In December 2014, the city of Tsuruoka was designated a Creative City of Gastronomy by UNESCO in recognition of its nature-inspired food culture, vegetarian shoujin-ryori cuisine (“food for spiritual elevation”) developed by monks on the nearby Three Sacred Mountains of Dewa, and the many ancestral foods which have been passed on to this day. This designation led to the formation of a connection between Tsuruoka and the Basque country of Spain, beginning in 2017. It all started when three chefs from Tsuruoka were invited to Bilbao, Spain.
The three chefs who set off to Bilbao to share Tsuruoka cuisine with the world were Kimitoshi Arisaka, chef and owner of the French restaurant Pomme de Terre; Ryoichi Saito, chef and manager of Japanese culinary establishment Shonai Zakko; and Takehiko Shoji, the young proprietor of Yudagawa Onsen’s Tsukasa-ya inn. They were tasked with creating a full course meal which defied genre conventions and would allow Basque patrons to enjoy Tsuruoka’s gastronomic offerings.
The meal they presented included o-tsukuri (a dish of raw fish from Tsuruoka), gomadofu (sesame-flavored tofu), kasujiru (a soup made from yeast deposits left during sake production), benkei meshi (rice balls fried in miso), butaniku ryori (pork dishes), and a dessert made from kuromame (sweet black beans). The kasujiru was far and above the most well-received, to which Chef Arisaka said, “We made it by combining leftover parts of the fish we used in the o-tsukuri with bacon from here in Spain. I think this elevated the two flavors. What surprised me was just how common this flavor layering technique is within the Basque country. I think because the Basque people have developed such similar palettes to us, they could fully experience the depth of that flavor.”
Tsuruoka City and Basque interactionTSURUOKA, UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy
A new kind of Basque Cuisine created with ingredients from Tsuruoka
In April 2017, three chefs from Bilbao were invited to Tsuruoka. One of the items they presented that day was a Spanish kasujiru. It used yeast deposits from txakoli, a white wine which is also used as an essential ingredient in Basque cuisine. Txakoli is characterized by a fresh, not-too-ripe flavor and a highly acidic, sour taste—as if you had bitten directly into a lemon rind. Alvaro Galid, one of the chefs from Bilbao, said he was able to mitigate the astringent taste of the txakoli by masking it with bacon, mushrooms, and a variety of vegetables. This resulted in a refreshing soup that retained the fermented bouquet and light tartness of the wine.
One more item that the Spanish chefs desperately wanted to present was pintxos gilda, which is perhaps the origin of pintxos, a kind of small snack food typically eaten in bars in the Basque country. This Basque soul food consists of olives, anchovies, and pickled peppers which are skewered and eaten together.
Tsuruoka unfortunately did not have the olives nor the anchovies that the chefs were looking for, but this setback led the chefs to discover tsukemono, which are Japanese pickles. They got pickled red turnips and cucumbers from Honcho, one of Tsuruoka’s oldest pickle stores, as well as dashi fish stock and lightly vinegared mackerel from the fish market. Combining these with a black garlic sauce, they created “Tsuru Gilda”, a Tsuruoka version of the pintxos gilda dish.
Chef Arisaka remarked that, “even though the individual parts were familiar, it was really refreshing to see them combined in a way we don’t normally eat them. What stuck out for me was the explosive flavor born from this combination of fermented ingredients—pickles, black garlic, and fermented vinegar.”
What makes pintxos so interesting is how eating the various ingredients in tandem yields a broader taste. Chef Arisaka said that this style of cooking left a big impact on him. “When you break it down, pintxos are made with ingredients and seasoning that would not be unusual in a full-course French meal. The difference is how the ingredients blend together in your mouth to complete the flavor. In that sense, I’m very interested in how they match the txakoli so closely to the cuisine. Just like how one might squeeze a lemon over oysters before eating them, Basque cooking isn’t really Basque cooking until you put some txakoli in it. Ever since my visit to the Basque country, I have had my restaurant work to incorporate the Basque way of presenting appetizers and matching alcohol with the main course.”
The similarities between flavor, ingredients, and the spirit of Basque and Japanese food culture
The Spanish chefs also visited the Three Sacred Mountains of Dewa during their visit to Tsuruoka. On Mount Haguro, they tried shoujin-ryori at the Saikan Haguroyama-Sanrosho Ryokan. Tasting this food made from the bounty of the mountain, the chefs were surprised that Japanese people could eat food made from nothing but herbs and wild vegetables, and they were moved by just how delicious it was. They seemed to like the sesame-flavored tofu in particular, topped with its sweet yet salty red bean paste. Chef Arisaka explains that this red bean paste flavor is yet another commonality between the flavors of Tsuruoka and the Basque country. “Spanish cuisine has plenty of foods like callos, where beef honeycomb tripe is stewed until it practically melts, or egg dishes that feature half-boiled eggs similar to those in Japan. I think the Spanish share our predilection towards textures that stick to the roof of your mouth. It makes sense that the Basque would like our salty-sweet flavors as well, given that much of their cooking uses sugar.”
The more they learned about each other, the more commonalities came to the forefront. Chef Arisaka says he felt a mysterious connection between the Basque country and not only Tsuruoka, but Japan as a whole. “I get the feeling that the Basque people share our strong desire to protect tradition while also incorporating the new and novel into those traditions to make them their own. In Japan, you see it in the way we have assimilated other cultures to develop our distinctly Japanese curry and ramen. Japanese have a strong desire to share our delicious foods, and we are quick to teach our recipes to others. I think this desire, also held by the Basque people, is a wonderful thing, and it has most certainly helped them develop the food culture that they have today.”
The Basque region and Tsuruoka also share a love of pork and cod, and both areas are popular surfing locales. The more you know, the more apparent it becomes that these two locations share a close connection. It’s not hard to assume that the chefs’ meeting was destiny. Their close relationship is just beginning, however. It may not be long before this mingling of influences creates a new type of cuisine that goes beyond national borders, with these cultures sharing their knowledge of wild plants and other cooking expertise.
Cooperation with:
Saikan Haguroyama-Sanrosho Ryokan
Kimitoshi Arisaka as Owner-chef of Pomme de Terre
Photo: Tsuruoka City
Text: Orika Uchiumi
Edit: Saori Hayashida
Production: Skyrocket Corporation
Production:
Skyrocket Corporation
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