Washoku, the Fermented Cuisine

Introduction

Before it was a cuisine of fire, washoku was a cuisine of microbes. The katsuobushi that upholds the broth, the five seasonings of the kitchen, the very origin of sushi — beneath them all, there was always fermentation. A white paper that traces the Japanese table along the single thread of the ferment.

Contents

1. the current — the mouthPrologue — The Watercourse on the Plate: Before Fire, Washoku Was a Cuisine of Microbes→
2. the current — the mouthChapter One — Hishio: The Common Ancestor of Miso and Soy Sauce→
3. the current — the mouthChapter Two — Nattō: The Other Fermentation, Not Kōji→
4. the current — the mouthChapter Three — Shōjin Cuisine: Forgoing Flesh, Seeking Umami in the Microbe→
5. the current — the mouthChapter Four — The Origin of Sushi: Narezushi, Fish Fermented in Rice→
6. the current — the mouthChapter Five — Dashi and Umami: Kombu, Katsuobushi, and the Discovery of Umami→
7. the current — the mouthChapter Six — Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So: The Kitchen's Flavour Is Mostly Fermented→
8. the current — the mouthEpilogue — From 2013 to Now: What Lies Beneath the World Heritage→