The gallery Shozando, where I was exhibiting in Fukuoka, had a special cherry-blossom display and customers would bring in sticky rice cakes like this one, wrapped in an edible cherry leaf, for us to enjoy. When we ate in the neighbouring restaurant, Zero, there was a dish of white rice noodles garnished with a single cherry flower as part of a delicious evening banquet.
This awareness and celebration of the seasons is reflected in the food and the pots in which it is served. Seasonality really means something in Japan, where the foods of each season are anticipated and enjoyed as they come into season.
Another seasonal speciality which we enjoyed on several occasions was take-no-ko - bamboo shoots - and we even dug some up ourselves, which was a first for me. They were delicious cooked with rice or simmered in a broth with shiitake and other vegetables.
The countryside was splashed with the vibrant yellow of oil-seed rape flowers. They are also eaten served, lightly steamed, whilst still in bud, as a seasonal speciality.
Here they were served with a piece of octopus and a deliciously tangy sauce made with white miso, yuzu (a citrus fruit, similar to lime, but with a distinctive flavour of its own) and mustard. The combination of colours, textures and tastes in this dish was heavenly!
There were so many wonderful meals and pots. I will be posting again soon as I want to share more of these inspiring experiences, while they are still fresh in my mind.
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