FACTOID # 140: In Switzerland, the average person has to work for 102 minutes to buy a kilogram of beef - one of the longest times in the developed world. On the other hand, they only have work 14 hours to buy a refrigerator for it.
 
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Encyclopedia > Kaiseki
One course of a Kaiseki meal, showing careful arrangement of the food
One course of a Kaiseki meal, showing careful arrangement of the food

Kaiseki (懐石) was a light meal served at a Japanese tea ceremony but is now also used for a style of light meal, a tasting menu, served in a Japanese restaurant. Kaiseki is popularly served in a ryotei (料亭) and a kappou (割烹) restaurant. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (910x847, 280 KB) Japanese Cuisine: Kaiseki Ryori See also other images from the same site: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 File links The following pages link to this file: Japanese cuisine ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (910x847, 280 KB) Japanese Cuisine: Kaiseki Ryori See also other images from the same site: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 File links The following pages link to this file: Japanese cuisine ... A woman wearing a kimono performs a tea ceremony outdoors, while seated in seiza position. ... Usually found in restaurants, a tasting menu offers small portions of several dishes as a single meal. ...

Contents

Origin

Kaiseki (懐石) originally meant Onjaku, a rock or a konnyaku heated by an open fire that was wrapped by clothes to warm oneself. Two theories exist as to how kaiseki became associated with food. One theory claims that a poor Zen Buddhist monk who had nothing edible to offer to a guest offered his onjaku to the guest, to at least give him warmth. Another theory claims that it is taken from a teaching of 被褐懐玉 in Tao Te Ching by Lao Zi and substituted with . Binomial name Amorphophallus konjac K. Koch, 1858 Konnyaku Konnyaku (蒟蒻), also known as Konjak, Devils tongue, Voodoo lily or Snake palm, is a tubiferous plant grown in Japan used to create a flour of the same name. ... Zen is a form of Mahayana Buddhism which places great importance on moment-by-moment awareness and seeing deeply into the nature of things by direct experience. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... The Tao Te Ching (道德經, Pinyin: D Jīng, thus sometimes rendered in recent works as Dao De Jing; archaic pre-Wade-Giles rendering: Tao Teh Ching; roughly translated as The Book of the Way and its Virtue (see dedicated chapter below on translating the title)) is... Lao Zi (Chinese 老子, also spelled Laozi, Lao Tzu, or Lao Tse) is a major figure in Chinese philosophy whose historical existence is debated. ...


Style

In the present day, there is less emphasis on the meaning of Kaiseki as a meal to welcome the guest and more emphasis on a meal to make a tea ceremony an enjoyable one. It may also be used for a course meal and the former might be called Cha Kaiseki (茶懐石), literally tea kaiseki. Kaiseki may also be used to describe a light meal in general and thus a European style kaiseki exists where there are only a few, if any, differences between that and a course dinner.


The order of dishes served may differ when kaiseki is served at a tea ceremony and other occasions. A bowl of rice and miso soup often served at the start of a kaiseki course meal may be skipped in other occasions. Dishes may be served individually to offer a more relaxed atmosphere instead of taking a portion according to explicit practices associated with a tea ceremony.


Dishes

Kaiseki cuisine was once strictly vegetarian due to its Zen origin, but nowadays fish and occasionally meat will feature. Sake may be served if there is no tea ceremony scheduled. Sake barrels at Itsukushima Shrine Sake (Japanese: é…’; pronounced IPA:  ) is a Japanese word meaning alcoholic beverage, which in English has come to refer to a specific alcoholic beverage brewed mainly from rice, and known in Japan as nihonshu (日本酒 Japanese alcohol). This article uses the word sake as it is used...


In kaiseki, only fresh seasonal ingredients are used, prepared in ways that aim to enhance their flavour. Exquisite care is taken in selecting ingredients and types of food, and finished dishes are carefully presented on serving ware that is chosen to enhance the appearance and seasonal theme of the meal. Dishes are beatifully arranged and garnished, often with real leaves and flowers, as well as edible garnishes designed to resemble natural plants and animals. The serving ware and garnishes are as much a part of the kaiseki experience as the food; some might argue that the aesthetic experience of seeing the food is more important than the physical experience of eating it, though of course both aspects are important.


Wares

As noted above, wares of Kaiseki have as much, and some say more, importance than the actual food served. Any beautiful and seasonably fitting ware of Japanese pottery or porcelain, urushi lacquered wares, or glass may be used. Sometimes, freshly cut bamboo may be used. According to the prevailing custom, rice and soup are served in lacquered ware. These wares may be appreciated during and after eating. Serving an ill-suited ware is an embarrassing occasion. According to archeological evidence, Japanese pottery is among the earliest in the World, dating back to the 11th millennium BC, marking the beginning of the Jomon period. ... It has been suggested that Porcelain tile be merged into this article or section. ... In a general sense, lacquer is a clear or coloured coating, that dries by solvent evaporation only and that produces a hard, durable finish that can be polished to a very high gloss, and gives the illusion of depth. ...


Famous Kaiseki places

In Kyoto, there are several famous Kaiseki places. Daitokuji Ikkyu (大徳寺一久) at Daitokujimonmae (大徳寺門前), Kakizen (柿善), Tsujitome (辻留), Kiccho (吉兆) at Kyoto Sanjo, and Shofukuro (招福楼) are some of the famous places. These places have tea rooms for tea ceremonies. Kyōto ) (lit. ...


See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Category:Kaiseki

  Results from FactBites:
 
Silk Restaurant (221 words)
Kaiseki is an Asian culinary art form that dates back to the 1700’s, when elaborate and beautiful tea ceremonies were performed to entertain and welcome guests.
These dishes were called kaiseki, since the small meals are similar in purpose to the warm stones (seki) which Buddhist priests put in their kimono pockets (kai) while studying and meditating to forget their empty stomachs during fasting.
A pillar of the kaiseki concept is to revere in the ornate presentation and quality of the cuisine, as well as the atmosphere and hospitality from the chef.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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