Fans of Japanese cuisine will meet this weekend in Haut-Marais. Around thirty artisan producers came specially from the land of the rising sun to share their passion with Parisians for a weekend.
Rice, miso, yuzu, sesame oils, mirin, soy, dashi… The pop-up store spread over more than 300 m2 in the Joseph gallery, a stone’s throw from the Arts et Métiers metro station, brings together numerous grocery and the art of the table which will allow you to prepare delicious Japanese recipes or to season your favorite dishes. Tastings, cooking workshops or introductions to the tea ceremony will punctuate these two days.
“We invited the producers and artisans with whom we work to come and meet the general public in Paris on the occasion of our tenth anniversary,” explains Jean Beguin, co-founder ofUmami (Editor’s note, the fifth flavor), a company specializing in the sourcing and import of Japanese grocery products.
After a stint in the food industry, this graduate of a hotel school, nourished with Japanese culture by a grandmother passionate about ikebana – the traditional Japanese floral art -, embarked on the adventure in 2004, with her sister Laure. Today, their products selected during numerous trips to Japan are found on the tables of the greatest chefs, Pierre Gagnaire has Anne-Sophie Pic passing through Alain Ducassebut also in bistronomic restaurants and delicatessens or even at the Grande Épicerie (Editor’s note, from the LVMH group, owner of Le Parisien). Individuals can order on the website or obtain supplies directly from Umami Matcha Café, a coffee shop restaurant opened in 2006 at 22, rue Béranger (IIIe), near Place de la République.
This weekend, the two ambassadors of Japanese cuisine are offering Parisians the opportunity to discover numerous regional specialties from Ibaraki to Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Tokushima and Osaka. Without forgetting exceptional Japanese vegetables grown in Touraine. Cooking fans will also be able to admire the famous Japanese knives from the Tahara Shunichi cutlery and take the opportunity to have theirs sharpened by a specialist. Finally, tastings of sake, this Japanese rice wine, and Japanese natural wine will also be offered.
Japanese cuisine takes a lasting place on the Parisian culinary scene
“Chefs today have a better knowledge of Japanese products and are using them more and more, in a more or less visible way, to season their dishes,” explains Jean Béguin. For him, Japanese cuisine is not a passing fad. “It is establishing itself permanently on the French culinary scene, in the same way as Italian and Spanish cuisine, and is generating increasing enthusiasm among the general public, particularly children, nourished by mangas,” continues the co-founder of ‘Umami, who would like to start making tofu and certain condiments.
Galerie Joseph, 5, rue Bailly (IIIe). Open Saturday October 26 and Sunday October 27, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. FREE ENTRANCE.