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Japan is one of the world's most exigent food producing and consuming countries.
In my travels there in November 2002, I went in search of new products and
came across two which I would like to point out. For some time Corti Brothers
has offered very exclusive soy sauces, o-shoyu, to our discriminating customers.
Since the demise of Mansan tamari, a product we offered for several years,
one of the reasons for going to Japan was to select another tamari of very
high quality. I found one.
With the help of our friends Masakazu and Chieko Koizumi, owners of Yoshiya
Co.Ltd., a supermarket chain in Tokyo, I did a lengthy tasting of different
tamari and other products. Corti Brothers can now offer the best one: MARUMATA
OWARINO TAMARI.
OWARINO TAMARI is produced by Marumata Shouten, established in 1834, located
in Taketoya, Chita county, Aichi prefecture, just south of Nagoya. Owari is
the old name for this northern part of the prefecture. Thus, this tamari is "Owari
no tamari" or the "tamari of Owari."
Produced from Japanese grown soybeans and natural sea salt, slowly aged for
three years in cedar casks, it is very thick, with a sweetish, smokey, meaty
full flavor. Not very salty tasting, with a thick body and deep flavor, Owarino
Tamari is very well balanced. It does not have any added alcohol for stability
and thus must be kept refrigerated once opened.
But why be interested in tamari? you may ask. It is not solely for its use
in Japanese and oriental cuisine. I find that a bit of it in western dishes,
where deep flavor is required-- like braises and brown sauces-- tamari offers
just this. It deepens flavor in white sauces, especially Bechamel, Mornay
and others, providing some of that elusive character called "umami" or
savoriness.
On this same trip, I discovered a little known "soy" sauce,
rare even in Japan. This is "UOSHOYU" or "SHOTTURU" which
is Japan's original flavoring sauce known as fish shoyu. Historically, it
was the essential cooking ingredient in Japan until the introduction of soy
sauce from China in the 1500s. In this regard it is much like GARUM in Rome
and the West was, until this condiment disappeared towards the end of the
Renaissance.
SHOTTURU is produced by Semba Zenjiro Shouten from a small, fatty, white
fleshed fish called hatahata (Arctoscopus japonicus) prevalent in the cold
water off Akita prefecture in the north end of Japan, now the only area producing
this seasoning. Shotturu, as garum must have, adds a wonderful complexity
to dishes when used in cooking or as a dipping sauce. It can be added as
an ingredient in a vinaigrette for salads, in sauces, savory puddings, fish
dishes or as a dipping sauce. Shotturu should be kept at a cool room temperature,
out of direct light and refrigerated once opened. It too lends that elusive
savory character of "umami."
Garum, once the West's most sought after condiment, disappeared from usage
by the time of the Renaissance. SHOTTURU bears incorporating into your culinary
repertoire as the modern equivalent of garum. If nothing else, it is as historic!
You might well ask: " Why write about beans in the summer?" Well,
I want to make you aware of a small quantity of rather exceptional CRANBERRY
BEANS which we purchased and have contracted for more for this fall's harvest.
They come from a grower at Pescadero on California's coast, just south of San
Francisco, in San Mateo county, known by San Francisco food experts as the
best local bean area. These from Pescadero, where the soil is deep and climate
cool, are quite wonderful. They are very large in size with extremely tender
skin.
Possibly the best way to use our PESCADERO cranberry beans in summer is to
serve them cold with tuna. AS DO MAR TUNA; a bit of chopped parsley and sweet
onion, extra virgin oil, salt and pepper, produce a delicious, very traditional
Tuscan dish: fagioli al tonno. It only requires a bit of forethought.
I recommend cooking our Pescadero cranberry beans after soaking overnight in
cold water. Drain them, add water to cover by half, a large bay leaf, 2-3 unpeeled
garlic cloves, 3-4 pepper corns. Let come to a simmer, then cover lightly and
cook for 30 minutes always on a simmer. Taste when almost tender. Remove from
fire, add salt to taste, cover, and let cool to room temperature. The beans
will continue to cook, but not fall apart. Put into a bowl with cooking water
and refrigerate. To use, remove the quantity necessary and make fagioli al
tonno or other dishes.
AS DO MAR TUNA is one of the finest tunas on the market in this country. It
is a perennial favorite. We offer two styles: the TRONCO cut, or the FILETTI from the loin. They are different, from different parts of the fish, but
both are terrific and can be used interchangeably. AS
DO MAR TUNA is also
the tuna you must use for making salade Nicoise. (Please see Colman
Andrew's cookbook Flavors of the Riviera for the history and authentic recipe
for this delicious, but often misconstrued and constructed dish.)
