Renowned chef Kakuho Aoe presented shojin ryori, traditional Buddhist cuisine, to the École d’Hôtellerie et de Tourisme du Luxembourg (EHTL) on 15 January in advance of the school’s participation in the Osaka World Expo in 2025.
Master monk of Ryokusen-ji temple at Asukusa in Tokyo, Aoe is the author of several books, including Zen – 99 recettes pour nourrir le corps et l’esprit. He earned his MBA at Craig School of Business at California State University—which he says was “kind of an escape. I was born and raised in a temple, so people were kind of expecting me to become a monk.”
Since then, the tech-savvy monk helped create a virtual temple and enjoys sharing the culinary art of shojin ryori. He served meals for press during the G7 Hiroshima Summit in May 2023 and holds special meals at the temple–for example, where guests are blindfolded, requiring them to rely on senses besides sight to appreciate food in different ways.
Behind the mindset
Shojin ryori refers to traditional Buddhist cuisine that goes beyond just products. While it is similar to vegan cuisine—it doesn’t use any meat, fish or other animal products, although it also shuns the use of garlic, onion, chives and similar spicy bulbs—it’s about much more. Focus on mindset is key to shojin ryori: having a grateful, warm and “big” mind (not obsessing about the little things) are part of the cooking experience. As Aoe explains, he feels grateful being able to make a meal and serve others. “We treat food as a friend or family,” Aoe explains. “Even if just one or two grains of rice are gone during preparation, it’s very sad.”
The culinary tradition also puts an emphasis on tang, or a “faint taste”, meaning minimal seasoning should be used for maximising taste so the full flavours of the products come through.
Avoiding waste is another principle. Aoe regularly prepares hiryuzu–literally translated from Japanese as “flying dragon head” but etymologically related to filhós, a traditional Portuguese dessert—where tofu is used along with scraps from vegetables such as carrots.
Aoe thinks shojin ryori could gain more international traction since he sees it as one of the few cuisine types that can appeal to a wide range of needs, from vegan or health-conscious types to those simply wishing to reduce their food waste.
Aligning values
It’s too soon to know whether the culinary style will influence the menu EHTL plans on serving at the Luxembourg pavilion in Osaka. But EHTL director Michel Lanners says the students “were really impressed because Aoe doesn’t just concentrate on techniques and recipes but is more interested in the concept and approach of how to eat and what to eat.”
The visit to EHTL is one of several presentations that took place that week, organised by the Embassy of Japan in Luxembourg, and Lanners says the two bodies have had close cooperation in the past. Although Aoe’s visit wasn’t specifically geared to Osaka, Lanners says the school’s intention to get closer to Japanese traditions and culinary aspects aligns with its overall goals. “Japan has a long culinary tradition, not just sushi and green tea, and they know how to cook dishes making the best use of different ingredients nature gives us.”
Lead-up to Osaka
Chef Alain Hostert will be heading up the culinary experience for the Luxembourg participation at Osaka in 2025. As Lanners explains, EHTL–which currently counts 361 students representing 36 nationalities–plans on sending two groups of 10, each accompanied by at least one teacher. The groups will be determined via an application process.
As for the to-be-determined menu, “it will not be gastronomy cooking, as was done in Dubai [during the last World Expo, held from 1 October 2021-31 March 2022],” Lanners adds. “But what will not change is we’ll try to combine Japanese and Luxembourg cultures. That’s one of our challenges: to show we can use the best of both worlds.”
This article was first published on Forbes Luxembourg “Temple Food : le Luxembourg y prend goût avec le moine bouddhiste japonais Kakuho Aoe“
