Diana Farah

RIYADH: The Embassy of Japan in Riyadh hosted a Japanese culinary seminar this week aimed at introducing Saudi chefs and food industry professionals to authentic Japanese cuisine, with a focus on dashi, the foundational broth used in many traditional dishes.

Held at the ambassador’s residence in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter on Tuesday, the event featured remarks by Japanese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia MORINO Yasunari, a presentation on Japanese cooking culture by Wasl Way Trading Co. Managing Director Hisayo Saito, and a live cooking demonstration by the embassy’s chef Hideki Tomita.

In his opening remarks, Morino said the embassy hoped to contribute to Saudi Arabia’s evolving culinary scene by promoting greater understanding of Japanese cuisine and encouraging cultural exchange through food.

“We are discovering that Japanese cuisine is loved by people in Saudi Arabia and is blended into the local food culture,” Morino said.

The ambassador noted the growing popularity of Japanese restaurants in the Kingdom and said the success of Saudi cuisine presentations during Expo 2025 Osaka had also inspired the embassy to organize the seminar.

“I hope that new dimensions will be opened for the exchanges between the two food cultures through more mutual understanding,” he said.

The seminar centered on washoku, traditional Japanese cuisine recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage in 2013, and highlighted balanced nutrition, dashi broth and harmony with nature as core elements of the cuisine.

Saito told attendees that Japanese cuisine reflects the country’s changing seasons and regional diversity.

“One of the most important characteristics of Japanese cuisine is the appreciation of seasonal ingredients,” he said, explaining how different dishes and ingredients are associated with spring, summer, autumn and winter in Japan.

He also described dashi as one of the most important foundations of Japanese cooking.

“We avoid using strong oils and spices because instead we focus on bringing out the natural flavors of the ingredients, and we call umami created by dashi,” Saito said.

He explained that Japanese chefs carefully select different varieties of kombu kelp and fish flakes depending on the flavor profile they want to achieve in a dish.

“It takes time, but it will come to Saudi,” Saito said, referring to the spread of authentic Japanese cuisine in the Kingdom.

“I believe this is not only simply a matter of serving Japanese food, but rather it’s spreading while adapting to the local culture.”

Chef Tomita later demonstrated how to prepare authentic dashi broth and dishes incorporating the stock, including clear Japanese soup with shrimp dumplings, rice balls with grilled salmon and eel, and dashimaki tamago, a Japanese rolled omelet.

Guests also sampled tofu panna cotta topped with black beans and date syrup for dessert.