A Reading & Watching List for Japanese Cuisine
By Richard (Rick) Lewis • December 2, 2017
This list serves a a great starting point for anyone interested in exploring the history of, system behind, or preparation of Japanese cuisine. A perfect blend of written and visual sources, some casual, others academic, this collection covers many bases–so feel free to jump in and learn more about this fascinating food culture…
Video Sources:
“Oyakodo
n Recipe (Chicken and Egg Bowl).” Cooking with Dog, 12 Apr. 2015, cookingwithdog.com/.
Cooking with Dog is a YouTube-based Japanese cooking show; the creators of it have directed dozens of traditional and modified-traditional Japanese recipe videos that guide you through the entire dish preparation.
The host, an always-unnamed Japanese woman is paired with her poodle, Francis, for every episode. In fact, it is Francis that is the supposed narrator—taking home chefs through the making of classics like okayodon to modern favorites like matcha tiramisu.
rdain, Anthony. Mind of a Chef, performance by David Chang, Season 1, Public Broadcasting Service, 28 Sept. 2015.PBS’ Mind of a Chef serves as the new standard (alongside Netflix’s Chef’s Table) for modern cooking shows. The series follows 1-2 major chefs in their quest for ingredients, food stories, and creating unique dishes of their own.
The show’s first season stars celebrity-chef and restaurateur, David Chang, as its host. Chang—founder of the Momofuku restaurant empire—travels around the U.S. and Japan, trying the best ramen, sushi, and kaiseki restaurants across the globe.
Cookbooks, Magazines, and Memoirs:
Chang, David, and Peter Meehan. Momofuku. Clarkson Potter, 2009.
Momofuku, the brainchild of both Chef David Chang and food-writer Peter Meehan, catalogues Chang’s rise to restaurant stardom with the initial launching of his Momofuku Noodle Bar—a ramen shop—in New York City.
The cookbook serves not only as a history to the Momofuku empire (containing much of Chang’s thoughts on starting and running his many businesses) but also as a compendium of recipes—inventive, and sometimes French, takes on Japanese cuisine—from all of Chang’s restaurants (like Momofuku Noodle Bar, Ko, and Ssäm Bar).
Meeh
an, Peter. “Navigating Japan’s Regional Ramen.” Lucky Peach, 12 July 2011.
Lucky Peach, during its heyday (and years of actual publication before getting axed in 2017), was the answer to the old-guard of food magazines; it was hip, unabashedly chef-oriented and written, and traversed across the planet, bite by bite, covering global cuisine from a youthful viewpoint.
In its first magazine, one dedicated solely to ramen, its editor, Peter Meehan, travels across Japan in the vein of classifying the regional flavor profiles and ingredient-lists of ramen. From Tokyo to Sapporo, Meehan covers the different approaches to broth-making, noodle manufacturing, and pork rendering, stopping to smell (and taste) the ramen all along the way.
Matsuhisa, Nobu. Nobu: A Memoir. Atria, 2017.
In his first attempt at a purely literary-focused publication (the others having been cookbooks), Nobu Matsuhisa (of LA’s & NYC’s Nobu restaurants) talks about his rise to fame and humble beginnings as a sous-chef in Tokyo.
An extremely well-acclaimed chef, restaurateur, and businessman, Matsuhisa uses his memoir as a chance to tell his story in his own words, tracing his start in Japan, his move to Peru, his uprooting to Los Angeles, and his travel to New York City. Along the way, Matsuhisa talks about how his story impacts the inventive Japanese fare he is famous for creating.
Articles and Books (Casual & Academic):
Sachs, Adam. “Kyoto’s Tofu Obsession.” Bon Appétit. Condé Nast, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2017.
In his article on tofu (and its surrounding culture), Adam Sachs of Bon Appétit gets a more intimate view of the traditional and revered methods of Kyoto-based tofu production while visiting Kinki, an old and traditional tofu factory in the heart of historic Kyoto (supposedly home to the world’s best tofu).
Sachs covers how modern-day artisans continue to work with centuries-old recipes for the perfect tofu—not at all similar to the “chalk” blocks of white, bland material the U.S. calls tofu—keeping tradition alive.
An academic work at its core, The Essence of Japanese Cuisine attempts to tie together larger critiques on both Japanese culture and its food culture, offering up an explanation for how each has had a role in shaping the other, especially in regards to the influence of historical or traditional methods of food preparation on modern-day Japanese cooking.
Moreover, as presentation and seasonality are so integral to authentic Japanese fare, the authors explore the foundations of Japanese food aesthetics, preparation, and dining.
Cwiertka, Katarzyna J. Modern Japanese Cuisine: Food, Power, and National Identity. Reaktion, 2006.
In her book covering the trajectory of Japanese food in the last century, Cwiertka asserts that the transformation from ancient food culture to the modern idea of fast fare in Japan (i.e. the switch from old perceptions of cuisine to modern tempura and maki rolls) stems from Western imperialism, especially that of the post-WWII period.
Additionally, Cwiertka—having studied the historic food systems and culture of Japan—makes the argument that even the current Japanese population identifies itself with its more recent food culture, largely due to the effects of dietary shifts in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Hachisu, Nancy S. Japanese Farm Food. Andrews McMeel, 2012.
Japanese Farm Food covers Nancy Hachisu’s experience as an organic farm owner and operator in rural Japan. Originally from the U.S., Nancy talks about adapting to a new country and lifestyle.
Nancy does a lot of work to explain the food systems of Japan (highlighting those small, organic producers like herself) and how they connect to larger ideas of traditionalism; she also includes several recipes for people to experience historic and healthy Japanese classics in their own homes.