Washoku: Recipes From The Japanese Home Kitchen

Posted on June 29, 2008 - Filed Under Hardcover |

Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1580085199
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Press
Average Customer Review: (From 18 total reviews)
List Price: ~~$35.00~~
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com:
If the food of a culture has a pulse, in Japan that pulse would be called washoku. It’s a set of principles in fives that takes into account color, taste, ways of preparing food, the diner’s senses, and the outlook brought to bear on both the cooking and the dining experience. The result? Meals that are balanced, pleasing, invigorating, healing, and satisfying–all in ways that seep deep into the soul. It’s the great good luck of the West that Elizabeth Andoh chose a life in Japan and a focus on food. Her expertise has brought forth the award-winning An Ocean of Flavor as well as countless newspaper and magazine pieces.

With Washoku Andoh takes the reader into the heart of the Japanese home kitchen. She explains the guiding philosophy then brings it into practical terms with a section on the essential washoku pantry. Her section on the washoku kitchen begins with cutting and ends with shaping and molding. Recipes are found in chapters on Stocks and Condiments; Soups; Rice; Noodles; Vegetables; Fish, Meat and Poultry; Tofu and Eggs; and Desserts.

You might never prepare an entire Japanese meal from beginning to end (though with this book in hand you certainly could), but there’s no reason not to believe you wouldn’t begin to include some of these recipes in an expanding foodway. The sauces and condiments are particularly exciting. As is the underlying thinking that goes into how you are cooking and why you are cooking–the washoku of it all. Not a bad lesson to learn from an exemplary teacher. –Schuyler Ingle

Book Description:
“Elizabeth Andoh’s groundbreaking cookbook introduces Western audiences to the age-old concept of washoku, the art of creating nutritional and aesthetic harmony at the table, one that transforms our thinking about Japanese cuisine and culture. Composed with deep scholarship and loving craftsmanship, Washoku is filled with authentic recipes and personal stories that place the Japanese cooking and dining experience in a much needed cultural perspective only an insider could share.” –Grace Young, author of The Breath of a Wok

“For American cooks, Elizabeth Andoh is THE guru of Japanese cuisine. It seems there’s nothing she doesn’t know, her language is clear and understandable, and her recipes work. What more could you want?”

–Mark Bittman, author of How to Cook Everything

“We cook from the heart (kokoro) and express our feelings with our dishes. In this book, Elizabeth Andoh conveys the way of the Japanese kokoro through cooking to people around the world.”

– Nobu Matsuhisa

“Elizabeth Andoh’s beautiful new book is not just a cookbook filled with enticing recipes, but a fascinating treatise explaining the philosophy behind Japanese home cooking and Japanese cuisine as a whole. Washoku confirms Elizabeth’s stellar reputation as one of the most knowledgeable authorities on Japanese food and culture.”

–Nina Simonds, author of A Spoonful of Ginger

In 1975, Gourmet magazine published a series on traditional Japanese food —the first of its kind in a major American food magazine — written by a graduate of the prestigious Yanagihara School of classical cuisine in Tokyo. Today, the author of that groundbreaking series, Elizabeth Andoh, is recognized as the leading English-language authority on the subject. She shares her knowledge and passion for the food culture of Japan in WASHOKU, an authoritative, deeply personal tribute to one of the world ’s most distinctive culinary traditions. Andoh begins by setting forth the ethos of washoku (traditional Japanese food), exploring its nuanced approach to balancing flavor, applying technique, and considering aesthetics hand-in-hand with nutrition. With detailed descriptions of ingredients complemented by stunning full-color photography, the book’s comprehensive chapter on the Japanese pantry is practically a book unto itself. The recipes for soups, rice dishes and noodles, meat and poultry, seafood, and desserts are models of clarity and precision, and the rich cultural context and practical notes that Andoh provides help readers master the rhythm and flow of the washoku kitchen. Much more than just a collection of recipes, WASHOKU is a journey through a cuisine that is rich in history and as handsome as it is healthful.

Customer Reviews

Glad I bought it. by Bailey
This recipe book is also a book about Japanese culture. The author’s anecdotes and personal perspectives are both instructive and entertaining. The recipes are easy to follow and well-organized. I have a few Japanese cuisine cookbooks and this is the best one.

Great cook book and more by L. Stephenson
Washoku covers the philosophy of Japanese cooking as well as the essential ingredients and methods of Japanese cooking. The recipes are well-written and easy to follow and the photographs of ingredients are very helpful for shopping.

Cooking Japanese Food Made Easy by June M. Bogle
Very pleased with the addition of this book to my collection. Ordering was perfect, arrival was perfect, and the happiness I have now at being able to cook for my daughter-in-law is awesome. Everything went smoothly and I am so pleased. Highest rating to a great service.

A very useful and informative book by K. E. Steelman
This book is one that I would usually put in the “coffee table” genre. It is full of informative photographs, has sections on ingredients, tableware, service, recipes….. and it is beautiful have out for looks or information. It is well worth the price and that is something that is hard to find in the world of Japanese cookbooks in general. This is a huge book that is bursting with color and instructions. This is a book to add to your collection whether you cook, need a focal point for that special spot in your living room or actually want to cram your head with facts about Japanese cuisine and service.

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