How does Japan influence Czech gastronomy?
"I've never thought of it that way before," he repeats in conversations with people who have travelled to Japan and returned home with a different perspective on craft, hospitality and life. "We record there a tremendous quality of ingredients and a passion for food. Japan is a huge fountain of information and should be visited by anyone who wants to move up in their field," says restaurateur Tomáš Karpíšek, who has been travelling regularly since 2014 to be inspired by the Japanese mentality.
"It's a kind of look into the crystal ball of the future that Western society is heading towards. We learn so to see our cuisine in a broader context. Japan is past its peak of prosperity and is facing a number of problems, such as low birth rates and urbanisation. This also has a logical impact on the development of food and gastronomy," he adds.
Perception
Japanese culture is characterised by receptivity. The Japanese are sensitive to beauty and nature, they feel a part of, and they are just as sensitive to the raw material and its quality. In the kitchen, then they don't focus so much on the result as on the process, which leads them to continually improve. "Japanese chefs think vertically. They know that to cook the perfect dish, they have to go the depth of tradition, knowledge and techniques. And this is also essential for our cuisine," believes Tomáš Karpíšek. Even modern Czech cuisine needs to be deeply original and sensitive to today.
Japan is a country of paradoxes. Perhaps that is why it opens the minds of foreigners and makes them feel that there is not just one truth. And despite the ubiquitous technological advances, it motivates gastronomers and chefs to go back a little further, to the basics. "Craftsmanship still has value in Japan and the perceived value in crafts and basic human needs, which include quality food and drink, signifies the maturity of the culture," notes Tomas.
Symbolism
The Japanese have an amplified sense of details and their purpose. When the UM Education Center hosted a tea ceremony led by friends from Japan, guests could learn that every movement (from folding a scarf to taking a drink from a bowl held in the left palm) has a meaning. And every object is a symbol and a tool that helps to harmonize outer and inner space.
"The ceremony could be compared to meditation. Guests gradually gain distraction so that by the end they can concentrate fully on the tea and on the the present moment," explains Rumi, who performed the ceremony. Symbolism in Japanese cuisine swirls reflections on the (forgotten) meanings of ingredients, dishes and their serving in the Czech tradition.
Maximalism
"In the tea ceremony lies the essence of Japanese hospitality and the origin of the tasting menu we see in European restaurants, which originated from Japanese kaiseki cuisine," notes creative Ambiente chef František Skopec. On a visit to Japan, he took a ten-day cooking course with master chefs such as the seventy-three-year-old Mr. Yoshida, and was able to observe how much sophisticated effort is involved Japanese simplicity.
"Unless you stand alongside a Japanese chef, you may feel that the potato on your plate is just a great potato that has only been minimally modified in the kitchen. But then you find out that it has been cooked six times and has received incredible care," František offers a specific example. Simplicity is a difficult technique! Mastering it requires experience, confidence and mindfulness, as well as a positive understanding of routine because it leads to a focus on the essentials. "The Japanese reduce to the maximum!" sums up Tomáš Karpíšek.
The Japanese aim for a simple, fulfilling life. "For me, simplicity represents the highest form of wealth. It is the guiding principle of my life. It carries a spiritual essence, because it requires facing oneself and accepting one's true self. Living a simple life in a world where people needlessly accumulate wealth is no easy task and achieving it is probably the greatest luxury," says Rumi candidly.
Perfection
One of the principles of the Japanese tea ceremony is called wabi-sabi and is interpreted as, among other things acceptance of imperfection. The Japanese are admirably close to perfection! They try to approach it by working hard on themselves.
"Every time I am in Japan, I ask myself how it is possible that food can be constantly improved, and how far we can go to improve its quality. And every time I remind myself that we have a long way to go and many possibilities to follow," reflects Tomáš Karpíšek. It is not only his talk that shows that Japan feeds our desire for perfection but also our pride in the dumpling and our decision to treat it with the same reverence and precision as when the Japanese prepare rice. Over and over again, better every day.
Season and regions
Japanese cuisine respects micro-seasonality, which in ours is overshadowed by imports and the year-round availability of ingredients - although cooking seasonally is known to improve the quality and nutrition of the food and preserve the authenticity of the local cuisine.
"The Japanese distinguish twenty-four seasons, which they divide into three more. They know how to cook with what is most delicious at the time and respond to the variability of nature. At the same time, they act regionally, and so the businesses standardly present on the menu what is harvested in the different regions of Japan," says Tomáš Karpíšek, another message for Czech gastronomy. The agricultural year in the Czech Republic is undoubtedly not only divided into four seasons!
It would also be worthwhile to count the word omakase which the Japanese use when ordering in restaurants. It translates as "I'll leave it to you" and expresses the guest's trust in the chef, who imaginatively puts an oath to serve people the best of the farmers' harvest and themselves.
Cheesiness
"We all have our memories and our place of origin. This is the key to giving something extra to food, and we can only discover it in ourselves, nowhere else," said Tomáš Karpíšek at the regular meeting of Ambiente chefs, which has been operating on the Czech gastro scene for thirty years. Japan naturally continues to support (culinary) renaissance of Czechism which was launched with the opening of La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise and is being developed by the group's new businesses.
"I am sure we have to take care of what is ours. If we hadn't gone through the socialist period, perhaps today we would have more Michelin restaurants and chefs in the Czech Republic who would be proud to offer raisin and Spanish bird. Instead, most of us turned to the West and wanted to cook Italian or French. We simply needed time to believe again, that Czech is good enough and that no one in the world could cook it better than us," says Tomáš Karpíšek.
Self-confidence
Japanese gastronomy never seems to lose its self-confidence. This is evidenced by the number and focus of Michelin Guide starred restaurants - 65% of them serve Japanese cuisine! By comparison, 18% of Michelin-starred establishments in London are English.
"Japanese cuisine encompasses a range of smaller and "the vast majority of restaurants specialise in just one of them, whether it's sushi, oden, onigiri, soba, tempura and tonkatsu, or yakitori," says Tomáš Karpíšek, who also mentions Japanese curry. Although this dish originated elsewhere, Japanese chefs have adapted the recipe over time to such an extent that it is now considered Japanese.
"There are hardly any ethnic minorities in Japan, about 98% of the island's population is Japanese and they interpret some foreign dishes, such as curry or ramen, in their own way. It's like our goulash. We suspect that it came to us from Hungary, but for centuries it has been cooked by Czechs, not Hungarians, so we have changed and 'nationalised' our food," says Tomáš Karpíšek.
Self-esteem is as important as awareness of what we used to cook and how we still cook today as a result of the past. Only then can we consciously improve our Czech culture in our kitchens.
