TORONTO — Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) recently partnered with Aim Services Co., Ltd. to hold a Japanese-food seminar on Feb. 3, as well as a fair from Feb. 6 to 16. The events were held in an effort to further vitalize North America-bound exports of Japanese products.
The Japanese-food seminar included a lecture and hands-on demonstration which introduced local chefs to the health benefits and effective use of Japanese ingredients such as miso (soybean paste), shio-koji (salted rice malt), soy sauce and mirin (sweet cooking rice wine).
The fair was held at three companies and school cafeterias around Toronto and offered a total of eight dishes using Japanese products. Dishes included a scallop kakiage tempura bowl, stir-fried miso eggplant and savory steamed egg custard. Each Japanese-food area was crowded with people from start to finish, which provided valuable insight into local needs and high interest in Japanese food.
