Kaiseki

Kaiseki (Japanese懐 石) originally referred to a light meal, which was served to the Japanese tea ceremony. Today, the term is also used for a specific style of a light menu in a Japanese restaurant. Kaiseki is often served in Ryotei (料 亭) or kappo (割 烹) restaurants.

Origin

Kaiseki originally meant Onjaku (温 石), a heated over an open fire stone you crashed into the clothes to keep warm. The origin is also attributed to Zen monks who initially has a warm stone to the body expressed to suppress the feeling of hunger. Later this was replaced by a light meal.

Another theory, have a poor Zen monk, since he himself had nothing edible, a guest instead of eating his Onjaku offered to give him at least heat.

Style

Today, the focus at Kaiseki is less on the importance as meal to welcome guests. It's more of a meal to round the tea ceremony Cha Kaiseki (茶 懐 石), German: tea kaiseki.

Kaiseki can be generally defined as a light meal and served. A European-style Kaiseki often with only limited contrast to a more conventional, light meal.

The order of the courts may differ, depending on whether it is served in a tea ceremony or on other occasions. A bowl of rice and miso soup is often served at the beginning of a multi-course menus, but can also be omitted. The courts can also be served each person individually in order to achieve a more casual atmosphere, instead of taking the portions according to the rules precisely defined at a tea ceremony.

Courts

The Kaiseki cuisine was once - according to their origin from the Zen - a strict vegetarian. Today, fish, occasionally also held meat feeder. If it is not a tea ceremony, also Sake can be served.

In Kaiseki only fresh ingredients according to the seasons are used. They are prepared so that their inherent taste is highlighted. Particular attention is paid to the selection of the ingredients. Dishes are carefully done on specially selected to highlight the nature and the seasonal theme of the court dishes.

The dishes are almost artistically arranged and garnished, often with real leaves and flowers. Edible sets are often designed so that they resemble plants or animals.

The dishes and the sets are as much a part of the experience as the food itself Some would even argue that the aesthetic experience, the food to be considered, is more important than to consume the food.

Dishes

Beautiful and seasonally appropriate Japanese ceramic or porcelain, Urushi or glass can be used. Sometimes freshly split bamboo stems are used as a container. Usually, rice and soup are served in vessels from Urushi. The vessels are admired during and after eating; to use inappropriate dish is perceived as embarrassing.