HEIGHT OF GOOD TASTE

Japanese cuisine reaches its apex through multi-course, seasonally driven kaiseki meals

Japan’s famously refined culinary traditions reach an apex with kaiseki dining. Originally presented to the royal noble classes, kaiseki is the embodiment of omotenashi, which can be translated as meaning “wholehearted hospitality”.

In Japan multi-course menus have been favoured for centuries. Often compared to French haute cuisine, the art of kaiseki dining is Japan’s most sophisticated cooking style. This seasonally driven cuisine showcases fresh or preserved vegetables and seafood, presenting them in a refined, artistic manner.

Simply explained, kaiseki is a multicourse Japanese dinner consisting of exquisitely plated dishes. So far, so straightforward. But as is often the case in Japan, there are multiple layers to a ritual that dates back through the centuries.

Its central tenet is to convey respect, making guests feel special and at ease. To that end, chefs strive for excellence in every single aspect of the experience.

Individual chefs can let their creativity loose on kaiseki dining, with the finest meals an expression of both time and place with seasonality and local produce to the fore. The best kaiseki chefs forage ingredients from countryside forests and rivers. The components must match the atmosphere, with their flavors reminiscent of a particular season.

Nevertheless, there are certain things that guests can reliably expect from a kaiseki dining experience.

These include: saikizuke (an appetizer served with sake), nimono (a simmered dish), mukozuke (a sashimi dish), hassun (an expression of the season), yakimono (a grilled course), hanmono or shokuji (a rice dish).

The meals are usually served at a tatami-matted ryokan (Japanese inn). And the experience typically culminates with dessert and a matcha tea ceremony.

Kaiseki meals were originally much simpler. A set consisted of meshi (steamed rice), shiru (soup) and mukozuke. The first rule was to have a little bit of rice and soup to warm up the stomach.Then sake would be served, followed by the sashimi.

But the tradition has evolved over the centuries to become the true pinnacle of Japanese haute cuisine.

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