The Art of Japanese Cuisine

Food and travel writer Michael Booth spent three months traveling Japan, along with his wife and two young sons, exploring regional cuisines and how Japan's food culture has evolved over time while researching his new book, Super Sushi Ramen Express. "It's actually great to travel with kids, because you see the world through their eyes, but also you interact with the world through their eyes, especially in Japan," he says. "My kids are half Scandinavian and very blonde, so they got a different reaction from people there."

The "traditional" Japanese diet, Michael notes, is actually very much in line with the farm-to-table and clean eating food trends of today. The idea of using fresh ingredients in their natural state runs through Japanese cuisine. Of how he became interested in exploring Japanese food, he says, "I'd spent a year or so cooking in French kitchens, living in Paris and eating lots of cakes and pastries and fatty foods and fois gras, and I'd put on a bit of weight. I discovered the book Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji. Even though the book was written in the 70s, it described to me a very modern way of cooking and eating: it was very seasonal, very simply cooked, lots of vegetables, lots of fish, not so much meat or dairy or sugar. It seemed to me, firstly, a good and healthy thing to do for myself, after that year of indulgence. And secondly, I felt that the rest of the world could learn a lot from the way people eat in Japan."

Simple, fresh ingredients, of course, can make for complex and satisfying dishes. Umami plays a big role in Japanese cuisine: the "fifth flavor," that savory taste that's in tomatoes, Parmesan, roasted meats, soy sauce, and lots of other foods. The flavor comes from glutamates, an amino acid that tells the brain it can look forward to getting protein. Umami is present in a huge range of food, but Japanese cuisine unlocks the synergistic effect of doubling up on umami by combining various sources of amino acids. One particularly umami-rich type of dashi, a Japanese stock, is infused with dried shiitake mushrooms, dried kombu (seaweed), and fillets of dried bonito fish that have been preserved so that they can be shaved into bonito flakes. Dashi is the basis for many sauces, soups, and simmered dishes in Japanese cooking.

To hear more of Michael's insights, listen to the full interview in the top right hand player, or on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify (simply search the mobile app!). Don't forget to sign up for the forthcoming Clever Cookstr newsletter, full of tips and tricks from the kitchens of the world's best chefs.