Customer Reviews

The Folk Art of Japanese Country Cooking: A Traditional Diet for Today's World

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While Tsuji and Andoh have risen far above most other authors of the "Japanese cookbooks" genre, Homma is really at the pinnacle in helping the Westerner understand what Japanese cooking is all about in the cultural context. Whereas most books provide a workable recipe and a useful picture of the presentation, allowing one to do a reasonable job of "cooking a Japanese dish in an American kitchen", this book provides the social and historical context in which the ingredients and the dish exist, so that one understands what one is doing when using a recipe. Not to be found in other books are discussion of breakfast and recipes for it; once you've made and enjoyed okayu you'll do it again and again (and eventually invest in a neuro-fuzzy-logic rice cooker with timer so that the okayu is waiting for you in the morning). The book has many useful illustrations not found elsewhere, such as three ways to set a breakfast tray. Homma's sincere desire to convey the "spirit of Japanese cooking" and the stories he tells add incomparable charm. Highest recommendation

First, this is not your typical cookbook. You will probably first notice that there are no big flashy pictures of perfect looking food. Next you will see that you have to read about 100pages to get to the recipes. But it is well worth it.

The first half of the book deals with the history and ingreadiants of Japanese country cooking. The second half has all the recipes. For some of the ingreadiants you will probably have to try an Asian market, but over all most of the recipes are pretty simple, healthy, and taste great. A lot of these dishes are also not the type of food that you will find at the typical Japanese restrant, they are what you will probably encounter if you are lucky enough to be invited to someone's house for dinner in Japan.

Also nice is that many simple things such as how to cook rice in a pot or cut up a whole fish are covered for us less expert cooks out there.

So if you like more Asian food or just want to try something different I really recommend this book.

Although the recipes are interesting and useful, you have to know something of Oriental cooking to use them. This is not a beginners book.

The heart of the book is not the recipes, though. It's the Japanese Cultural history. This is absolutely the best ethnography of rural Japan ever written, in my experience.

If you've ever wondered what life in rural Japan, or, for that matter, any rural subsistance society was like, this is where you'll find out. There is a lot of our own history in this book, if you care to look.

I've almost worn out my copy, & have recommended it to everyone I know who is interested in down-to-earth, country-style Japanese food. Not only does the author give ingredients & quantities, he explains why & how various cooking techniques evolved. You won't find the usual Japanese restaurant favorites, but there are other books for those. The breakfast ideas & recipes alone make this worth reading -- a great alternative to eggs-toast-bacon-cereal.

One minor quibble, which may have been remedied in this edition: the indexing & general organization of the book are a bit tricky. Dishes are usually listed by their Japanese names, or by their method of cooking, & the page number references in the index are not always reliable. So get a pack of Post-It notes or some bookmarks (my copy is full of them), but by all means get this book.

This book is sort of bizarre. On the one hand it is a great cookbook with emphasis on techniques and little on "recipes". The upshot is that one might actually come to understand the techniques of Japanese cooking. It is also an interesting discussion of rural Japan.

My only objection to the book is that the author seems both wrapped up in nostalga and aware of the trade value of nostalga to some of the audience reading the book.

If you are looking for a good Japanese cookbook, I would recommend this _AND_ another, and eating at restaurants. The idea is that you can follow the directions in the other cookbook, but understand the issues of technique and/or philosophy from this one. The only catch is that you are less likely to get the sorts of things that this book discusses at restaurants.

I am so glad to see this book back in print. I bought mine at Powell's here in Portland OR back in 91. Japanese food is so much more than sushi and Homma lets us look at some of foundations of this cuisine. If you want to understand the heart and sole of Japanese food culture this is a very good place to start. Gaku Homma is a living National Tresure for Japan and for the rest of us here in the USA. Buy this book!

I have eaten at Gaku Homma's restrant, Domo's, and it is wonderful but I can't eat there as often as I would like. Not that expensive but being a student I can't aford going out to eat very often unless it is McDoalds dollar menu. I bought his book and it has made it a bit eiser for me to eat good food. I also enjoy the stories behind the food and his life experiances.

So... I'm a different sort of reader here. I ordered and read this book after having eaten at Domo, the author's restaurant in Denver, CO. To say that Domo is the absolute finest Japanese restaurant I've ever been to, or for that matter even heard of, is a HUGE understatement. It's quite simply my favorite restaurant ever.

So... this is a review of both... Buy the book... Come to Denver, and eat at Domo!

I have had the privilege of eating many, many times at Mr. Homma's restaurant, Domo, in Denver. I bought my copy of the Fine Art of Japanese Country Cooking at the restaurant and have read it several times from cover to cover. Mr. Homma's passion for Japanese cooking and history is remarkable, as any visitor to his totally unique restaurant will discover.

The cookbook is a beautiful introduction to a cuisine that is mysterious to many. More than many societies, the Japanese draw distinct divisions between food cooked and eaten at home and that eaten at restaurants. Mr. Homma does not address restaurant food; instead, he takes us into the homes of the common country people who eat seasonal foods that they prepare themselves. So, there are no recipes for fancy sushi or tempura. Instead, we find various ways to use up all parts of vegetables and to extend their shelf life by pickling or cooking in salty soy broths. Fish is extensively featured. Meats tend to show up as minor ingredients in stews or soups. Eggs are used in many dishes. Soy products and rice are stressed. Yes, we encounter things that can't be purchased at the local supermarket, but Mr. Homma is interested in presenting a way of life through a way of eating, and Japanese foods do contain ingredients not easily available in the US. Some recipes take a bit of imagination to follow, however, careful readers will discover that most recipes can be adapted to American ingredients, as long as the basic seasonings of soy sauce, dashi and mirin can be obtained.

Some will view this cookbook as a curiosity, and in some ways it is, because Mr. Homma has recorded a cooking style that is fading in Japan. However, I value the dedication to cultural history that Mr. Homma practices. If you visit Denver, eat a meal at Domo and allow yourself a glimpse of a fast-disappearing way of life.

Mr. Homma does a great job of describing traditional japanese rural cooking in his book. His style of writing is informal and friendly and gives one the impression that he really enjoys cooking. The only problem that I had with this book is that the recipes seem to be either hit or miss. Some are quite good while others don't seem to work out as well.