1st Edition

The Essence of Japanese Cuisine An Essay on Food and Culture

By Michael Ashkenazi, Jeanne Jacob Copyright 2001
    252 Pages
    by Routledge

    276 Pages
    by Routledge

    The past few years have shown a growing interest in cooking and food, as a result of international food issues such as BSE, world trade and mass foreign travel, and at the same time there has been growing interest in Japanese Studies since the 1970s. This volume brings together the two interests of Japan and food, examining both from a number of perspectives. The book reflects on the social and cultural side of Japanese food, and at the same time reflects also on the ways in which Japanese culture has been affected by food, a basic human institution. Providing the reader with the historical and social bases to understand how Japanese cuisine has been and is being shaped, this book assumes minimal familiarity with Japanese society, but instead explores the country through the topic of its cuisine.

    Chapter 1 Redefining Japanese Food; Chapter 2 A Frame work for Discussion; Chapter 3 Japanese Food in its Background; Chapter 4 Food Events and Their Meaning; Chapter 5 Food Preparation Styles; Chapter 6 Food Loci; Chapter 7 Aesthetics in the World of Japanese Food; Chapter 8 Learning the Cultural Rules; Chapter 9 The Art of Dining; Chapter 10 Japan’s Food Culture;

    Biography

    Michael Ashkenazi teaches sociology and anthropology, and is the author of numerous books and articles on Japan.

    'An extensive and interesting study of a subject on which hitherto there has been very little written in English.' - Petits Propos Culinaires