Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art
by Shizuo Tsuji
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Book Summary Information
Author: Shizuo TsujiIntroduction: M.F.K. Fisher
Collaborator: Mary Sutherland
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1980-11-15
ISBN: 0870113992
Number of pages: 518
Publisher: Kodansha USA
Book Reviews of Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art
Book Review: Excellent Manual of Japanese Techniques
Summary: 5 Stars
`Japanese Cooking A Simple Art' by prominent Japanese culinary educator Shizuo Tsuji belongs to a very select group of excellent national / regional cookbooks such as `Mastering the Art of French Cooking' by Julia Child, `Elements of Classic Italian Cuisine' by Marcella Hazan, and `From My Mexican Kitchen' by Diana Kennedy. The distinguishing feature of all four of these books plus a select few others is that they give an authoritative and relatively complete survey of provisions, equipment, principles, and techniques of their selected cuisine.
In fact, Mr. Tsuji fits this archetype even better than some of the other titles in this group, especially since Diana Kennedy, for one, has written several volumes on Mexican cuisine, so the volume I cite is only her most recent and the one most dedicated to Mexican cooking techniques rather than simply recipes and regionality. In presenting the underlying principles of Japanese cooking, Mr. Tsuji's closest western writer is Ms. Hazan.
Although the Japanese have gone much further in wrapping their cuisine and culinary techniques with the doctrines of religion, a student of Italian cuisine will tell you that the Abbruzis and the Sicilians and the Tuscans among others are no slouches when it comes to using food to celebrate life and spirituality. Mr. Tsuji tells us of the Japanese practice of formal dinners with as many as a dozen small dishes, yet the Abbruzis pull out even more stops when they call for at least thirty dishes for major celebratory banquets and the Sicilians who must have seven fishes in their Christmas Eve dinners.
Western culinary experts have even put a lot of thought into the Japanese practice of small portions. A quick read of Thomas Keller's `The French Laundry Cookbook' will show that the Japanese have no monopoly on deep reflection on cooking.
All of these comparisons are meant to show the prospective reader that as different as Japanese cuisine is from those of Western Europe and the New World, they both deal with the same act of preparing and eating food, and one can celebrate the similarities as much as one marvels at the differences.
The author very cleverly ties together East and West by recruiting the great American culinary essayist M.F. K. Fisher to write the introduction. And, to insure that Ms. Fisher knew of what she spoke, he treated her to two weeks of eating the very best food Japan had to offer.
This excellent book is divided into four sections. The first is the introduction by Ms. Fisher and the author's preface. The second section of 270 pages is comprised of expositions on the major equipment, ingredients, and techniques of Japanese cooking. The third section of 135 pages is a collection of recipes which the author says can be treated exactly like a Western cookbook where you can select a recipe according to your interest or whim and have fun with it. The fourth section is the appendices of American sources for Japanese provisions, a table of seasonal Japanese fish and substitution possibilities, and weights and measures. The color plates in the first section gives an excellent picture of Japanese provisions and plating illustrations.
In the second section, `Part One', there is a chapter on `The Japanese Meal' which lays out the composition of the formal courses of a classic meal. This is followed by an excellent 50-page guide to Japanese ingredients. This is superior to any similar presentation I have seen in either number of foodstuffs discussed or in the depth of information given about each provision. Chapters follow this on Utensils and Knives. The chapter on knives is essential to Western novices to Japanese cooking, as Japanese knife styles are very different from our familiar French archetypes. In fact, one can probably divide the culinary world into those cuisines that use the Japanese style of knife versus those who use the French arsenal. I suspect truly expert knife skills can only be learned by observing and copying an expert. In fact, Mr. Tsuji says the teaching practice of `old school' Japanese master chefs is not to describe technique to apprentices, but to simply demonstrate and have the student imitate. Very Zen. Mr. Tsuji does give line drawings of many techniques, including ways to handle the major types of Japanese kitchen knives. This alone sets him apart from most other manuals and puts him in the company of the very best such as Ms. Child and Ms. Kennedy.
Based on my very limited knowledge of Japanese cooking before reading this book, I believe the author has covered the whole spectrum of dishes, including stock making (dashi), soups, sashimi, grilling and pan frying, steaming, simmering, deep frying, salads, one pot cooking (hot pot), rice, sushi, noodles, pickling, sweets, tea, and sake.
Given the size of the book, my guess is that the author just skims the surface of the full range of recipes, although I do believe he has covered the full range of Japanese techniques. There are excellent line drawings covering the dismemberment of just about every type of fish you may imagine. My only surprise was that the wok did not even make an appearance in this book. This book is authoritative enough for me to believe that the wok is much more a completely Chinese invention than it is a pan-Asian utensil.
Very highly recommended to all students of world food.
Summary of Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art
Japanese food continues to grow in popularity in the United States. Yet enjoyment of Japanese cooking is still largely limited to an occasional night out at a Japanese restaurant, and for far too long it has been assumed that this food is difficult to make in one's own kitchen. Actually, Japanese cooking is surprisingly simple. Raw ingredients should be glistening fresh and of the best quality, and flavors, however elaborate, are built up from just two basic seasonings - dashi, an easily made, delicate stock, and shoyu, naturally brewed Japanese soy sauce.This cookbook is much more than an accumulation of recipes. In his preface, the author (whom Craig Claiborne calls "a sort of Renaissance man of Japanese and world gastronomy") discusses the essence of Japanese cooking, with its emphasis on simplicity, a balance of textures, colors, and flavors, seasonal freshness, and beauty of presentation. The expertise of the staff of the professional cooking school headed by the author is evident throughout the book.
After introducing ingredients and utensils, the 20 chapters of Part One are made up of lessons presenting all the basic Japanese cooking methods and principal types of prepared foods-grilling, simmering, steaming, noodles, sushi, pickles, and so on-with accompanying basic model recipes. Part Two consists of 130 carefully selected recipes. These range from simple dishes for daily fare to well-chosen challenges for the adventurous cook. Together with the 90-odd recipes included in Part One, these enable the cook to build up a repertory, dish by dish, from the basic everyday "soup and three" formula to a gala banquet.
Whether preparing a snack for oneself or something special for friends, readers will find themselves reaching for this volume. Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art is a sourcebook of cooking concepts and recipes from one of the world's outstanding culinary traditions.
Over 220 recipes 510 sketches 16 color pages chart of North American and Japanese fish extensive list of shops in North America where ingredients can be purchased calorie and weight chart of typical Japanese foods metric conversion tables.
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