December 20, 2023

Since 1994, Kikkoman Trading Europe GmbH (KTE), a sales and marketing company of the Kikkoman Group in Europe, has been sponsoring an annual cooking competition featuring Kikkoman Soy Sauce. The contest titled “Concours Kikkoman” is designed for young chefs across France.

In Fall 2023, the two winners of the 29th contest participated in the awarded tour to Japan. They visited Tokyo, Kyoto and other prefectures to experience the food cultures of various regions in Japan. As the main event of this tour, Kikkoman hosted a two-day cooking workshop in collaboration with Hattori Nutrition College for the winners to learn characteristic cooking methods used in Japanese cuisine.

On Day 1, the participants learned about various types of Japanese kitchen knives and these sharpening methods and practiced how to cut vegetables and fillet fish. The young chefs deep-fried tempura and tendon (tempura over rice) using their prepared ingredients. They also learned how to make dashi (Japanese broth), the essence of Japanese cuisine, as well as dishes prepared using the full flavor of dashi. After the instructors’ demonstration, the participants shaved katsuobushi (dried and smoked bonito) and made dashi broth with kombu (kelp), and cooked a simmered dish of daikon radish and white fish with the dashi they prepared. During Day 1 of the workshop, the young French chefs eagerly listened to the instructors from start to finish. Learning traditional Japanese culinary methods, including the use of various knives and the creation of dishes from dashi, was a unique and memorable experience for them.

On Day 2, the participants prepared sushi and donburi (rice bowl) dishes, applying knowledge gained from Day 1. They sliced tuna, sea bream, shrimp, squid and horse mackerel for sushi, employing the cutting techniques using Japanese knives they had learned on Day 1 while receiving tips from the instructors. Furthermore, these young chefs learned the golden ratio of soy sauce, mirin and dashi, which is fundamental to Japanese cooking, followed by a hands-on lesson where they made Katsudon (pork cutlet rice bowl) and Oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl). The participants enjoyed the rich aroma of the dishes as they focused on learning how to use Oyakonabe (cookware specially designed for rice bowl recipes).

The cooking workshop was also a meaningful opportunity for French and Japanese chefs to strengthen their connection, with the participants from France expressing, “We will come here again when I visit Japan next time,” to the instructors at the end of the workshop. This hands-on experience in Japan will certainly be an invaluable asset as these young chefs go on to refine their culinary skills back in France.

KTE will continue to promote the “international exchange of food culture”, aiming to find new ways to fuse Kikkoman Soy Sauce with local cuisines and support young culinary professionals who will play a key role in shaping the future of food cultures.