Japan: the Cookbook

This beautiful book, whose cover elegantly incorporates elements of Japanese aesthetics (at first glance, it evokes something between the fusuma of traditional homes and a sushi mat), is a definitive guide to Japanese cuisine. Spanning nearly 500 pages, it brings together countless recipes and expert advice, plus a glossary that’s extremely useful for anyone new to the art of Japanese cooking.

Its author, Nancy Singleton-Hachisu, is American, originally from the small town of Atherton, California, where she grew up surrounded by nature and five brothers and sisters. But her discovery of sushi in the late 1980s led her to Japan, where she planned to learn the language before returning home. As life would have it, Nancy’s passion for the Land of the Rising Sun soon took the form of a man, Tadaaki Hachisu, an organic farmer whom she married and with whom she started a family.

Nancy, who is also a leading figure in the Slow Food movement, has been teaching cooking for thirty years now. She has published several books, including this one, which is impressive in size but has the advantage of making it easy to prepare the soups, ramen, noodles, and other dishes for which Japanese cuisine is famous. This regional cuisine is based on key ingredients such as dashi and soy sauce, all of which you’ll find on our shelves. It’s an excellent way to get started with Japanese cooking, step by step, complete with beautiful photos and illustrations to enhance the experience.

Published in 2018, it features 400 recipes across 464 pages. 

French edition