Decorate Your Year-End and New Year’s Table!
Decorative cutting is a traditional artisan technique where vegetables and other ingredients are carved into various shapes to make dishes look more appetizing and visually appealing.
During the Edo period (1603–1868), the culture of “Omotenashi” through meals, such as the tea ceremony and kaiseki cuisine, flourished. The practice of cutting ingredients to reflect the season or theme became an established part of the aesthetic of Japanese cuisine and has been passed down to the present day.
Decorative cutting of kamaboko may seem difficult at first glance, but with a petit knife, it’s surprisingly easy to transform it into auspicious designs. These can then be served during the New Year’s season alongside osechi dishes, ozoni, soba noodles, and more for a delightful and elegant treat!
We will provide clear and simple tips on how to handle the knife, so even beginners can succeed right away. This year-end and New Year’s holiday, why not add a decorative touch to your dining table by turning kamaboko into beautiful slices?
Fruit cutting designer. Supervisor of “Fruity Decora”, a fruit cutting school in Hakone, Japan.
With the motto “Making fruit tastier, easier to eat, and visually delightful”, we provide easy-to-follow tips on how to transform familiar and seasonal fruits into an elegant “plate of Omotenashi.” By learning how to cut fruit properly, you can maximize the edible parts, allowing you to use it efficiently without waste. Add a touch of color to your daily life with fruit cutting. Why not master a “skill for life” that only requires a small knife?