Authentic Japanese Cooking School Opens in London

London, Sept. 24 (Jiji Press)--Amid the worldwide boom in "washoku" traditional Japanese cuisine, Tokyo College of Sushi and Washoku has opened a school in London.

It is the first educational institution in Britain to teach students about authentic Japanese cuisine, according to the Japanese Embassy in Britain. The school aims to popularize washoku by training people with a good knowledge of Japanese food culture.

More than 10 years after washoku was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2013, many British people now have a good impression of washoku, such as that it is good for health. But in the country, there are only a limited number of affordable restaurants that serve authentic washoku.

The London school offers a six-month course that teaches basic cooking techniques, such as how to use kitchen knives and make "dashi" soup stock, as well as short courses on various topics.

Yoshihiko Shida, 63, chief instructor at the London school, said that it is important to familiarize middle-class people with washoku in order to further popularize the Japanese cuisine. "We hope to promote washoku recipes that use local ingredients," Shida said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]