Over the last ten years the importance and uniqueness of many unique Japanese ingredients has been recognised with and encoded into a Geographical Indication system (GI). This relatively recent legal framework was enacted in 2014 and enforced from June, 2015 and is similar to Italy’s DOP (Denominazione d’Origine Protetta) first…

From seasonal fruits and vegetables, picked at specific times of day, to local seafood found only at exact depths, seasons and locations, Japanese ingredients are bound to their specific heritage and the landscape on which they were raised. This singularity is reflected in a cuisine where each element on a…

More than a staple food, rice is a way of life in Japan. From a baby’s first solid food, in the form of a soft rice porridge, to the national beverage: saké made from fermented rice, consumed in bars and restaurants throughout the country, rice lies at the culinary and…

Using rice flour results in a bread with a crispy and fragrant crust, and a fluffy texture on the inside, creating a delightful contrast. Here’s a simple recipe. Ingredients: • 250g wild farm T65 or breads flour• Rice flour 13g• Hot water 13g• 15g granulated sugar• 4g salt• 5g instant…

Smaller, flatter, more delicate and grain-like than the garden variety, guisante lágrima (teardrop pea) is both expensive and requires princesses-worthy care. Known by some as Green Caviar, the vegetable delight is one of the world’s most time-sensitive vegetables. Its sugar starts transforming into starch almost as soon as it is…

According to Jean-Michel Carton, the owner of Artisan Boulanger-Pâtissier Carton Paris ( 6 Boulevard De Denain, 75010) and the winner of this year’s “best croissant in Paris”, a perfect croissant has to have… A perfectly browned shell, with the central leaf “la couleurette” slightly darker than the rest, each “feuilletage” pastry…

From the perfectly crunchy baguette tradition to a fluffy croissant, good bread is abundant in France, but Alex Croquet pushes the art of baking to a whole other level. Based in the small village of Wattignies in the outskirts of Lille, Alex Croquet has refused proposals to expand from all over the world whether it's in London, Paris or Tokyo. In the style of a true artisan, a shokunin, he wakes early every morning to make bread at his boulangerie in Wattignies village, which also supplies the bread to his Lille bakery.

There is one ingredient that stands out more than any other in our search for the top ingredients in the world. Saffron. The most majestic of all spices has a four thousand-year history that spans numerous cultures, countries, and civilizations and is valuable asgold. Saffron originated from the flower of…

We sit down with Victoria Espinosa, founder and owner of Xocao Chocolate, one of our favourite and stunning products from around the world. The chocolate company has gone from strength to strength, transforming artisanal and bean-to-bar chocolate in the country and showcasing the quality of their native beans. Now, they…

Bruno Cayron has vegetables in his veins. As a young graphic designer in Paris, it was his ecological convictions that saw him return to his birthplace to create one of the most diverse market gardens in France, completely organic and in harmony with the clay-soil and climate of the region…