Japanese Culinary Academy Certification Textbooks
"The Japanese Culinary Academy's Complete Japanese Cuisine,"
a scientific explanation of Japanese cuisine
The Japanese Culinary Academy is a nonprofit that has published a series of books that scientifically explain the techniques used in Japanese cuisine, entitled "The Japanese Culinary Academy's Complete Japanese Cuisine." The books currently available are "Introduction to Japanese Cuisine: Nature, History, and Culture", "Flavor and Seasonings: Dashi, Umami, and Fermented Foods" (which explains the flavor umami, as well as fermented seasonings and foods, with dashi being the foremost example), "MUKOITA I, Cutting Techniques: Fish" and "MUKOITA II, Cutting Techniques: Seafoods, Poultry, and Vegetables" (which together explain techniques such as filleting fish, preparing poultry, and cutting vegetables), and "YAKIBA, Grilling Techniques: Shio-yaki, Furishio-yaki, Yuan-yaki, Tare-yaki, and Yakitori". Subsequent titles on techniques such as boiling are also currently in the works.Subsequent titles such as "NIKATA", covering simmering and steaming techniques, are also currently in the works. This series was created in order to allow scholars of Japanese culture and gustatory research scientists to explain Japanese cuisine, with the aim of making it understandable even to people who have not trained in Japanese cuisine.
In order to disseminate information to those who are trying to learn Japanese cooking techniques both in Japan and overseas, the Association has established an environment in which it can publish editions in two standard languages, both Japanese and English, as well as editions in other languages as necessary.
The Japanese Culinary Academy Certification will use the "Complete Japanese Cuisine" series as standard textbooks and assessment criteria for certification. The English edition of the "Complete Japanese Cuisine" series is available for purchase in various countries throughout North America and Europe, where local chefs already use it as a tool to understand Japanese cuisine and learn its techniques.
To master a certain cuisine, one must begin by learning its background. "The Japanese Culinary Academy's Complete Japanese Cuisine" aims to teach the fundamental principles, rather than simply explain the methods. Instead of relying on experience or intuition, it provides the basis and scientific reasons for why certain flavors are created and specific cooking methods are used. This is done with the aim of helping chefs understand these principles, adopt them, and create original cuisine based on them.
For readers of "The Japanese Culinary Academy's Complete Japanese Cuisine" who have learned fundamental principles from "Introduction Japanese Cuisine: Nature, History, and Culture," the Japanese Culinary Academy has also published books with more specialized information, including "Flavor and Seasonings: Dashi, Umami, and Fermented Food," "Mukoita I, Cutting Techniques: Fish," and "Mukoita II, Cutting Techniques: Seafood, Poultry & Vegetables."
*Also sold by the Secretariat of the Japanese Culinary Academy Certification Association
Please inquire for more details.