Posts Tagged ‘tenugui’
Japanese art is one of the finest in the world. To demonstrate, the Tenugui is a small piece of fabric that the Japanese use to create different things. The most common Tenugui use is as a cover for the head, like a scarf. It’s usually made of cotton or gauze-like fabric. Other uses are as a handkerchief, towel, or to accent edible art.
The Japanese have also perfected edible art which food prepared elaborately. Even the simple sushi dishes are appealing to the eye. The more complex sushi come in art forms like a cone, bird, fish, or flora designs.
Other forms of cooking also have an aesthetic appeal like grilling and garnishes for baked or fried dishes. The Japanese take great pride in being able to present food in a way that pleases both the palate and the eye.
If you are going to be in Japan, make it a point to eat out. It is a culinary experience unlike in any other country in the world. Even the simple noodle dish goes through hours of preparation and years of skillful training.
Grilled chicken is never a simple case of cutting up skinless chicken breast, marinating and serving hot. Grilled chicken, also known as Yakitori is marinated and grilled according to specific temperatures and cooking conditions.
Like the Tenugui, edible art in Japan is using basic kitchen ingredients but creating something truly beautiful. If you have time to look at Japanese confectionary art, you will see incredible beauty in the wagashi (confectionary). There is even a craft for creating edible art called kogei-gashi which is created according the seasons in a year. All ingredients must be edible. It’s a form of art that began in the late 1600s, and was never meant to be eaten. At that time, it was merely as decoration on the table. Today, it’s an art form like an edible bonsai tree, cherry blossoms, or a complete garden setting that can be consumed – but only after the show.