cover image Food of Japan: Authentic Recipes from the Land of the Rising Sun

Food of Japan: Authentic Recipes from the Land of the Rising Sun

Periplus Editions, Tayuki Kosaki, Walter Wagner. Periplus Editions, $12.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-89594-795-6

The attractive Periplus Cookbooks series (The Food of Bali; The Food of Thailand) presents Asian national cuisines for preparing in Western kitchens. This volume offers a compact but thorough survey of the fundamentals of Japanese food, highlighted by more than 70 recipes. A long, helpful glossary of ingredients precedes the recipes, and brief essays on the evolution of Japanese food are informative (e.g., the impact of shojin ryori--the ``vegetarian Buddhist temple fare''--with its emphasis on providing five colors and six tastes in a meal). Recipes are ``grouped to follow the basic pattern of a Japanese meal'' rather than by main ingredient. Starters include clear soups, vegetables and sashimi. Entrees range from sushi to yakitori (chicken on skewers) to remarkable fish recipes such as Kelp-Grilled Tuna, in which the miso-and ginger-seasoned tuna is baked in kelp; also featured are duck, pork and beef dishes. Subtle desserts include the ever-popular Green-Tea Ice Cream. This concise, practical cookbook is a solid introduction to a particularly beautiful and healthy cuisine. (Nov.)