Kyoto's rich vegetable cuisine
"Kyo-yasai Meister" Yoshimasa Takagaki will come to Tokyo on Dec. 3 and 4 to introduce the charm of Kyo-yasai, literally "Kyoto vegetables," at the French de Kyo-yasai fair in the Blue Gardenia restaurant on the 40th floor of the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka.
The shapes of Kyo-yasai are often unique, their colors are vivid, and their flavors and nutritional value are said to be richer than ordinary vegetables. Situated in a mountain basin, the low availability of fresh seafood helped Kyoto develop a rich culture of vegetable cultivation. One of Kyoto's distinctive cuisines, shojin ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine), helped to maintain demand for these high-quality vegetables. Nowadays, they are also often used in other countries' cuisines, such as those of France and Italy.
Yoshimasa Takagaki, a chef of French cuisine at the Grand Prince Hotel Kyoto, is one of only a few Kyo-yasai specialists with the "Kyo-yasai Meister" qualification in Japan. Takagaki and his brother Hiroshi Saito, also a French chef at the hotel, will introduce French dishes that use the best of Kyoto's fresh vegetables, which are harvested by the chefs themselves and delivered directly from the farm.