The ideal time to visit Japan is in the springtime when the country is brimming with beautiful cherry blossoms. In Japanese culture, the significance of the cherry blossom tree goes back hundreds of years. In Japan, the cherry blossom represents the yin and yang of the beauty and fragility of life. The trees bloom for a short period and produce magnificent pink and white-hued flowers. A variety of the trees even produce a type of cherry.
There are many areas in the US, that have a wide array of cherry blossom trees including Washington, DC, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia and California. Japan gave 3,020 cherry blossom trees as a gift to the United States in 1912 to celebrate the nations’ then-growing friendship, replacing an earlier gift of 2000 trees which had to be destroyed due to disease in 1910.
Cherry blossoms and leaves are edible and both are used in Japanese cuisine during the cherry blossom season. The blossoms are often pickled in salt and vinegar (ume vinegar).
When I was in Japan in March, it was common to be served salt-pickled blossoms steeped in hot water as an alternative to green tea.
Since the leaves contain coumarin, which is toxic in large doses, it is not recommended to eat them in large quantities.
The Japanese call cherry blossom, sakura.
Japanese are locavores and prefer to eat seasonal and local foods over imported foods. Japanese cuisine celebrates the harvest and meals are centered around quality and seasonal vegetables, which are fundamental elements of the cooking. While I was visiting Japan in the spring, bamboo shoot was the center of almost every omakase meal.
Omakase is a Japanese meal consisting of dishes selected by the chef.
To learn about cuisines of the healthiest European countries, pick up a copy of Layne’s book: Beyond The Mediterranean Diet: European Secrets Of The Super-Healthy!