The role of Dashi in Japanese Cuisine
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| Making a Dashi with Konbu (left) , then with Katsuo-bushi (right) |
Dashi – A multipurpose bouillon
On March 12th, Mr. Yoshihito Murata, lead the lecture and the demonstration of the role of dashi in Japanese cuisine, for the future chefs learning at the Ecole Grégoire Ferrandi, one of the most prestigious schools to form, to be French cuisine professionals.
“ When Buddhism arrived in Japan and became, for a long period of time, the Official religion, eating meat was, hence, prohibited. Japan then developed a unique culinary culture different from other, meat eating, civilizations”, explained Mr Murata and continued by explaining that due to this meat and meat fat prohibition Japan created a culinary culture based on “Dashi” free from meat and meat fat.
But what is “Dashi”? “Dashi” is
a clear broth made mainly from Konbu, a Japanese seaweed belonging
to the family
of Kelp (* please see the report on the “Konbu” seminar).
This broth can revive the original taste of vegetables and fish
in very natural ways. Its dominant taste giving the main note to the
dishes
is called “Umami”. Umami is in fact the very taste of glutamate,
one of the amino
acid naturally contained in a variety of foodstuff
such as Parmigianino cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, fish, meat and
shells. This substance is especially concentrated in Konbu. This is
why since
the dawn of its history, the people of Japan have appreciated its
taste and used its broth as the base for many kinds of dishes.
Today, some of the most prominent French chefs have already started
to use Konbu in their creative works.
Science of Umami
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| Students tasting Dashi and Katsuo-bushi |
Mr. Murata emphasized that culinary art is a science. Not only glutamate
is appreciated for the flavour it gives to dishes, some nucleic acids
are also appreciated by chefs, such as guanine, present in high amounts
in mushrooms and in Nori seaweed (laver), and inosinate in dried bonito
(called Katsuo-bushi in Japan), tuna fish and chicken. These nucleic
acids also take part in the Umami sensation. Mr Murata then showed
how the combination of these nucleic acids with glutamate could strengthen
a dish’s flavour. By blending Konbu (glutamate) and Dried Bonito(inosinate),
called Katsuo-bushi, the Umami gustative sensation can be multiplied
up to, as much as, seven times.
“
This Konbu and Katsuo-bushi combination is the best Dashi the Japanese
have discovered through its long history. That’s the reason
why we call it the Ichiban which means the premium”, explained
the master of the seminar.
Sitting in the first row of the amphitheater together with the students attending, another notable chef coming from the city of Strasbourg, Mr. Emile Jung, 2 starred chef of the “Crocodile” restaurant, commented how he felt a varitation of Umami flavour depending on the Dashi, if it was either “single” with only Konbu or “blended” dashi with both Konbu and Dried bonito.
A reason why Japanese cuisine is delicious and healthy at the same time
“ In Japanese cuisine, foodstuff can be positioned in a concentric circle around the dashi” said Mr. Murata. “by cooking them with dashi, we can fully use the foodstuff’s flavour”. Thus Japanese cuisine being based on the umami of dashi, it does not depend on sugar, salt, oils or fat, ingredients which are considered as the main cause of lifestyle diseases such as obesity and diabetes. This is also why Japanese cuisine is considered as healthy.
To prove all
these scientific theories in practice, Mr. Shimoguchi, a young and
talented chef from Uji (Japan), made a demonstration by
cooking vegetables with dashi, the result was of course tested and
approved by all the audience.
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| Mr. Emile Jung, 2 stars chef of the Crocodile (Strasbourg) |
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