UIC sponsored Food Education Seminar in London
April 2025
On April 28, 2025, a food education seminar, “Passing on the Traditions of Washoku Culture to the Next Generation: Food Education for Parents＊” was held at the Embassy of Japan in London. This seminar was designed for parents and children attending the Japanese School in London to learn about the origins and characteristics of washoku, the Japanese food. About 50 people attended the event and deepened their knowledge and appeals of washoku.
* Co-hosted by the Japanese Culinary Academy EU and the Embassy of Japan in the UK
The Umami Information Center (UIC) sponsored this seminar and provided the lecturer with materials of scientific and cultural information on umami and umami substances.
We would like to thank the lecturer, Chef Daisuke Hayashi, Vice President of the Japanese Culinary Academy EU, as well as Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. and AJINOMOTO FOODS EUROPE S.A.S., for their support the event in London.
He served the participants ichiban-dashi, a combined dashi of kombu and katsuobushi, a scallop brûlée topped with a jellied soup stock made from local umami ingredients, and suri-nagashi, a pureed soup of potato, which is delicious even with reduced salt.
Thus, it was a time of learning accompanied by tasting for the participants.
He emphasized the importance of nurturing the ability to taste from childhood, which is part of food education. "When people taste umami, saliva begins to flow from the sides of your tongue. Our sense of taste is almost completely determined at the age of three. And the experiences of food during childhood stay with people throughout their lives. That is why it is important to educate children about food."
Chef Hayashi's explanation reminded the participants of the importance of food education.
After the seminar, Chef Hayashi spoke as follows:
"Washoku is the essence of Japanese culture. I think it is very meaningful for Japanese people living abroad to have a proper understanding and pride in Japanese food.
Umami, the foundation of washoku, was born from the preservation technology of kombu and katsuobushi, bonito flakes. This technology is truly an embodiment of wisdom, breathing life into foodstuffs that were originally intended to be discarded. I believe that the wisdom of washoku will become more and more important now that food sustainability is required.
I will continue to share the goodness of this Umami.
UIC will also continue to explain washoku culture through Umami and provide reliable and useful information to people all over the world.
