The Yezo Sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis/エゾシカ / 蝦夷鹿), is a subspecies of sika deer indigenous to Japan’s most northern island of hokkaido. These deer were traditional hunted by the indigenous Ainu people of Hokkaido not only as a food source, but for their valuable skins needed to keep warm in the winter. The deer’s…
Tag: hokkaido
On different kinds of Sea Urchin (Uni/うに) found in Japan and around the world.
Uni (うに), or sea urchin, is a staple ingredient served at high end sushi restaurants around the world. The bright yellowish-orange part of the sea urchin that is actually consumed are the gonads (reproductive organs) of the sea urchin. The taste of uni is actually highly variable depending on the diet, season and location from…
Uni Chawanmushi
Uni Chawanmushi (海栗茶碗蒸し) Chawanmushi or Japanese steamed egg, is an appetizer that is adapted from Chinese steam egg and thus originates in Nagasaki, where Chinese sailors were allowed to trade with Japan during Japan’s period of isolation from the world. The name chawanmushi literally means steamed (蒸し) in a tea bowl (茶碗) and is thus…
Japanese Dashi (出汁) Stock
Dashi (出汁) Dashi (出汁), plays the same role in Japanese Washoku (和食) cuisine in the same way that stocks are the fundamental building blocks on which French Cuisine is built on. Just like a white canvas to a painter, dashi stock provides the cook with a base on which flavours are built on. This means…
