は友だち宅でたこ焼きパーティなので準備をして行って来ます～