The Manga Guide to Japanese Food: Everything You Want to Know about the History, Ingredients and Folklore of Japan's Unique Cuisine (Learn All about Y - Paperback

by Hiroshi Nagashima (Author)

The complete backstory of Japanese cuisine explained in richly illustrated manga style!

• The importance of fundamental ingredients like rice, soybeans, seaweed and fish
• The beauty of traditional utensils including lacquer ware, ceramics and knives
• The key role played by fermented ingredients like miso, soy sauce and sake in Japanese cooking
• The history of sushi, which developed from a traditional method of preserving fish
• The concept of "umami" as one of just seven flavors that can be detected by the human tongue
• How all these elements come together in a multicourse Kyoto-style Kaiseki dinner

Author Biography

Hiroshi Nagashima was born in Yokohama and worked for many years as the director and chef of the Shisui restaurant at Tokyo's Tsukiji Honganji Temple. In 2013 he was awarded a Yellow Ribbon Medal by the Japanese government and in 2016 he became a Cool Japan Ambassador. In 2019, he received the Order of the Rising Sun, Japan's highest civilian honor. He has published many books on Japanese food including Buddhist Cuisine: Making the Most of Vegetables and Dried Fish and Japanese Cuisine: An Encyclopedia of Traditions and Culture. This is his first book in English.