What are the chrysanthemums on Japanese sashimi for, anyway?

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When eating Japanese food, it's common to see many meals with floral plants placed on them to accent the appearance.

Recently, a Japanese variety program investigated the role of chrysanthemums on sashimi and found that 99% of Japanese people do not eat them and do not even consider them as “food”. In fact, the chrysanthemum on the sashimi is a variety of edible chrysanthemum called “Kogiku”.

According to Japanese cuisine experts, this kind of chrysanthemum is not only edible, but also has a standard way of eating! Next, the expert himself demonstrated the correct way to eat the chrysanthemum on sashimi.

Don't eat calyxes with a bitter taste

Pluck off the petals one by one and throw them into the soy sauce.

You can feel the flavor when you eat it with sashimi.

After the program was aired, the guests in the studio and Japanese netizens said that the next time they eat sashimi, they also want to try to eat to see the chrysanthemums, and you can also take note of this way of eating, so that in the future, when you go to eat Japanese food, you can be an insider.

Also to add a few more garnishes that you can eat in Japanese food, in the presentation of sashimi, in addition to the small chrysanthemums mentioned above, it's common to see shiso and shredded daikon radish.

I'm sure no one has any questions about shredded radish, and I'm sure you know it's edible, so I won't talk about it. The other shiso, in fact, can also be eaten directly. Shiso can be categorized into two types: green shiso and red shiso, and the ones used for garnish in Japanese food are usually green shiso.

In Japanese supermarkets, shiso is usually sold by the box, and then washed with water, it can be used directly on the plate. To eat, place the sashimi on top of the shiso, roll it up, and dip it in soy sauce or wasabi, giving it a unique flavor with a special aroma in the mouth.

In addition to being a garnish, shiso has a bactericidal effect as well as a preservative effect when paired with sashimi, which is why the Japanese feel that it can prevent food poisoning when consumed, and also promotes appetite due to its strong flavor.

A vegetable called ginger bud is also used as a garnish in Japanese cuisine. It is different from the ginger we usually see, because the color is red and white, long and thin, like a long, thin pen tube, but with a special beauty, it is usually called “red and white ginger buds” in China, while in Japanese food it is called “pen ginger”.

Ginger buds are usually found in grilled or saikyo-yaki dishes, because Japanese cuisine emphasizes on the original taste and flavor of the food, so it is seldom seasoned with various spices like Chinese cuisine. However, although the original flavor of the food is preserved, the taste and aroma of the food will be a little bit monotonous from another point of view.

Adding ginger sprouts can make the whole dish more beautiful. On the other hand, the pickled ginger sprouts are refreshing and appetizing, which can remove fishy and greasy, and also increase the layers of flavors in the dish, making the whole dish richer in taste. It is recommended to eat the white part of the ginger sprouts to cleanse the mouth and balance the taste.

Kino buds, also known as pepper leaves, are typically used to garnish and flavor spring and summer dishes.

The flavor of Kino buds is quite specific, some people find the aroma very fragrant, but others are not used to the flavor and must choose carefully before consuming it.

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These garnishes are edible, but it depends on your personal taste. Also, if you come across any other garnishes that you don't know if you can eat or not while eating Japanese food, it's safer to just ask the owner.

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