Kaiseki

What it is

A kaiseki meal may have eight to fourteen courses, each only a few mouthfuls. The sequence varies by restaurant, but most include an opening appetiser, a clear soup, sliced raw fish, a simmered dish, a grilled dish, and a plate of several small seasonal bites that sets the theme of the meal. Near the end come rice, miso soup and pickles together, then fruit or a small sweet. Flavours are light. The aim is to show the ingredient, not the cook's hand.

Where it comes from

There are two traditions written with different characters and said the same way. The older is the simple meal served before the thick tea in a formal tea gathering, called cha-kaiseki. It was meant to take the edge off hunger and was shaped by Zen ideas of restraint. The other is the banquet style that grew in restaurants and at drinking parties from the Edo period. Modern restaurant kaiseki blends both. Kyoto, the old capital, remains its centre.

How it works

There is no menu to choose from. You book ahead, give any dietary limits, and the chef decides. Kaiseki is served in specialist restaurants called ryotei, often in private rooms with tatami floors, and as the evening meal in traditional inns, where it is brought to your room. Each course is set in front of you and briefly explained. You eat it, and the next arrives. Lunch versions are shorter and cost much less than dinner.

How to do it

1. Reserve in advance and mention allergies when you book.
2. Arrive on time. The courses are timed to the minute.
3. Look at each dish before you eat. The arrangement is part of it.
4. Lift small bowls to drink the soup. Eat solid pieces with chopsticks.
5. Eat rice, soup and pickles together when they come. They close the savoury courses.

Good manners

• Avoid strong perfume. It masks the food.
• Replace lids on bowls the way they came once you have finished.
• Do not ask for soy sauce or extra seasoning.

What is eaten

SashimiThin slices of raw fish or meat, served with soy sauce and condimentsChawanmushiJapanese steamed egg custard with savoury fillingsTempuraSeafood or vegetables coated in a light batter and deep-friedTsukemonoJapanese vegetables preserved in salt, brine, or rice branMiso soupJapanese soup of miso paste and dashi stock, often with tofu and seaweedWagashiTraditional Japanese sweets made with plant-based ingredients and seasonal themes

Also part of it, and being written: Namasu.

Sources and further reading

• Kaiseki on Wikipedia
• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Washoku, traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese
• Japan-guide.com: Kaiseki ryori