The Hindu : New Delhi News : Food as a goodwill ambassador

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 06, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Food as a goodwill ambassador

Madhur Tankha

Festival organised by Japanese Embassy and Japan Foundation

DELICACIES GALORE: Japanese food festival

NEW DELHI: Food is an effective tool for cultural exchange. Bearing this in mind, the Embassy of Japan in cooperation with the Japan Foundation organised a Japanese Food Festival here this past week as one of the main events of the Japan India Friendship Year 2007.

The food festival gave a large number of food connoisseurs an opportunity to taste sumptuous Japanese delicacies.

The highlight of the festival was the food prepared by Umenohana, a leading Japanese restaurant chain that was established in 1976 and has now close to 100 restaurants in many parts of Japan.

Speaking about the festival, Japanese Ambassador Yasukuni Enoki said: "Food is an excellent goodwill ambassador. In Japan, many Indian restaurants attract men and women of all ages who are then exposed to the Indian culture. Japanese food is also gaining popularity in India. In Delhi alone, we have more than 10 restaurants that offer Japanese cuisine and the number is growing."

Umenohana serves traditional Japanese cuisine with constant innovations and believes that tradition continues to survive not by simple observation but by periodically reinterpreting and enhancing what has come before.

At the festival, a wide assortment of dishes were served by Umenohana that flew in 15 people including six chefs and seven waitresses who have been awarded in Japan for their meritorious services. There were more than 20 vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes that catered to the taste buds of food lovers.

The vegetarian buffet comprised "lotus roots, kimpira-style", "vegetable sweet and sour salad", "sweet potato and kintoki-bean", "simmered dried radish" and "mixed vegetable wrapped with fried tofu", while the non-vegetarian buffet included "fried yuba", "fried prawn ball with yuba", "roasted duck", "grilled kingfish with miso" and "Japanese bamboo shoots with sea flavour".

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