Nihon jaia
Masterclass of the prestigious Japanese chef Tetsuo Takenaka
Kaiseki Ryori (会 席 料理) is one of the traditional expressions of Japanese cuisine. Today, not only can taste it in upscale restaurants (Ryoutei) but, above all, in the Japanese traditional inns (Ryokan). The food Kaiseki has its roots in the tea ceremony. Kai comes from kaichu, monastic robe pocket, and seki means stone. It is said that the monks put a hot stone in the pocket of his coat against the cold and also to help support hunger between morning and evening meals. Thus, in the beginning, it was a light and vegetarian meal which Zen Buddhist monks were accustomed to take along with tea. Today Kaiseki is a highly refined and sophisticated food that requires the use of many fresh ingredients belonging to each station. At the same time, the presentation of food is carefully prepared and arranged in beautiful ceramic vessels and lacquered wood, so much so that they have been designed specifically to serve each particular dish. Foods are combined according to their tones and colors along the shades of nature itself.
Activities in the Festival: Master class about Japanese Cooking
Tetsuo Takenaka
Tetsuo Takenaka is one of the leading specialists in the school of traditional Japanese meal style called Kaiseki and one of the few chefs with permission and specific training to handle and cook the coveted fugu or puffer fish. This prestigious Japanese chef is known for its rigor in the presentation of a kitchen strongly traditional, tailored to each station and to the very traditional atmosphere of the place he owns, the Ryokan Seiwasou (料 亭 旅馆 清和 荘), located in the district Fushimi Kyoto. In fact, the restaurant's name comes from the ancient source of Seiwa, which cool and clear waters are used by Takenaka in developing its unique dishes. He has also participated in major events held both in Japan and internationally, among the most notable is The Japanese Culinary Forum: Taste, Tradition and Technique (New York, 2007) or the Kaiseki Ryori Demonstração (Leiria, Portugal, 2009).
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