Book Launch: Cook Japanese at Home

The title of Kimiko Barber’s new book Cook Japanese At Home says it all. As a Japanese-born food writer and cookery teacher, Kimiko has been encouraging people to cook for many years. She believes that home cooking puts you in control of what and how you eat, which ultimately leads you to take charge of your own wellbeing.

The food scene in Britain has improved significantly since Kimiko’s arrival in the early 1970’s as a school girl; multicultural Britain has led to an array of diversity and innovation within British cuisine. Missing her mother’s recipes, young Kimiko then began to cook Japanese dishes herself, ultimately blossoming into the expert on Japanese cuisine she is today. Japanese food has gained worldwide popularity: it was awarded heritage status by UNESCO in 2013; one in ten new London restaurants since 2014 are Japanese; and sushi bento boxes are now commonly sold alongside sandwiches. Nevertheless, it is still considered somewhat ‘difficult’ to cook Japanese food at home.

In this talk, Kimiko aims to dispel these fears and to reveal that Japanese food in fact has developed through a series of adaptations of all things foreign, starting with the essential staple of rice.

This event is free but booking is essential. Places can be booked at:  http://www.dajf.org.uk/events/booking-form.