Cooking
If you go to Tokyo, along the pathway to the temple in Akusaka there are vendors selling hundreds of kinds of "sembei" or Japanese rice crackers. Though the crackers originated in China, in 806 AD a Buddhist monk brought the recipe to Japan where the Japanese have perfected the art of sembei. Even today they continue to innovate, coming up with new flavors, designs and specialties which vary from region to region in Japan.
In Japan, both sweet and savory sembei are not just a snack but often given as a gift. No ordinary snack they are like little works of art. Made from rice, peanuts and soy they are flavored, sometimes with sesame seeds, soy sauce, nori (seaweed) or red chili.
At the Winter Fancy Food Show this year, a family owned Japanese company Fujiya Seika and subsidiary Hidemi exhibited a beautiful range of crackers and confections. Representing the company were brother and sister, Tomio, who lives where the confections are made in Osaka and Hidemi, who lives in Texas. Tomio focuses on the savory snacks and Hidemi on the sweet confections.
Their snacks are as delicious to eat as they are to look at. Perfect with cocktails or as part of a appetizer buffet they are much more nutritious than typical American snacks. Some of the more unusual treats included green tea cookies, crunchy blueberries and charcoal covered peanuts. With any luck we will see these delicious treats in stores soon!
- Snacks & Treats From The Winter 2015 Fancy Food Show
Are you a sweet snacker or a salty snacker? I like both and the Fancy Food Show is a snacker’s dream. Though it took place over a month ago I am still snacking on some samples I collected at the show. There was quite a range from healthy to indulgent,...
- Sensible Foods: Favorite Things
This won't come as any surprise to you I'm sure, but people are idiots. One day I experienced this first hand when I placed my laptop, which was inside a big backpack into the security machine at the airport. This was before the days of the...
- Eating In Japan
While I was away I posted about the food in Japan over at Epicurious. I will have some more posts soon, but in the meantime feel free to check out bits and bites: Eat Like Monk About yodofu and shojin ryori food in Kyoto Japanese Take on Chinese Food...
- Food Museums
I admit it. I am one of those people who believes that many trends begin in Japan and then make their way here to the US. So it is with a balance of trepidation and excitement that I share with you the latest culinary trend in Japan--food theme parks....
- Snack Time
And what does my toddler like to snack on? Why, Nori Snacks and pickled Ginger, of course! I'm not making this up. Alex loves them both. He'll happily snack away on both. Matt and I say we're giving him all the advantages we never had. And...
Cooking
Favorite Things: Sembei
If you go to Tokyo, along the pathway to the temple in Akusaka there are vendors selling hundreds of kinds of "sembei" or Japanese rice crackers. Though the crackers originated in China, in 806 AD a Buddhist monk brought the recipe to Japan where the Japanese have perfected the art of sembei. Even today they continue to innovate, coming up with new flavors, designs and specialties which vary from region to region in Japan.
In Japan, both sweet and savory sembei are not just a snack but often given as a gift. No ordinary snack they are like little works of art. Made from rice, peanuts and soy they are flavored, sometimes with sesame seeds, soy sauce, nori (seaweed) or red chili.
At the Winter Fancy Food Show this year, a family owned Japanese company Fujiya Seika and subsidiary Hidemi exhibited a beautiful range of crackers and confections. Representing the company were brother and sister, Tomio, who lives where the confections are made in Osaka and Hidemi, who lives in Texas. Tomio focuses on the savory snacks and Hidemi on the sweet confections.
Their snacks are as delicious to eat as they are to look at. Perfect with cocktails or as part of a appetizer buffet they are much more nutritious than typical American snacks. Some of the more unusual treats included green tea cookies, crunchy blueberries and charcoal covered peanuts. With any luck we will see these delicious treats in stores soon!
- Snacks & Treats From The Winter 2015 Fancy Food Show
Are you a sweet snacker or a salty snacker? I like both and the Fancy Food Show is a snacker’s dream. Though it took place over a month ago I am still snacking on some samples I collected at the show. There was quite a range from healthy to indulgent,...
- Sensible Foods: Favorite Things
This won't come as any surprise to you I'm sure, but people are idiots. One day I experienced this first hand when I placed my laptop, which was inside a big backpack into the security machine at the airport. This was before the days of the...
- Eating In Japan
While I was away I posted about the food in Japan over at Epicurious. I will have some more posts soon, but in the meantime feel free to check out bits and bites: Eat Like Monk About yodofu and shojin ryori food in Kyoto Japanese Take on Chinese Food...
- Food Museums
I admit it. I am one of those people who believes that many trends begin in Japan and then make their way here to the US. So it is with a balance of trepidation and excitement that I share with you the latest culinary trend in Japan--food theme parks....
- Snack Time
And what does my toddler like to snack on? Why, Nori Snacks and pickled Ginger, of course! I'm not making this up. Alex loves them both. He'll happily snack away on both. Matt and I say we're giving him all the advantages we never had. And...