Kaiseki

Kyoto, Fushimi Inari-taisha

What it is

A lacquered lid is lifted, and the smell of clear broth drifts up. Beside it sit small plates: a slice of raw fish, a simmered piece laid on a leaf. This is kaiseki, a dinner of many small courses, brought one after another. Each dish uses fresh ingredients of the season, and each plate is chosen to suit the theme. Real leaves and flowers may decorate the food. The cook tries to bring out flavour, and balances taste, texture, colour and look.

Where it comes from

Picture a Zen monk tucking a warm stone into the folds of his robe, against his stomach, to keep hunger away. That image sits behind the word kaiseki, whose characters mean breast-pocket stone. Sen no Rikyū is thought to have chosen them for the plain meal of the tea ceremony. Before that, the characters simply meant food for a gathering, and both spellings are still used. Modern kaiseki also borrows from the cooking of the imperial court, temples, samurai households and the tea room.

How it is made

The cook slices fish, simmers vegetables and sets fish over a flame. Each part of the meal is made its own way. In a simmered dish, the ingredients are cooked separately, then brought together on the plate. Only fresh seasonal ingredients go in, and local ones often join them. The cooking aims to bring out their flavour. Then comes the plating. A dish is picked to match the season, and the food is arranged with leaves, flowers, or edible garnishes shaped like plants and animals.

How it is eaten

A small tray or a single plate is set down, and the meal unfolds in order. First a little appetizer, then a plate that sets the season, then sashimi. Soup arrives in a lidded bowl. Later come grilled fish, a small sour dish to cleanse the palate, and a heartier dish such as a hot pot. Rice, pickles and soup follow, and a seasonal dessert ends it. At a tea gathering, guests help themselves to grilled fish and to a pitcher of hot water with browned rice.

Where to try it

Begin in Kyoto, which many Japanese regard as the home of kaiseki. There, Kaiseki Ryori is served in traditional ryokan or in quiet, understated dining rooms in Gion, with small dishes of fresh vegetables. Around Fushimi Inari-taisha, kaiseki comes in private rooms in traditional restaurants. Many will not take a booking straight from a foreign guest, so a hotel can help. Across Japan, kaiseki is also served in ryokan and in small restaurants called ryōtei.

Sources

Wikipedia, “Kaiseki” (CC BY-SA 4.0): the facts.

Picture 1: photograph (cropped) — Jisaku Kaiseki Ryori 01.jpg — unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Picture 2: photograph (cropped) — Jisaku Kaiseki Ryori 04.jpg — unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Picture 3: photograph (cropped) — Kaiseki Kai Tsugaru Owani Onsen Aomori pref Japan01s.jpg — 663highland, CC BY 2.5.

Picture 4: photograph (cropped) — Kaiseki Kai Tsugaru Owani Onsen Aomori pref Japan02s.jpg — 663highland, CC BY 2.5.

Picture 5: photograph (cropped) — Kaiseki Kai Tsugaru Owani Onsen Aomori pref Japan03s.jpg — 663highland, CC BY 2.5.