A Cook Book Travelling Back in Time

Created by Nancy Singleton Hachisu, who has lived in Japan since 1990, Japan: The Cookbook offers a culinary journey through time. The author states on her website that this is not a complete guide to the country’s culinary heritage, but rather an attempt to take a snapshot of its richness at a given moment in its history.

With over 400 carefully explained recipes made using fish, meat, and vegetables (including aubergines, shiitake, tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet potatoes), the book immerses the reader fully in the richness of Japanese cuisine from the 1970s and 1980s. The book does not skimp on details and explains some potentially intimidating cooking techniques. Towards the end of the book, Nancy Singleton Hachisu features several chefs she admires, including Shuko Oda from Koya Bar in London, who offer valuable advice. On top of all this, the reader learns how to make ramen noodles themselves.

Nancy Singleton Hachisu has also written two other cookbooks: Preserving the Japanese Way and Japanese Fine Food.

Japan: The Cookbook (2018), a recipe book by Nancy Singleton Hachisu, published by Phaidon.